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How to save a GIF on iPhone and keep it animated
Quick answer
Touch and hold the GIF and choose Save to Photos (Safari) or Save (Messages). Saved GIFs appear in Photos under Albums > Media Types > Animated and play when opened. To keep the original file for Discord, Slack or a computer, use Share > Save to Files instead. If an app only saves a still frame, it is not giving you a GIF file.
Saving a GIF on iPhone is a long-press away, but where you save it from decides whether you get the animated file or just its first frame.
Here is where each option puts the GIF and how to check you kept the animation.
Where to tap in each app
The common places:
| Where | How to save | Ends up in |
|---|---|---|
| Safari | Touch and hold the GIF > Save to Photos | Photos, Animated album |
| Messages | Touch and hold the GIF > Save | Photos, Animated album |
| Touch and hold the attachment > Save Image | Photos | |
| Any app with a share sheet | Share > Save to Files | Files, as the original .gif |
| Make Video to GIF | After export: Share > Save Image or Save to Files | Photos or Files |
Photos or Files?
Photos is convenient for sending GIFs again from your iPhone. Files keeps the original .gif untouched, which is better when you will upload it from a computer, attach it to GitHub or need the exact file size.
If the saved GIF does not move
Open it full screen; grid thumbnails can stay still. If it is not in the Animated album, the app saved a still image or a video. Some sites serve looping MP4 videos that only look like GIFs; for those, save the video and make a GIF from it.
Check that a saved GIF is animated
Ten seconds to be sure.
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1
Open Photos
Go to Albums and scroll to Media Types.
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2
Open Animated
Animated GIFs you saved are listed here.
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3
Open the GIF
Tap it; it should play full screen.
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4
If it is missing, convert
If it saved as a video, open the video in Make Video to GIF and export a real GIF.
Do it in Make Video to GIF
Free on the App Store. Pick a clip, trim, tune, export.
Tips
- Screenshots of GIFs are always still images.
- AirDrop sends the original file, so it keeps the animation between Apple devices.
- Keep work GIFs in a Files folder so they don't get lost among photos.
Questions people also ask
Where are GIFs saved on iPhone?
In Photos, under Albums > Media Types > Animated, and in Recents. If you used Save to Files, in the folder you picked in the Files app.
Why did my GIF save as a still picture?
The app shared a single frame or the page served a video instead of a GIF. Save the video and convert it to a GIF.
Can I save GIFs from #images in Messages?
Yes. Send or open the GIF in the conversation, touch and hold it and choose Save.
Only convert videos you have the right to share. Make Video to GIF is an independent app and is not affiliated with Apple, GIPHY, Discord or Slack.