To delete a sticker you created from a photo on your iPhone, open Photos, select any photo, tap Edit > Markup > Add > Add Sticker, then touch and hold the unwanted sticker and tap Remove. You do not need to locate the original photo used to create it.
That removes the sticker from your saved Apple collection. A sticker already attached to a message bubble, a sent sticker message, a Genmoji, a Memoji pack, and a third-party sticker app all use different controls.
Choose the Sticker You Want to Remove
| Sticker type | Where to remove it |
|---|---|
| Photo sticker or Live Sticker | Photos > Edit > Markup > Add > Add Sticker |
| Sticker attached to an iMessage bubble | Messages > Sticker Details |
| Sticker sent as its own message | Undo Send or delete the message |
| Genmoji | Emoji keyboard > Stickers |
| Custom Memoji sticker pack | Delete the custom Memoji |
| Third-party iMessage sticker pack | Messages app settings or uninstall its app |
| Sticker placed on a photo or document | Edit the photo or document containing it |
Removing a saved sticker does not erase the source photo. Deleting one placed copy from a conversation or image does not remove the sticker from your collection.
Delete a Sticker Made From a Photo
Photo stickers and animated Live Stickers are stored in a shared collection that can appear in Messages, the emoji keyboard, Markup, and supported third-party apps.
- Open the Photos app.
- Open any photo.
- Tap Edit.
- Tap the Markup button, represented by a pen tip.
- Tap the Add button.
- Select Add Sticker.
- Touch and hold the sticker you want to delete.
- Tap Remove.
The selected photo does not need to be the one originally used to create the sticker. Markup provides access to the saved collection itself.
Removing the sticker does not delete, crop, or edit its source photo. Likewise, deleting the source photo does not necessarily remove a sticker that has already been saved. Apple documents this process in its photo sticker instructions.
Delete a Live Sticker
Use the same Photos and Markup method. Touch and hold the animated Live Sticker in the collection and select Remove. The original Live Photo remains in your library and retains its movement.
Remove a Sticker From the iPhone Keyboard
Tap a text field in Messages, Notes, Mail, or another supported app. Switch to the emoji keyboard, then swipe right or open the Stickers section.
Touch and hold the custom sticker. Some iOS versions show Delete or Remove directly. When a photo sticker does not provide that option in the keyboard, use Photos > Edit > Markup > Add Sticker. It accesses the same saved collection and is the reliable Apple-documented route.
Built-in Unicode emoji cannot be deleted individually because they are part of the system keyboard rather than custom saved items.
Remove a Sticker Attached to a Message Bubble
A sticker can be dragged onto a text, image, or message bubble. Removing that placed copy is different from deleting its design from your sticker drawer.
- Open the conversation in Messages.
- Touch and hold the message bubble underneath the sticker.
- Tap Sticker Details.
- Find the unwanted sticker in the list.
- Swipe left on it.
- Tap Delete.
When several stickers are layered on one message, Sticker Details lists them separately. Delete only the one you want to remove. If the sticker covers the text, double-tap it to view the covered content and then hold an exposed part of the bubble.
This action removes the placed sticker but leaves the saved design in your drawer. Apple’s Messages sticker instructions confirm the Sticker Details method.
Delete a Sticker Sent as a Message
A sticker sent as its own message behaves more like a normal iMessage. If it was sent recently, touch and hold it and select Undo Send while that option remains available. Undo Send attempts to retract the message on supported devices, although recipients using older software may still see it.
After the Undo Send period has passed, touch and hold the sticker message, tap More if necessary, select it, and use the Trash button. This deletes the message from your history and synced Apple devices, but it does not retrieve a delivered copy from another person’s phone.
Deleting the message also does not remove the sticker from your saved collection.
Delete a Genmoji
Genmoji are custom emoji created with Apple Intelligence and stored in the sticker area.
- Tap a text field to open the keyboard.
- Switch to the emoji keyboard.
- Swipe right or tap the Stickers button.
- Touch and hold the Genmoji.
- Tap Delete.
If it is missing, confirm that you are viewing the sticker section rather than the standard emoji grid. Genmoji availability also depends on a compatible device, Apple Intelligence settings, language, and region.
Delete Memoji Stickers
Each custom Memoji creates a pack of expressions and poses. You normally remove the whole pack by deleting its custom Memoji rather than deleting one expression.
