Remove Metadata From a Photo (EXIF & Location)
Remove metadata from photo files before you share them: GPS location, date and time, phone or camera model, serial numbers and editing software. JPEG, PNG and WebP are cleaned without touching the image data, so there is no quality loss at all. Clean a whole album at once; the photos are processed by your browser and never uploaded.
- Runs on your device
- Browser APIs
- Works offline
Updated
Drop your images here
How to remove metadata from a photo
Step 1: Drop your photos on the box above (a whole album is fine).
Step 2: Leave Keep rotation flag and Keep colour profile on unless you want every last byte of EXIF gone.
Step 3: Press Clean, check the Removed line on each result, and share the cleaned copies instead of the originals.
Good to know
Settings explained
- Keep rotation flag
- On: keeps only the rotation flag, so phone photos display upright with nothing re-encoded. Off: rotated photos are re-saved upright once, so no EXIF at all remains.
- Keep colour profile
- The ICC profile holds no personal data and keeps colours accurate.
Formats
Batch-friendly: add many files and they are processed one after another — if one fails, the rest still finish.
How it runs
- Built-in browser features
- Uses standard browser features only — nothing extra to download.
What photo metadata reveals, and what gets removed
EXIF is written by the camera, so it is easy to forget it is there. This metadata remover deletes everything that identifies a person, place or device, and by default keeps only two harmless items that affect how the picture looks.
| Data | Example | After cleaning |
|---|---|---|
| GPS location | Latitude, longitude, altitude, compass direction | Removed (the result is checked again for GPS) |
| Date and time | Taken, digitised and modified times with time zone | Removed |
| Device | Phone or camera make and model, lens | Removed |
| Serial numbers | Camera body and lens serials on many cameras | Removed |
| Software and author | Editing app, artist and copyright fields, XMP and IPTC data | Removed |
| Embedded thumbnail and extra images | Preview thumbnail, depth maps and other images appended to JPEGs | Removed |
| Orientation flag | Tells apps to show the photo upright | Kept by default (only this one tag) |
| Colour profile (ICC) | Display P3, Adobe RGB | Kept by default; contains no personal data |
What is EXIF data?
EXIF data (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a block of information that cameras and phones store inside every photo: exposure settings, the date, the device, and, if location services were on, the exact GPS coordinates where you stood. Apps add more in XMP and IPTC fields, such as editing history or an author name.
None of it is visible in the picture, which is why it travels unnoticed. To see what a particular photo contains before you clean it, open it in the EXIF viewer.
Remove EXIF data without losing quality
For JPEG, PNG and WebP files, the cleaner works at the byte level: it copies the compressed image data exactly and leaves out the metadata blocks around it. The cleaned file is slightly smaller and every pixel is identical. Other formats cannot be edited in place, so they are saved again at high quality.
| Format | Method | Image quality |
|---|---|---|
| JPEG / JPG | Metadata segments removed, image data copied | Unchanged |
| PNG | Metadata chunks removed | Unchanged |
| WebP | EXIF and XMP chunks removed | Unchanged |
| HEIC / HEIF (iPhone) | Saved as a new JPG | High-quality re-encode |
| AVIF, TIFF and others | Saved again without metadata | High-quality re-encode |
Does WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook remove photo metadata?
Often, but not always, and you cannot see which. Services that recompress what you upload, such as Facebook and Instagram, generally strip EXIF from the copy other people see. But a photo sent as a file arrives exactly as it left your phone: WhatsApp’s document option, email attachments, cloud-storage links, AirDrop and most forums deliver the original, location and all.
The safe habit is to strip EXIF yourself before a photo leaves your device, especially for pictures taken at home, of children, or for online sales listings.
Remove location from a photo on iPhone, Android, Windows or Mac
Each system has a partial built-in option. This page removes everything at once, in bulk, and works the same on all of them.
iPhone and iPad
In the share sheet, tap Options at the top and switch off Location before sending; it applies to that share only. To clean files you will post anywhere, open this page in Safari and pick them from Photos.
Android
The camera app’s location setting (often called Location tags or Save location) stops new photos from recording GPS. Photos you already took keep it, so run them through this page in Chrome.
Windows 10 and 11
Right-click a photo, open Properties → Details → Remove Properties and Personal Information. It handles JPEGs but not every field or format.
Mac
Preview’s Inspector has a GPS tab with Remove Location Info, one photo at a time. Other EXIF fields stay in the file.
Tips & troubleshooting
Converting iPhone photos anyway? HEIC to JPG drops location data by default, so one step does both jobs.
Metadata is not the only leak: faces, house numbers and number plates in the picture itself can be hidden with blur image.
Screenshots rarely contain GPS, but they can show names and addresses on screen. Check them before posting.
Keep your originals. Cleaned copies are for sharing; your own archive is more useful with dates and places intact.
Remove Photo Metadata (EXIF & GPS) FAQ
What is EXIF data?
Information a camera or phone stores inside each photo: settings, date and time, device model, and often GPS coordinates. It is invisible in the picture but readable by anyone who has the file.
How do I remove location from a photo before sending it?
Drop it here and press Clean, then send the cleaned copy. GPS is removed together with the other personal fields, and the result is checked again to confirm no location is left.
Can someone find my location from a photo?
Yes, if location services were on when it was taken and the file still has its EXIF data. The coordinates are often precise enough to pick out a single building. Check any photo with the EXIF viewer.
Does removing EXIF reduce image quality?
Not for JPEG, PNG or WebP: the image data is copied byte for byte and only the metadata is left out. HEIC and a few other formats are re-saved at high quality.
Does WhatsApp remove photo metadata?
Photos sent the normal way are recompressed, which generally removes EXIF. Photos sent as a document keep everything, location included. Clean them first if you are not sure.
Are your photos uploaded anywhere?
No. Your photos are processed by your own browser on your own device. There is no server that receives files, so nothing is uploaded, stored or shared. You can even switch to airplane mode once the page has loaded.