Quick answer
Open a photo in the Photos app, tap Edit, then tap Clean Up. Tap a highlighted object, or circle or brush over anything you want gone, and Apple Intelligence fills in the background. Tap Done to save. You need an iPhone with an A17 Pro chip or newer, and you can always go back to the original with Edit and Revert.
What Clean Up does
Clean Up removes unwanted things from a photo and fills the gap with background that matches the scene. Typical uses are a stranger walking through a holiday shot, a bin or sign at the edge of the frame, a cable across the sky, or a spot on someone's shirt. It arrived in the Photos app with iOS 18.1 as part of Apple Intelligence, and Apple says the processing happens on the iPhone itself.
What you need
- A supported iPhone: iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, any iPhone 16 model including the iPhone 16e, the iPhone 17 family, iPhone Air, or the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus are not included.
- Apple Intelligence turned on in
Settings › Apple Intelligence & Siri, with the models downloaded. - A still photo. Clean Up does not work on videos.
If the Apple Intelligence section is missing from Settings, follow our guide on how to enable Apple Intelligence on iPhone. If you are not sure whether your model qualifies, our page on iOS 27 on iPhone 15 explains where Apple drew the line.
How to use Clean Up on iPhone
- Open Photos and tap the picture you want to fix.
- Tap Edit.
- Tap Clean Up in the editing tools. The first time, the iPhone may need a moment to download what it needs.
- Look for objects with a highlight. Clean Up marks things it thinks you may want removed.
- Tap a highlighted object, or circle or brush over anything else you want to remove.
- Check the result. Tap Undo if it does not look right and try a different selection.
- Repeat for any other objects, then tap Done.
Pinch to zoom while you are in Clean Up. It makes small objects much easier to select without catching something next to them.
Tap, circle or brush: which selection to use
| Method | How | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Tap | Tap an object Clean Up has highlighted | Clearly separate objects, such as people in the background |
| Circle | Draw a loop around the object with your finger | Specific things Clean Up did not highlight |
| Brush | Drag your finger over the area to paint it | Long, thin or irregular things, such as wires and power lines, or small blemishes |
For example, take a beach photo with three strangers walking behind your family. Clean Up will often highlight all three people. Tap each one in turn, check the sand and water that replace them, and tap Done. If a person was not highlighted, circle them instead.
Where Clean Up works well
- People in the background. Photobombers and passers-by on a plain or repetitive backdrop come out cleanly.
- Small objects. Bins, signs, poles and litter usually vanish without a trace.
- Blemishes. Brushing over a spot or mark works like a healing tool.
- Busy scenes, one item at a time. Removing several small distractions in turn can tidy a cluttered picture.
Where it struggles
- Complex backgrounds. Detailed patterns, murals, text or crowds are hard to rebuild convincingly.
- Large objects. When the thing you remove fills a big part of the frame, there is too little real background to work from and the fill can look artificial.
- Shadows and reflections. The object may disappear while its shadow or reflection stays behind. Select those separately.
- Blur and low light. Soft edges make it harder to separate the object from what is behind it.
How to undo or revert a cleaned-up photo
Nothing is permanent. While you are editing, Undo steps back through each removal. After you save:
- Open the photo in Photos.
- Tap Edit.
- Tap Revert and confirm. The photo returns to its original state.
If you want to keep both the original and the cleaned-up version side by side, duplicate the photo first and run Clean Up on the copy.
Tips for better results
- Start with a good photo. Sharp, well-lit images give Clean Up the most to work with.
- Remove one thing at a time. Several small removals usually look better than one large selection.
- Switch method if it fails. If a tap leaves edges behind, undo and circle or brush the area instead.
- Zoom in before you finish. Look for smudges, repeated patterns or leftover shadows at full size.
- Know when to stop. Some photos will not come out perfect. A clear improvement is often the realistic goal.
Clean Up in iOS 27
Clean Up remains one of the Apple Intelligence features available on supported iPhones running iOS 27. Before WWDC 2026, reports said Apple was preparing more AI editing tools for Photos, named Extend, Enhance and Reframe, to sit alongside Clean Up. Those were pre-launch reports. For what Apple actually shipped, see our iOS 27 features list.
What to do next
Once you are comfortable removing things from photos, try creating images from scratch. Our Image Playground tutorial shows how, and the list of Apple Intelligence tricks to try first covers other features worth a look.
Frequently asked questions
Which iPhones can use Clean Up in Photos?
Clean Up is an Apple Intelligence feature, so it needs an iPhone with an A17 Pro chip or newer: iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, every iPhone 16 model including the 16e, the iPhone 17 family, iPhone Air, and iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max. The iPhone 15 and 15 Plus use the A16 and do not get it, and neither does any older model.
Why don't I see Clean Up in the Photos app?
Check three things. Your iPhone must be on the supported list, Apple Intelligence must be switched on in Settings › Apple Intelligence & Siri, and its models must have finished downloading over Wi-Fi. Clean Up only appears after you tap Edit on a photo. It does not appear for videos. If everything is set, restart the iPhone and open the photo again.
Can I undo a Clean Up edit?
Yes. While you are still in Clean Up, tap Undo to step back one removal at a time. After you tap Done, the original is not lost: open the photo, tap Edit, then Revert to return to the untouched image. If you want to keep both versions, duplicate the photo before you edit it and clean up the copy.
Does Clean Up work on old or downloaded photos?
Yes. Clean Up works on any still image in your Photos library, including pictures taken years ago, screenshots and images saved from other apps. It does not need the photo to have been taken on the same iPhone. Results depend on the image itself: sharp, well-lit pictures with a simple background give the cleanest fills, while blurry or low-light shots make edges harder to separate.
Does Clean Up work on Live Photos and videos?
Clean Up works on still images. A Live Photo is edited as a still photo, so the result is a still picture rather than a moving one. Videos are not supported, and the Clean Up button does not appear when you edit a video. If you need to remove something from a video, you will need a separate video editing app.
Does Clean Up reduce photo quality?
The photo keeps its original resolution. The area where an object was removed is filled in with generated content, and on close inspection that patch can have a slightly different texture from the rest of the image. Zoom in after each removal to check for smudges or repeated patterns, and undo and try a different selection if something looks wrong.