- Open Messages and start or enter a conversation.
- Tap the Plus button and select Memoji.
- Swipe to the custom Memoji.
- Open the More menu.
- Tap Delete.
Deleting the custom character removes its generated sticker pack but does not remove Memoji stickers already sent in conversations. Apple’s built-in Animoji characters cannot be deleted.
Remove a Third-Party Sticker Pack
Sticker packs downloaded from the App Store may be iMessage extensions or part of a full iPhone app.
To disable an iMessage extension without deleting its main app, open Settings > Apps > Messages > iMessage Apps, select the sticker app, and turn it off. You can return to the same menu later to enable it again.
To remove the full app, touch and hold its icon on the Home Screen or in App Library, select Remove App, and then choose Delete App. This removes its extension and local content but does not erase stickers already sent in conversations.
Some iMessage-only sticker packs do not have an obvious Home Screen icon. Manage those through iMessage Apps instead of installing an unknown “cleaner” application.
Remove a Sticker Placed on a Photo or Document
Deleting a sticker from your saved collection does not remove copies already placed with Markup. Open the photo, note, PDF, or supported document, enter editing or Markup mode, select the sticker object, and tap Delete.
If a photo edit has already been saved and the sticker cannot be selected separately, Photos may offer Revert to Original. Reverting removes every saved edit, not just the sticker. Duplicate the photo first if you need to preserve crops, color adjustments, or other changes.
A sticker flattened into an exported image or PDF is no longer an independent object. You may need an earlier file version or an image-editing tool to cover or reconstruct that area.
WhatsApp, Telegram, and Other App Stickers
WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Messenger, and similar services can maintain their own sticker packs and favorites. A sticker that appears only inside one app must usually be removed through that app’s sticker manager.
In WhatsApp, open the sticker area in a conversation, enter the pack or collection manager, and remove the unwanted pack or favorite. The labels can change between app versions.
An Apple photo sticker may also appear inside a third-party app through the iPhone keyboard. When the same item appears across multiple apps, remove it from the Apple collection through Photos and Markup. When it appears only inside one service, manage it inside that service.
Why a Deleted Sticker May Reappear
Stickers can sync through iCloud to compatible Apple devices using the same Apple Account. A deletion may take time to reach an iPad or Mac that has been offline. Connect the devices to the internet and allow synchronization to finish.
A sticker may also seem to return because only one placed copy was removed while the saved collection item remained, or the collection item was deleted while an old copy stayed in a message, photo, or document.
Close and reopen the app if it continues displaying a stale copy. Restarting the iPhone is reasonable when the keyboard or sticker drawer is stuck, but erasing the phone is excessive for one sticker.
What to Do When a Sticker Will Not Delete
Use the method that matches the sticker rather than repeatedly pressing the same item:
- For a saved photo sticker, use the Photos and Markup route.
- For a sticker attached to a message, hold the message bubble and open Sticker Details.
- For Genmoji, hold it in the keyboard’s sticker area.
- Close and reopen Messages or Photos.
- Restart the iPhone.
- Install the latest stable iOS update available for the device.
- Allow iCloud time to synchronize changes.
If the iPhone is frozen and cannot restart normally, follow the correct buttons in how to force restart an iPhone.
Touch-and-hold actions also require the display to recognize a steady press. Clean and dry the screen, remove a problematic protector for testing, and try holding icons elsewhere. When long presses fail throughout iOS, troubleshoot the iPhone touchscreen not working instead of changing sticker settings.
Can You Recover a Deleted Sticker?
The saved sticker collection has no normal Recently Deleted folder. Recreate a photo sticker by opening its source image, touching and holding the subject, and selecting Add Sticker. Use the original Live Photo if you want the restored sticker to remain animated.
If the source image was accidentally removed, the guide to recovering deleted photos on iPhone may help while the photo remains recoverable.
A deleted Genmoji normally needs to be generated again. A deleted Memoji can also be rebuilt, although reproducing every customization may be difficult if you did not record the original settings.
The safest approach is to delete the sticker from the place where it is stored. Photo and Live Stickers belong to the Apple sticker collection, placed message stickers belong to Sticker Details, Genmoji and Memoji have their own controls, and third-party packs belong to their apps. Once you identify the type, removing it takes only a few steps and does not require resetting the iPhone.
