What a Memoji is and where to find it

A Memoji is a personalized animated avatar you create on your iPhone or iPad. It's a cartoon version of yourself that you can customize with different hairstyles, skin tones, facial features, and accessories. Once you've made one, it appears in your Messages app, FaceTime, and other Apple apps where you can use it to send animated reactions or make video calls.

Your Memoji lives in the Memoji keyboard, which you access through the emoji keyboard in any app that lets you type or send messages. If you've already created a Memoji and want to change how it looks, you can edit it at any time — Apple stores all your changes automatically.

Key Takeaways

  • Open any app with a keyboard (Messages, Notes, Mail), tap the emoji button, then swipe left to find your Memoji and tap the edit icon (pencil) to change it.
  • You can modify any feature: hair, skin tone, eyes, nose, mouth, facial hair, glasses, piercings, and accessories like hats or headwear.
  • Changes save automatically — you don't need to confirm or export anything, and the updated Memoji shows up everywhere you use it.
  • If you want to create a second Memoji instead of editing the first one, tap the plus icon in the Memoji keyboard to add a new one.

Step-by-step: editing your existing Memoji

Start by opening any app where you can type: Messages, Notes, Mail, or even the Notes app. Tap in the text field to bring up the keyboard. On the keyboard, look for the emoji button — it's usually the smiley face icon at the bottom left or bottom right, depending on your device.

Tap the emoji button to open the emoji keyboard. Swipe left through the emoji categories until you reach the Memoji section. You'll see your Memoji displayed as a large tile. Look for a small pencil icon (edit button) in the corner of your Memoji tile. Tap that pencil icon to open the Memoji editor.

The editor shows your current Memoji in the center with customization options below. Scroll through the categories — hair, skin, eyes, nose, mouth, facial hair, glasses, and accessories — and tap any option to change it. You can preview each change in real time on the Memoji in the center of the screen.

Once you're satisfied with your changes, tap the back arrow or close button (usually at the top left). Your updated Memoji is now saved and will appear everywhere you use it across your device.

What features you can customize

The Memoji editor lets you change nearly every visible aspect of your avatar. Under the hair category, you can choose different styles, colors, and whether to include facial hair like a beard or mustache. The skin tone section offers a range of options, and you can adjust the tone independently from other features.

For facial features, you can modify your eyes (shape, color, and size), eyebrows (shape and color), nose (shape and size), and mouth (shape and color). The accessories section includes glasses, sunglasses, hats, headwear, piercings, and other decorative items. Some accessories are seasonal or themed, so the available options may change depending on the time of year or your iOS version.

You can also adjust the head shape and add or remove specific details like beauty marks or scars. Every change is independent — modifying your hair color doesn't affect your skin tone, and adding glasses doesn't lock you into a particular eye style.

Creating a second or additional Memoji

If you want to keep your current Memoji and make a completely different one, you can create multiple Memojis on the same device. Open the Memoji keyboard the same way: open any app with a keyboard, tap the emoji button, and swipe to the Memoji section.

Look for a plus icon (usually a circle with a plus sign) next to your existing Memoji. Tap the plus icon to start creating a new Memoji from scratch. You'll go through the same customization process, choosing hair, skin tone, features, and accessories. When you're done, tap the back arrow to save it.

You can create up to 40 Memojis on a single device. Each one is stored separately, and you can switch between them in the Memoji keyboard by tapping the one you want to use.

Deleting a Memoji you no longer want

To remove a Memoji, open the Memoji keyboard and find the one you want to delete. Press and hold on that Memoji tile until a menu appears. Select the delete or trash option from the menu. The Memoji is removed immediately and won't appear in your keyboard anymore.

You can only delete Memojis you've created yourself — you cannot delete the default Memoji that comes with your device, though you can edit it. If you delete a Memoji by mistake, you'll need to create it again from scratch; there's no undo function.

Troubleshooting: Memoji not showing changes

If you've edited your Memoji but the changes aren't appearing, close and reopen the app you're using. Sometimes the app needs to refresh to display the updated version. If that doesn't work, restart your device — this clears the app cache and usually fixes display issues.

If the Memoji keyboard isn't appearing at all, make sure you have the emoji keyboard enabled in your device settings. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards, and confirm that the emoji keyboard is listed and turned on. If it's missing, tap "Add New Keyboard" and select Emoji.

On older devices or older iOS versions, some Memoji features or accessories may not be available. If you're missing options that you've seen elsewhere, check that your device is running the latest iOS or iPadOS version by going to Settings > General > Software Update.

Using your updated Memoji across Apple apps

Once you've changed your Memoji, it updates automatically in every Apple app that supports it. In Messages, you can send Memoji stickers or use your Memoji to create animated reactions to messages. In FaceTime, you can use your Memoji as your video avatar during calls, which replaces your camera feed with your animated avatar.

Your Memoji also appears in apps like Clips (for creating short videos), Notes, and Mail if those apps support Memoji. The changes you make are device-specific — if you use multiple Apple devices, you'll need to edit your Memoji separately on each one, or your Memojis will sync if you're using iCloud sync for that feature.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use my Memoji on Android or non-Apple devices?

Memojis are designed for Apple devices only. You cannot create or use a Memoji on Android phones or other non-Apple platforms. However, you can send Memoji stickers or images to Android users through Messages or other apps, and they'll see them as regular images or stickers.

Will my Memoji changes sync to my other Apple devices?

Memojis do not sync across devices through iCloud. If you edit a Memoji on your iPhone, that change won't automatically appear on your iPad or Mac. You'll need to make the same edits on each device separately if you want your Memoji to look the same everywhere.

How do I make my Memoji look more like me?

Start with the basic features: skin tone, face shape, and hair color. Then adjust the eyes, nose, and mouth to match your features as closely as possible. Use accessories like glasses, hats, or piercings to add personality or match things you wear regularly. Remember that Memojis are stylized cartoons, so an exact match isn't possible, but you can get close enough to be recognizable.

Can I save my Memoji as an image file?

You can send your Memoji as a sticker or image through Messages or other apps, which creates a file you can save. Long-press on your Memoji in the keyboard, select "Copy," and then paste it into Notes or Photos. From there, you can save it to your camera roll or share it. There's no direct "export" button in the Memoji editor itself.

What happens to my Memoji if I update my iOS?

Your Memojis are stored on your device and remain intact after an iOS update. However, new iOS versions sometimes add new Memoji features or accessories. After updating, open the Memoji editor and you may see new customization options available that weren't there before.