Remove EXIF Data

🔒 Runs in your browser — files are never uploaded

Photos carry hidden data — often the exact coordinates where they were taken. Select an image and this shows you what it's revealing, then removes it without touching the picture itself.

How it works
  • Select one or more JPEG, PNG or WebP images. The hidden metadata in the first one is listed immediately, including GPS coordinates if present.
  • Leave the orientation tag on unless you have a reason not to — without it some phone photos display rotated.
  • Click Remove Metadata. Cleaned copies download, and your originals are untouched.

What your photos are actually carrying

Every photo your phone takes is wrapped in a block of metadata called EXIF. Some of it is harmless — exposure, shutter speed. Some of it is not:

  • GPS coordinates, usually to about five decimal places. That is precise enough to identify a specific building. If location services were on when you took the photo, it is almost certainly there.
  • The exact date and time, to the second.
  • Your phone or camera model, and sometimes a serial number, which links photos from the same device across different accounts.
  • Editing software and history, in the XMP block.
  • An owner name, if it was ever set on the camera.

Select a photo above and you will see exactly which of these your own files contain, with a map link for the coordinates. Most people are surprised.

Where this matters in practice: selling something on a marketplace with photos taken at home; posting pictures of children; sharing a rental listing; sending a photo to someone you have not met. Most social platforms strip EXIF on upload — but a file sent over email, WhatsApp as a document, or a direct download keeps everything.

Why this tool doesn't re-encode

Almost every metadata remover works by opening the image and saving a new copy. That drops the metadata — and also re-compresses the picture, losing a little quality every time.

This one edits the file structure directly instead. A JPEG is a sequence of labelled segments; the metadata lives in specific ones (APP1 for EXIF and XMP, APP13 for IPTC, COM for comments) and the picture lives elsewhere entirely. The tool removes just those segments and writes the rest through byte-for-byte. PNG text chunks and WebP metadata chunks are handled the same way.

The result: the image data is bit-identical to your original. No quality loss, no generational damage, no matter how many times you run it.

The orientation exception

One EXIF tag is worth keeping. Phones record which way up they were held rather than rotating the pixels, so removing everything can make a photo display sideways in some apps.

By default this tool preserves that single tag and removes everything else — it writes a minimal EXIF block containing only the orientation. You get correctly-displayed photos with no location, no camera, no date. Untick the box if you want the file completely bare and are happy to rotate it yourself.

What it cannot do

Stripping metadata does not make a photo anonymous. The picture itself still shows whatever it shows — a recognisable street, a house number, a reflection, a school uniform. Sensor noise patterns can in principle link photos to a specific camera. This tool removes the data that is trivially readable by anyone who right-clicks your file, which is the realistic threat, not a forensic one.

Frequently asked questions

What is EXIF data?
A block of information your camera embeds in every photo: GPS coordinates, date and time, camera model, exposure settings, and sometimes an owner name. Anyone with the file can read it.
Do my photos really contain my location?
If location services were enabled when you took them, almost certainly — usually accurate to a few metres. Select a photo above and the tool will show you the exact coordinates with a map link.
Does removing metadata reduce image quality?
Not with this tool. It edits the file's structure to delete the metadata segments and copies the image data through untouched, so the picture is bit-identical to your original. Tools that re-save the image do lose a little quality.
Why should I keep the orientation tag?
Phones record rotation as a tag rather than rotating the pixels. Remove it and some apps display the photo sideways. This tool keeps that one tag and strips everything else, which is almost always what you want.
Doesn't Facebook or Instagram already strip EXIF?
Most large platforms do strip it on upload. But a file sent by email, shared as a document in WhatsApp, or downloaded directly keeps everything — which is exactly where it matters.
Does this make my photo anonymous?
No. It removes the metadata anyone can read from the file. The image still shows whatever it shows — a recognisable location, a house number, a reflection. Treat it as removing the obvious leak, not as anonymity.
Which formats are supported?
JPEG, PNG and WebP. JPEG carries the most metadata by far, and is where this matters most.
Are my images uploaded to a server?
No. Everything runs in JavaScript in your browser — the file is read from your device, processed there, and saved straight back. Nothing is transmitted. You can check this by loading the page, disconnecting from the internet, and confirming the tool still works.