Cotton fabric was first modified with citric acid to introduce surface carboxyl groups, which then coordinated with Ag+ ions to prepare the Ag3PO4 finished cotton fabric through further reacting with PO43- ions using an industrialized pad-dry-cure process. Increasing surface carboxyl groups could significantly enhanced the loaded content of Ag3PO4. The padding process could more strongly fix Ag3PO4 on fabric than the conventional dipping method. The Ag3PO4 finished cotton fabric showed higher photocatalytic capacity than pure Ag3PO4 particles owing to the synergetic effect of the Ag complex with the carboxyl groups on the fabric. Moreover, the treatment of KBr and fixing agent further improved the the stability and anti-photocorrosion performance of the samples. Importantly, the finished fabric also exhibited better self-cleaning performance for Reactive Red 195 as a model stain under varied irradiation. The dye was found to be decomposed and mineralized on the finished fabric under artificial or solar irradiation.