Where to find stickers on Instagram
Stickers on Instagram live in the editing tools for Stories and Reels. When you create a new Story or Reel, tap the smiley-face icon in the top right of the screen — this opens the sticker menu. You'll see categories like GIFs, Polls, Questions, Countdown, and the main Stickers section. The Stickers section itself contains dozens of pre-made designs that Instagram provides, plus any sticker packs you've downloaded from the Sticker Store.
For regular feed posts, stickers are not available in the same way. Instagram limits stickers to Stories, Reels, and direct messages. If you want a sticker-like effect on a feed post, you would need to add it using a photo editor before uploading, rather than using Instagram's built-in tools.
Key Takeaways
- Stickers appear only in Stories and Reels through the smiley-face icon in the top right corner of the editing screen.
- Instagram provides built-in sticker categories like GIFs, Polls, and Countdown timers, plus a dedicated Stickers section with dozens of designs.
- You can search for specific stickers by keyword, and Instagram will show matching results from its library and the Sticker Store.
- Downloaded sticker packs from the Sticker Store appear in your sticker menu and can be used repeatedly across multiple Stories and Reels.
- Stickers can be resized, rotated, and moved anywhere on your Story or Reel before posting.
How to add a sticker from Instagram's built-in library
Open Instagram and start creating a Story or Reel. Take a photo or video, or select one from your camera roll. Once you're in the editing screen, tap the smiley-face icon at the top right. This opens the sticker menu with several tabs across the top. Tap the Stickers tab to see Instagram's default collection.
Scroll through the available stickers or search for a specific one using the search bar at the top of the sticker menu. When you find a sticker you want, tap it once. The sticker will appear on your Story or Reel, usually in the center of the screen. You can then drag it to move it, pinch to resize it, or use two fingers to rotate it. Tap elsewhere on the screen to deselect the sticker and continue editing.
Downloading sticker packs from the Sticker Store
Instagram's Sticker Store offers themed packs created by artists and designers. To access it, open the sticker menu (smiley-face icon) and look for a plus sign or "Get More Stickers" option at the bottom of the Stickers tab. Tap this to open the Sticker Store. Browse available packs by category or search for a specific theme — you'll find packs for holidays, animals, quotes, and many other topics.
When you find a pack you want, tap the download button (usually a cloud icon or plus sign). The pack will download to your phone and appear in your sticker menu from that point forward. Downloaded packs stay in your sticker library until you manually remove them. You can download as many packs as you want, and they'll all be available the next time you create a Story or Reel.
Using search to find specific stickers
If you're looking for a sticker with a particular theme or word, use the search function instead of scrolling. In the sticker menu, tap the search bar at the top and type what you're looking for — "birthday," "love," "celebration," or any other keyword. Instagram will show matching stickers from its built-in library and from any downloaded packs.
Search results update as you type, so you can refine your search quickly. If you don't see what you want in the results, try a different keyword. Some stickers are tagged with multiple search terms, so "party" might return different results than "celebration," even though they're similar ideas.
Interactive stickers like Polls and Questions
Beyond decorative stickers, Instagram offers interactive stickers that let your audience respond. These live in the same sticker menu but serve a different purpose. The Poll sticker lets followers vote between two options. The Question sticker lets them type a response to something you ask. The Countdown sticker counts down to a date you set, and the Quiz sticker lets you create multiple-choice questions.
To add an interactive sticker, tap the smiley-face icon, then select the sticker type you want (Poll, Question, Countdown, or Quiz). Fill in the details — the poll options, the question text, the countdown date, or the quiz answers. The sticker will appear on your Story, and you can move and resize it like any other sticker. When followers view your Story, they'll see the interactive element and can engage with it directly.
Resizing, rotating, and positioning stickers
After you place a sticker on your Story or Reel, you have full control over its size and position. To move a sticker, simply drag it with your finger to a new location. To resize it, use a pinching motion — pinch inward to make it smaller, or spread your fingers outward to make it larger. To rotate it, place two fingers on the sticker and twist them clockwise or counterclockwise.
You can layer multiple stickers on top of each other, and they'll stack in the order you added them. If you want to remove a sticker, tap it once to select it, then press the delete key or swipe it off the screen. There's no limit to how many stickers you can add to a single Story or Reel, though too many can make it look cluttered.
Sticker packs you've created or imported
If you use a third-party app to create custom sticker packs, you may be able to import them into Instagram on Android devices. However, Instagram does not currently support importing custom sticker packs on iOS. The stickers available to you are limited to what Instagram provides and what you download from the Sticker Store.
If you want to use custom designs that aren't available as stickers, your best option is to create them in a photo editor like Canva or Photoshop, save them as image files, and add them to your Story or Reel as photos or graphics rather than stickers. This gives you more creative control but means they won't have the interactive or animated properties of built-in stickers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use stickers on Instagram feed posts?
No, stickers are only available in Stories, Reels, and direct messages. For feed posts, you would need to add sticker-like graphics using a photo editor before uploading to Instagram.
Do sticker packs I download stay on my phone forever?
Downloaded sticker packs remain in your sticker menu until you remove them. You can delete a pack by opening the sticker menu, finding the pack, and tapping the minus or remove button. Removing a pack doesn't affect any Stories or Reels you've already posted.
Can my followers see which stickers I used?
Yes, your followers see the stickers exactly as you placed them on your Story or Reel. They can tap and hold on a sticker to see its name or search for similar stickers in their own sticker menu.
What happens if I post a Story with a sticker and then delete the sticker pack?
The sticker remains visible on the posted Story. Deleting a pack from your library only affects new Stories and Reels you create going forward, not ones you've already shared.
Are there stickers that cost money?
All stickers in Instagram's Sticker Store are free to download. Some packs are created by independent artists, but Instagram does not charge for any of them.