Stickers have become a fun and expressive part of conversations on iPhones — whether in iMessage, photos, or other chat apps. But over time, your sticker collection can get cluttered with unused, outdated, or unnecessary sticker packs.If you’ve been wondering how to delete stickers on your iPhone, you’re in the right place.
In this detailed guide, we’ll walk you through:
How to remove custom stickers you’ve created
How to delete or hide third-party sticker packs
How to remove stickers from messages or photos
Common problems and troubleshooting tips
By the end, you’ll know exactly how to manage and clean up your stickers efficiently while keeping your iPhone’s storage and Messages app organized.
Types of Stickers on iPhone
Before deleting, it’s important to understand the different types of stickers that may be on your iPhone:
Custom Stickers: Created from your own photos or Live Photos using iOS’s “Make Stickers” feature.
➤ Apple Support – Make Stickers from Your Photos
Third-Party Sticker Packs: Downloaded from the App Store or added as iMessage apps.
➤ iGeeksBlog – How to Delete Stickers on iPhone
Stickers Attached to Messages or Photos: These are stickers sent or received in chats and attached to message bubbles or pictures.
➤ Apple Support – Send Stickers in Messages
Keyboard Stickers: Stickers that appear within your emoji keyboard’s “Recents” section or sticker tray.
Each of these requires a slightly different method for removal. Let’s go through them one by one.
How to Delete Custom Stickers on iPhone
If you’ve created custom stickers from your own photos or Live Photos, here’s how to delete them:
Open the Messages app and go into any chat.
Tap the “+” button (or the sticker icon) in the message bar.
Tap Stickers to open your sticker library.
Go to the Custom or Live Stickers tab (not “Recents”).
Long-press on the sticker you want to remove.
Choose Delete or Remove from the pop-up menu.
If you want to delete multiple stickers at once:
Long-press any sticker
Tap Rearrange/Edit
Tap the minus (-) icon next to each unwanted sticker
Hit Done when finished
🔗 Reference: Apple GadgetHacks – Delete Custom Stickers
Note:
You cannot directly delete stickers from the “Recents” tab.
If iCloud Sync is enabled, the deleted stickers will also disappear from your other Apple devices.
Deleting a sticker doesn’t remove it from messages where it was already sent — it only removes it from your sticker library.
How to Delete or Hide Third-Party Sticker Packs
Sometimes, you install sticker packs or iMessage apps that you no longer use. These can clutter your app drawer and consume storage. Here’s how to remove or hide them.
A. Delete Sticker Packs from Messages
Open Messages and any conversation.
Tap the “+” button → choose Stickers.
Scroll through your installed packs → tap the “…” (More) or Edit button.
Tap the minus (-) icon or Delete next to the sticker pack you want to remove.
Tap Done to save changes.
🔗 Reference: MacRumors – Manage Sticker Apps in iMessage
B. Disable Stickers from the Keyboard
If you don’t want stickers to appear while typing:
Go to Settings → General → Keyboard
Scroll down and toggle Stickers → Off
🔗 Reference: Apple Community Discussion
C. Delete the Sticker App Entirely
If the sticker pack came from a third-party app:
Go to Settings → General → iPhone Storage
Find and select the sticker app
Tap Delete App
🔗 Reference: Apple Support – Manage iPhone Storage
Pro Tips:
Deleting a sticker pack removes all related stickers from iMessage.
If you just “hide” a sticker pack, you can restore it later without reinstalling.
After deleting, restart the Messages app to refresh your list.
How to Remove Stickers from Messages or Photos
If you’ve sent or received stickers attached to message bubbles or photos, you can remove them individually:
Open Messages → find the chat with the sticker.
Long-press the sticker on the message bubble or image.
Select Sticker Details or More.
Tap Delete or Remove Sticker.
🔗 Reference: Apple Support – Manage Stickers in Messages
Important Notes:
Removing a sticker only deletes it from your view, not from the recipient’s side.
You can remove multiple stickers from a message one by one.
If “Sticker Details” doesn’t appear, make sure you’re long-pressing directly on the sticker and not on the message bubble.
Common Problems & Fixes
Problem Reason Solution
Can’t delete stickers You’re on the “Recents” tab Go to “Custom” tab and use long-press → Delete
Sticker pack keeps reappearing iCloud sync or cache issue Restart your phone, sign out and back into iCloud
Keyboard stickers won’t disappear Stickers toggle not turned off Settings → General → Keyboard → Stickers → Off
Third-party sticker app won’t uninstall Residual data left behind Delete the related app from Settings → iPhone Storage
Deleted sticker still visible in old chats Already sent messages keep the sticker That’s expected; it only deletes from your library
🔗 Source: iGeeksBlog – Fix Sticker Issues
Best Practices for Managing Stickers
Review stickers regularly.
Every few months, open your sticker library and remove packs you don’t use.
Keep stickers organized.
Group by category — work, fun, memes — so you can find them quickly.
Check for privacy.
Avoid creating stickers from private or sensitive photos that could be misused.
Manage iCloud Sync.
If you don’t want stickers syncing across devices, go to Settings → iCloud → Messages → toggle Off.
Avoid unnecessary sticker packs.
Too many third-party packs can slow down the Messages app and take up space.
🔗 Related: Apple Support – Manage iCloud Storage
Conclusion
Stickers are a creative way to express yourself, but when they pile up, your iPhone can start to feel messy.
By following this guide, you’ve learned how to:
Delete custom stickers created from your photos
Remove or hide third-party sticker packs
Delete stickers attached to messages or images
Keeping your stickers organized not only saves space but also improves the performance of your Messages app.
Take a few minutes to clean up your sticker library today — your iPhone (and your sanity) will thank you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: I deleted a sticker, but it’s still showing in my old messages. Why?
A: Deleting removes the sticker from your library, not from previous messages where it was already sent.
Q2: Can I delete stickers from the “Recents” tab?
A: Not directly. You’ll need to remove the sticker from the “Custom” or “Live” section — once deleted there, it will disappear from Recents.
Q3: If I delete a third-party sticker pack, can I reinstall it later?
A: Yes, you can reinstall it from the App Store anytime. If it’s a paid pack, you won’t be charged again.
Q4: Does deleting stickers free up storage space?
A: A little, especially if you had large third-party packs or custom photo-based stickers.
Q5: Can I turn stickers off completely?
A: Yes. Go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Stickers → turn it Off. This hides stickers from your emoji keyboard.
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