The GIF keyboard is built into iOS — you just need to turn it on in Settings
Apple includes a GIF keyboard with every iPhone running iOS 10 or later. It is not a separate app you download; it is a feature already on your phone that you enable through the keyboard settings. Once turned on, you will see a globe icon in your keyboard that opens a dedicated GIF search tool, letting you find and insert animated GIFs directly into messages, emails, and other apps that support them.
The process takes about two minutes and involves three steps: opening Settings, finding the Keyboards section, and toggling the GIF keyboard on. After that, the GIF option appears automatically in any app where you can type.
Key Takeaways
- The GIF keyboard is a built-in iOS feature you enable in Settings under Keyboards, not an app you download from the App Store.
- Once enabled, a globe icon appears in your keyboard's bottom row, giving you access to GIF search without leaving the app you are using.
- The GIF keyboard works in Messages, Mail, Notes, and most third-party apps that support text input and media insertion.
- If the globe icon does not appear after enabling the GIF keyboard, restart your iPhone or check that you have iOS 10 or later.
Step-by-step: Turning on the GIF keyboard
Start by opening the Settings app on your home screen. Tap General, then scroll down and tap Keyboard. You will see a list of keyboards already installed on your phone, such as English and Emoji.
At the bottom of the Keyboards screen, tap Add New Keyboard. A list of available keyboards appears. Scroll down until you find Gifs (Apple lists it with a capital G). Tap it once to add it to your keyboard list.
You are now back at the Keyboards screen, and Gifs should appear in your list. You do not need to toggle anything on or off — the keyboard is now active. Close Settings and open any app where you type, such as Messages or Mail. When you tap the text field, the keyboard appears with a globe icon in the bottom row (usually to the left of the space bar). That globe is your GIF keyboard.
How to search for and insert a GIF
Tap the globe icon in your keyboard. A search screen opens showing trending GIFs and a search bar at the top. Type what you are looking for — "laugh", "celebration", "confused" — and results appear instantly. Scroll through the options and tap the GIF you want. It inserts directly into your message or email as a preview thumbnail.
The GIF keyboard remembers your recent searches, so if you use the same GIFs often, they appear at the top of the search screen for quick access. You can search as many times as you want within a single message before sending.
Why the globe icon might not appear
If you have enabled the GIF keyboard but do not see the globe icon when you type, the most common cause is that the keyboard has not fully loaded. Restart your iPhone by powering it off and back on, then try again.
Another possibility is that the app you are using does not support GIF insertion. The GIF keyboard works in Messages, Mail, Notes, and most social media apps like Instagram and Twitter, but some apps do not allow media insertion through the keyboard. In those cases, you may need to use the app's own media picker instead.
If you are running iOS 9 or earlier, the GIF keyboard is not available. Check your iOS version by going to Settings > General > About and looking at the System Software version. If it is below 10.0, you cannot add the GIF keyboard.
Managing multiple keyboards on your iPhone
Once you add the GIF keyboard, it becomes part of your keyboard rotation. When you tap and hold the globe icon in any keyboard, a menu appears showing all your active keyboards. You can switch between them without closing the text field.
If you want to remove the GIF keyboard later, go back to Settings > General > Keyboard, find Gifs in your list, tap Edit in the top right, then tap the red minus sign next to Gifs and confirm. The globe icon will no longer appear in your keyboard.
GIF keyboard limitations and workarounds
The GIF keyboard searches Giphy's library, which is the largest GIF database available. However, not every GIF on the internet is in Giphy, so you may not find every image you are looking for. If you cannot find a specific GIF through the keyboard, you can search Giphy.com in Safari, save the GIF to your Photos, and insert it manually through the app's media picker.
The GIF keyboard also requires an internet connection to search and load results. If you are offline, the search will not work. Once you have inserted a GIF into a message, it sends as a static image preview unless the receiving app supports animated GIFs — most modern messaging apps do, but older email clients may show only the first frame.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use the GIF keyboard in iMessage and regular text messages?
Yes. The GIF keyboard works in both iMessage (blue bubbles) and standard SMS text messages (green bubbles). In SMS, the GIF appears as a still image, but in iMessage it animates when the recipient opens the message.
Does the GIF keyboard work on iPad?
Yes, if you are running iPadOS 10 or later. The process is identical: Settings > General > Keyboard > Add New Keyboard > Gifs. The globe icon appears in the same position on the iPad keyboard.
Why does my GIF appear as a still image when I send it?
The receiving app may not support animated GIFs. iMessage, Instagram, and Twitter display them as animations, but some email clients and older messaging apps show only the first frame. The recipient can usually tap the image to see it animate.
Can I search for GIFs by category instead of typing?
The GIF keyboard requires you to type a search term. There is no category browsing feature. However, trending GIFs appear automatically when you first open the GIF keyboard, so you can browse those without searching.
What happens if I delete the GIF keyboard and want to add it back?
You can add it back anytime by following the same steps: Settings > General > Keyboard > Add New Keyboard > Gifs. Your search history will not carry over, but the keyboard itself is always available to re-enable.