Memes are pretty much the universal language of the internet, though it's hard to define what they actually are. These days, a simple screenshot of an embarrassing or funny moment can become a meme if it becomes popular and gets reused multiple times all over the internet.

About a decade ago, when they were still fairly new, a meme would often be a "rage comic" or an image with a specific caption that you could use in different contexts. It usually involves having a template with variations of a text overlaid on top. To many, this is still what a meme is, and if you want to make your own, it's actually quite easy thanks to the Imgflip meme generator, which works on laptops and phones alike. If you're wondering how it works, we're here to help.

How to make a meme with Imgflip

Imgflip lets you make a meme using ane existing template or by uploading your own image, though the former is probably what most will want to do. Here's how it goes:

  1. Go to the Imgflip meme generator.
  2. To choose a template, use the search bar to find the template you want, or select one of the popular ones from the carousel below it.

    Usually, you can find a template by looking up the most iconic piece of text from that template. For example, if you were to use the template below, you could find it by searching for "change my mind."

    Screenshot of Imgflip with the search bar highlighted
    • Alternatively, click Upload new template to use your own image.
      Screenshot of Imgflip with the Upload new template button highlighted

  3. To add text to the meme, use the boxes on the right side of the preview. They may be labeled as Top Text and Bottom Text, or Text #1 and Text #2.

    You can use just one of the fields if it works better for your meme. You can also click Add text if you need more text fields.

    Screenshot of Imgflip with the text fields highlighted
  4. You can change the font and size of the text to better fit the template, if the default settings aren't good enough for you.
    Screenshot of Imgflip with the text settings button highlighted
  5. Use the Spacing option above the preview to add a blank space above or below (or both) the template if you want to add more context. You can also use Add image or Draw, depending on your needs.
    Screenshot of Imgflip with the spacing, add image, and draw buttons highlighted
  6. Hover the mouse over the image to move and resize the text boxes to fit your changes.
    Screenshot of Imgflip showing the text boxes in a meme template
  7. If you don't want your meme to be public, check the Private box. This means you'll have to download it in order to share it.
    Screenshot of Imgflip with the Private box checked
  8. Click Generate Meme when you're done.
    Screenshot of Imgflip with the Generate meme button highlighted
  9. Choose your preferred sharing option if you made your meme public. If you checked the Private box, click Download image.

Wrapping up

Now you can share your very funny meme with your friends or internet strangers to try and get some laughs out of them (or get them to hate you). Imgflip really gives you a ton of options to make more complex memes easily, so it's definitely our go-to if you're not sure where to begin. The only alternative if you want even more flexibility is using a full-fledged image editor, but the learning curve is much bigger there. If you're interested in that, though, you can check out some great image editors for Windows and some for Android phones.