Remove EXIF Data Online — Strip GPS & Metadata Free
Your photos carry hidden data: GPS coordinates, timestamps, camera model. See exactly what's inside your image, then strip it losslessly before sharing — in your browser, free, no upload.
| Metadata found | Details |
|---|
What's hiding in your photos
Every photo your phone takes embeds EXIF metadata: the exact date and time, camera model, exposure settings — and, unless you turned it off, precise GPS coordinates of where you stood. That data rides along silently when you share the original file.
- GPS location — latitude/longitude, often accurate to a few meters. The big one.
- Timestamps — when each shot was taken, down to the second.
- Device info — phone or camera model, sometimes a serial number.
- XMP data — editing history and tags added by software like Lightroom.
When you should strip metadata
- Selling things online — marketplace listings with GPS reveal your home address.
- Posting kids or family — school runs and playgrounds should not be geotagged.
- Real-estate and rentals — interior shots can leak the property's exact location.
- Journalism and activism — source protection starts with clean files.
- Any direct file share — email attachments, messaging apps, and forum uploads often preserve the original file, GPS included. (Most social networks strip it on upload — but don't rely on that.)
How the stripping works
For JPEGs, this tool removes the metadata losslessly: it deletes only the APP1 segments (EXIF and XMP) from the file structure. Every pixel stays byte-identical — the download is the same photo, minus the hidden data. For PNG and WebP, which rarely carry EXIF, the file is re-saved clean.
How to check whether your photos carry GPS
Before you strip anything, it helps to know what you are dealing with. The quickest check is right here: upload a photo and click "Show metadata details" — you will see every field the file contains, including GPS coordinates displayed as plain text (never sent to a map service, unlike some online checkers that plot your location on a map the moment you upload).
On your phone, you can also look directly:
- iPhone: open the photo, swipe up — the map thumbnail and location name appear under the image info if location was recorded.
- Android: open in Google Photos, swipe up for Details — "Location" shows the captured coordinates.
- Windows: right-click the file → Properties → Details tab, and look for the GPS section.
- Mac: open in Preview → Tools → Show Inspector → EXIF tab.
If you would rather your phone stopped recording location in the first place: on iPhone go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera and set it to Never; on Android, open the Camera app settings and turn off location tags. Stripping after the fact remains useful for older photos and for files other people send you.
What stripping does not do
Removing EXIF is one layer of privacy, not the whole job. Be honest with yourself about its limits:
- It does not hide visible content. A house number in the frame, a street sign, or a recognizable landmark still gives away location. Pair metadata stripping with blurring or redaction when the pixels themselves leak information.
- It does not remove watermarks or embedded thumbnails. Some cameras store a small preview JPEG inside the EXIF; this tool removes the whole segment, thumbnail included — but files edited in other software occasionally carry metadata in non-standard places. When in doubt, re-check the download with "Show metadata details."
- It does not anonymize the image itself. Reverse image search can still match a photo to other copies online. EXIF stripping protects the hidden data layer; it is not invisibility.
- It cannot strip what was never there. Screenshots, downloaded images, and photos already processed by most social networks typically arrive with no EXIF at all — running them through the tool changes nothing, which is fine.
Frequently asked questions
What is EXIF data in a photo?
Metadata your camera or phone embeds in the file: date and time, camera model, exposure settings, and — on phones, unless disabled — precise GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken.
Can people see my location from a photo I post?
Sometimes. Most social networks strip location on upload, but direct shares — email, messaging apps, forums, cloud links — often preserve the original file including GPS.
Does removing EXIF change the image quality?
No. For JPEGs only the metadata segments are removed; every pixel stays byte-identical.
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. Everything runs in your browser — uploading a photo to remove its location data would defeat the purpose.
Can I see exactly what metadata is in my photo?
Yes. After uploading, click "Show metadata details" to inspect every field: camera model, timestamps, exposure settings, and GPS coordinates. Coordinates are shown as plain text only — they are never sent to a map service.
Will stripping EXIF also remove the location from a photo I already posted?
No — it only cleans the file you download here. Copies already uploaded, emailed, or shared keep whatever metadata they had. Strip before you share, not after.
Do screenshots contain EXIF location data?
Generally no. Screenshots capture pixels, not camera metadata, so they rarely carry GPS. The risk is with original camera photos shared as files — email attachments, messaging apps, cloud links, and forum uploads.