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Short answer
Right-click a selected folder in File Explorer and choose Clean Metadata, then Create clean copy. If asked, choose Selected folders only or Include subfolders. Inspect the batch results: only files that need and support processing produce output, so the result is not a complete duplicate of the source folder.
Before you start
- Clean Metadata on Windows 11 24H2 or later, x64, with an active license.
- A small test folder on a local NTFS drive, below the drive root.
- Enough free space and a backup independent of the cleaning result.
Start here
Prepare a clear test folder
Use a few disposable supported files, one unsupported file and a subfolder. Finish edits and close applications that are changing the files. Select the folder itself rather than every file inside it.
Choose the copy action
Right-click the selected folder, choose Clean Metadata and then Create clean copy. Avoid Replace original for the first test.
Choose the scope when asked
If eligible subfolders are found, Include subfolders? offers Selected folders only and Include subfolders. Choose Selected folders only to limit the run to files directly in the selected folders. Choose Include subfolders only when you intend to process their contents too.
Review completion and skips
Wait for the operation to finish. Check batch totals and File details for errors, retained fields and skipped types. Files can be skipped because their type, location or internal features are unsupported.
Inspect the separate result tree
Folder selections produce a new sibling output tree when files need cleaning. In this release its name ends in - processed; an existing name receives a number. Relative subfolders and original filenames are used for outputs. The folder name alone does not mean a file has retained personal fields: read each file's result. Open several results and compare them with their sources.
Check your result
- The selected subfolder scope matches the files you intended to process.
- The source folder remains available.
- Skipped and unchanged files were not assumed to exist in the output tree.
- The output files open correctly and retained fields were reviewed.
The output is not a complete folder backup
Files with no removable metadata do not necessarily produce copies. Unsupported files and inaccessible locations are not copied merely to complete a directory tree. Empty result directories can be removed after processing.
Keep your normal backup. Do not replace your source folder with the result tree or delete the source because some outputs exist.
When a folder needs attention
Start smaller if the selection is too large or too deep. Offline placeholders and linked locations may be skipped; use ordinary local files in a supported location.
Cancel attempts to undo changes from the active batch, including removing the copies that batch created. Wait for the final results. An unexpected interruption is different: completed copies can remain. Inspect outputs and any recovery notice before starting another run, and do not delete protected recovery folders while an issue is unresolved.
Clean Metadata
View app detailsRelated guides
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