What are you actually removing?
Metadata is information stored alongside the image. Depending on the source, it can include GPS coordinates, camera settings, a device model, captions or editing information. Not every photo has every field. Removing embedded metadata is a different task from deleting the photo or changing what appears in it.
Make a clean copy in Clean Slate
Open Clean Slate on an iPhone running iOS 26 or later. Choose the photo you want to share, then tap Remove metadata. Let the app finish saving the result to Photos. Your original stays in your library, so you can keep the version with its capture information for your own records.
Share the new copy, not the original
Open Photos and select the newly saved result when you send, upload or post the image. Keeping both versions is useful, but it also makes choosing the right one important. For a sensitive image, inspect the exported file before sharing and check the picture itself for identifying details.
Does cleaning change the file?
Clean Slate creates a fresh JPEG from the photo. This is not a lossless, same-format export: a HEIC or PNG input becomes a JPEG, and the encoded file can differ from the original. Keep the original if you need its format or a master copy for editing. Do not assume that a Live Photo or other multi-part format is preserved as a complete original asset.
Start with a single photo
The free allowance covers five items per month. Pro adds unlimited cleaning and batches of up to 10 photos and videos. For an occasional listing photo or a picture you want to send today, you can start with the free allowance.
A practical example: a photo for an online listing
Suppose you photograph a chair in your living room and want to upload it to a public listing. Finish any cropping or colour adjustments first, then choose that finished image in Clean Slate. Clean it, wait for the new copy to save and select that copy in the listing form. This gives you a straightforward separation: your original for your own library, and a cleaned version for the public post. Before uploading, also look for letters, reflections or a house number in the frame.
Where cleaning fits in your editing routine
Make cleaning the last preparation step before sharing. If you take a cleaned copy back into an editor, the next export is a different file and may have its own metadata. You can clean that final export again if needed. Avoid repeatedly re-encoding an image without a reason, because Clean Slate creates a new JPEG rather than preserving the original image file byte for byte.
If the photo will not clean or save
Wait for the selected photo to become available on your phone, particularly if your library uses iCloud Photos. Check that Photos access allows the app to save the result and that your device has room for a new copy. If one file still fails, try another photo to see whether the issue is specific to that source. Keep the original, and do not treat an attempted clean as a completed export until the new result is saved.
A quick check before sending
Confirm that you have selected the new copy, open it at a useful size and check its orientation and appearance. If your reason for cleaning is a particular metadata field, inspect that field in the exported result. Then send the file through your chosen service. The app also cleans videos, but their export behaviour is different: use the video guide if your next item is a clip rather than a still photograph.
Sources and product details
This guide uses the Clean Slate App Store listing and the app’s export behaviour. For Apple’s location controls, see Manage location metadata in Photos.