How to Save GIFs on an iPhone

Keep the fun images that make you smile

By
Brenna Miles
Brenna Miles
Brenna Miles
Writer
  • The University of Phoenix
Brenna Miles is a technology writer with a B.A. in Business Management and HR Management. She's been writing about technology for 6+ years.
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Updated on September 11, 2020

What to Know

  • Locate or open the GIF you would like to save or share. Tap and hold the image until a menu appears.
  • Select Add to Photos to add the GIF to your Photos library. You can also select Share to send the GIF immediately.
  • In iOS 11 and later, GIFs are animated in the Photos app. In iOS 10, GIFs appear as static images.

This article explains how to save a GIF to your iPhone, share it on social media, or text it to others with a messaging app. A GIF is an animated graphic that usually plays on a continuous loop and is one of the most commonly used image formats.

How to Save GIFs on iPhone

To download a GIF to your iPhone:

  1. Locate or open the GIF you would like to save or share.

  2. Tap and hold the image until a menu appears.

  3. Select Add to Photos to add the GIF to your Photos library. (In older versions of iOS, select Save Image.) You can also select Share to send the GIF immediately or choose from a host of other sharing options.

    GIF to save and Save Image button on iOS

In iOS 12 and iOS 11, GIFs are animated in the Photos app. In iOS 10, GIFs appear as a static image.

Where to Find GIFs on an iPhone

There are many places online to find unique GIFs to download to your iPhone or iPad.

  • Do a quick search using Google Image Search, and select GIF from the search parameters.
  • Browse a website like GIPHY or Gfycat.
  • In the Messages app, select the red magnifying glass in the toolbar to search through hundreds of GIFs on your iPhone.
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