You can delete emoji from your iPhone keyboard in Settings, but the process depends on which emoji and which keyboard you use
Apple gives you two ways to remove emoji from your iPhone. The first is to hide the entire emoji keyboard so it stops appearing in your keyboard switcher. The second is to remove individual emoji from your frequently used list, which is the row of emoji that appears at the bottom of your keyboard when you open it. Neither method deletes emoji from your phone itself — they just remove them from places where you see and use them.
Which method you need depends on what's bothering you. If you want to stop seeing the emoji keyboard altogether, you hide it in Settings. If you just want to clean up the emoji you use most often, you can delete them one at a time directly from the keyboard.
Key Takeaways
- Hiding the emoji keyboard in Settings removes it from your keyboard switcher, but you can turn it back on anytime.
- Deleting individual emoji from your frequently used list happens on the keyboard itself by long-pressing and selecting remove.
- Removing emoji from your keyboard does not delete them from messages you already sent or from your phone's storage.
- If you hide the emoji keyboard and later change your mind, you can re-enable it in the same Settings menu where you turned it off.
How to hide the entire emoji keyboard
Open Settings on your iPhone and tap General. Scroll down and tap Keyboard. You will see a list of keyboards you have enabled — this includes your main language keyboard and any others you have added. Look for Emoji in that list. If it is there, tap it, then tap the toggle switch next to it to turn it off. The emoji keyboard will no longer appear when you tap the globe icon to switch keyboards.
This is the fastest way to remove emoji from your typing experience if you do not want to use them at all. The emoji keyboard will not reappear unless you go back to Settings > General > Keyboard and toggle it back on.
How to delete individual emoji from your frequently used list
Open any app where you can type — Messages, Notes, Mail, or any text field. Tap in the text box to bring up the keyboard. Tap the emoji button (the smiley face icon) to switch to the emoji keyboard. At the bottom of the screen, you will see a row of emoji you use most often. Find the emoji you want to remove, then press and hold it with your finger.
A menu will appear with options. Tap "Remove" or the trash icon, depending on your iOS version. The emoji will disappear from your frequently used list. You can repeat this for as many emoji as you want to clean up. The next time you open the emoji keyboard, that row will show different emoji based on what you actually use.
Why you might want to remove emoji from your keyboard
Some people hide emoji because they find the keyboard distracting or do not use it. Others remove individual emoji because their frequently used list has filled up with emoji they tapped by accident or no longer use, making it harder to find the ones they actually want. Cleaning up your frequently used list keeps your most-reached-for emoji at the top where you can find them quickly.
If you share your phone with family members or use it for work, you might also want to remove emoji that others have added to your frequently used list, since that list is shared across your whole phone.
What happens to emoji you already sent
Removing emoji from your keyboard does not change any messages you have already sent. If you sent a message with a smiley face emoji last week, that emoji will still appear in the conversation. Deleting emoji from your keyboard only affects what you see going forward when you are typing new messages.
The emoji themselves remain on your phone in your Messages app, your Notes, and anywhere else you have used them. You are only removing them from the input method — the keyboard itself.
How to turn the emoji keyboard back on if you change your mind
If you hid the emoji keyboard and later decide you want it back, the process is straightforward. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard. Look through your list of keyboards. If Emoji is not there, tap "Add New Keyboard" at the bottom of the list. Scroll down, find Emoji, and tap it. The emoji keyboard will reappear the next time you tap the globe icon to switch keyboards.
You can also add multiple language keyboards and emoji keyboard at the same time. There is no limit to how many keyboards you enable, though having too many can make the keyboard switcher harder to navigate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete emoji permanently from my iPhone?
No. Emoji are built into iOS and cannot be removed from your phone entirely. You can only hide the emoji keyboard or remove individual emoji from your frequently used list. The emoji will still exist on your phone and in your messages.
Will deleting emoji from my keyboard affect other people's phones?
No. Your keyboard settings only affect your own phone. If you remove an emoji from your frequently used list, it will not change what appears on anyone else's device or in shared conversations.
What if I accidentally delete an emoji I actually use?
You can add it back by using it again. Once you type an emoji, it will reappear in your frequently used list. You can also long-press any emoji in the keyboard and select "Add" if your iOS version shows that option.
Does hiding the emoji keyboard save storage space?
No. Hiding the emoji keyboard does not free up any storage on your phone. Emoji are part of iOS itself and take up the same amount of space whether you use the keyboard or not.
Can I customize which emoji appear in my frequently used list?
Not directly. Your frequently used list builds itself based on the emoji you actually type. The more you use a particular emoji, the higher it appears in that row. Removing emoji you do not use helps your most-used ones rise to the top.