How to Save GIFs on an iPhone

Keep the fun images that make you smile

by
Brenna Miles
Brenna Miles
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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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Brenna Miles
Updated on September 11, 2020

A GIF is an animated graphic that usually plays on a continuous loop and is one of the most commonly used image formats. GIFs are often used for sharing reactions online or in text messages. When you find a GIF that you would like to keep or share with others, you can save it to your iPhone, share it on social media, or text it to others with a messaging app.

Instructions in this article apply to iOS devices with iOS 10 or later.

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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