You can delete stickers from messages you've already sent, but only within a short window
Snapchat lets you remove stickers from messages you've sent, but there's a catch: you have to do it quickly. Once you send a message with a sticker, you can delete it using Snapchat's "Unsend" feature, which works the same way as deleting any other message. The sticker disappears from the conversation for both you and the person you sent it to — they'll see a note that the message was unsent instead of the sticker itself.
The unsend window is limited. You have up to 24 hours from the time you sent the message to delete it, though Snapchat doesn't display a countdown timer. After that, the message is permanent and can't be removed. This applies whether the sticker was sent alone or as part of a larger message with text or images.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any message containing a sticker to bring up the unsend option, which removes it from both your chat and the recipient's.
- You have up to 24 hours after sending to unsend a message with a sticker; after that, it cannot be deleted.
- When you unsend a message, the other person sees a note saying the message was unsent rather than seeing the sticker itself.
- Unsending works the same way whether the sticker was sent alone or mixed with text or photos in the same message.
How to unsend a sticker message step by step
Open the chat where you sent the sticker. Find the message containing the sticker you want to remove. Press and hold on that message until a menu appears with several options. Tap "Unsend" or "Delete" — the exact wording depends on whether you're using iOS or Android, but both do the same thing. The message vanishes from the conversation immediately.
If you don't see the unsend option, the 24-hour window has passed. Once that happens, the message is locked in place and cannot be removed through Snapchat's interface. The person you sent it to will continue to see the sticker in your chat history.
What the other person sees when you unsend
When you unsend a message with a sticker, the recipient doesn't see a blank space or a deleted message notification. Instead, they see text that says something like "This message was unsent" or "You unsent a message" in place of where the sticker was. This makes it obvious that you removed something, though they won't know what the sticker was unless they saw it before you deleted it.
If the recipient already opened and viewed the message before you unsent it, they may have already seen the sticker. Unsending removes it from the chat thread, but if they took a screenshot or saw it on their screen, that's beyond Snapchat's control. The unsend feature only removes the message from the stored conversation.
Stickers you can't delete: ones in your sent sticker collection
Snapchat keeps a record of stickers you've sent in a separate "Sent" section within the sticker menu. These are different from the stickers in individual messages. You cannot delete stickers from this sent collection — Snapchat stores them automatically and doesn't provide a way to remove them from your history.
If you want to clear your sticker history, the only option is to clear your entire Snapchat cache or data through your phone's settings, which also clears other app information like saved chats and filters. This is a more drastic step than unsending individual messages and affects more than just stickers.
Why you might want to delete a sticker quickly
People unsend stickers for the same reasons they unsend any message: they sent it to the wrong person, they changed their mind about the tone, or they realized the sticker didn't match what they meant to say. Snapchat's unsend feature gives you a brief window to correct these mistakes before the message becomes permanent.
The 24-hour limit is intentional. It prevents people from erasing their entire conversation history after the fact, which would make it impossible to have a reliable record of what was actually said. The window is long enough to catch most immediate regrets but short enough that old messages stay visible.
Clearing stickers from your keyboard or sticker menu
If you want to remove stickers from your sticker keyboard so they don't appear when you're composing messages, that's a different process than deleting sent stickers. Open the sticker menu, find the sticker pack you want to remove, and look for an X or minus icon. Tapping that removes the pack from your keyboard, though Snapchat still keeps a record that you used it.
Removing a sticker pack from your keyboard doesn't affect stickers you've already sent in messages. It only changes what appears when you're typing new messages. If you want to use that sticker pack again later, you can re-add it from Snapchat's sticker library.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I unsend a sticker if the other person already screenshotted it?
No. Once someone takes a screenshot, the image exists on their device outside of Snapchat's control. Unsending removes the message from the chat, but it doesn't delete files they've already saved. Snapchat does notify you when someone screenshots a message, but that's separate from the unsend feature.
What happens if I unsend a sticker in a group chat?
The sticker is removed from the group conversation for everyone, just like in a one-on-one chat. All members of the group see the "message was unsent" notification instead of the sticker. You still have the same 24-hour window to unsend it.
Can I delete stickers from old conversations I'm no longer using?
If the 24-hour window has passed, you cannot unsend individual stickers. Your only option is to delete the entire conversation, which removes all messages, stickers, and images from that chat. You can do this by pressing and holding the conversation name and selecting "Delete Chat."
Does unsending a sticker notify the other person that I removed something?
Yes. They see a notification that says the message was unsent. They won't know what the sticker was unless they saw it before you deleted it, but they'll know you removed something from the conversation.