How to use the image metadata (exif) viewer and remover
- Choose one or more pictures (JPEG, PNG or WebP) or drop them on the box. Up to 50 pictures of 25 MB each can be added.
- Read each card. It shows the type, size and a list of what was found, such as EXIF, XMP, IPTC, comments, a thumbnail, a color profile and location. Open Show details for camera, exposure, date and coordinate values.
- Choose whether to keep the orientation (so sideways shots still show upright) and keep the color profile.
- Press Remove metadata and download. One picture downloads as name-clean with its original extension, and several download together in a ZIP. The page re-reads each cleaned file and tells you what, if anything, is left.
What a photo can give away
A phone photo can carry the camera make and model, the exact time it was taken and GPS coordinates stored as degrees, minutes and seconds. For example, a latitude of 40 degrees, 26 minutes and 46 seconds north is 40 + 26/60 + 46/3600 = 40.446111 degrees, and a longitude of 79 degrees, 58 minutes and 56 seconds west is -79.982222 degrees. Those numbers are enough to find a street.
After cleaning, the picture data is byte for byte the same, only smaller. Keeping the orientation leaves a tiny block of 36 bytes holding one number, such as 6 for a picture that must be turned 90 degrees clockwise, and nothing else about the camera or place.
Where metadata lives
In a JPEG, EXIF data, XMP data and IPTC data each sit in their own segment before the image data. In a PNG they are separate chunks, including text chunks and a modified time. In a WebP they are separate EXIF and XMP chunks. Removing them means deleting those pieces and leaving every other byte alone, so the pixels are not decoded or compressed again and quality does not change.
The tool does not clean GIF, HEIC, AVIF, TIFF or video files, and it says so rather than guess. For other jobs, see compress an image, resize an image and the file type identifier.
Sharing pictures safely
Many websites and messaging apps remove location data when you upload, but not all of them do, and a file sent by email or as a document usually arrives untouched. Cleaning a copy before you send it is the dependable way. Metadata is only one clue, so also think about what the picture itself shows, such as house numbers, street signs and reflections.
Everything happens in your browser. The pictures are read into memory, parsed and written back out, and never uploaded. Coordinates are shown as plain numbers and no map is loaded, so no request is made about where a photo was taken.
Assumptions and limits
- Only JPEG, PNG and WebP files are supported. Other files are listed as not supported.
- Known tags are shown with plain names. Vendor specific maker notes are reported as present but not decoded.
- A color profile does not identify you, which is why it is kept by default. Untick the option to remove it as well.
- A picture that has been edited elsewhere may still contain small remnants in places this tool does not read, so the re-check lists what it can see.
Frequently asked questions
How do I see the location where a photo was taken?
Add the picture here and open its card. If GPS data is stored, the coordinates appear at the top of the card in decimal degrees, along with a warning that anyone with the file can see them.
Does removing EXIF data reduce the quality of the picture?
No. Only the metadata blocks are deleted and the picture data is copied unchanged, so nothing is compressed again. The file just becomes a little smaller.
Why did my picture turn sideways after cleaning elsewhere?
Some cameras store a note that the picture must be rotated. If that note is removed the picture shows sideways. This tool can keep just that one value, and it does so by default.
Is it safe to upload a photo to a website to remove its metadata?
A site that receives the file also receives its location data. This tool works on your device so the picture is never sent anywhere, which avoids that problem.