PDFConvertersOnline.comHow to remove EXIF data from a photo
- Choose one or more photos. For each one you see the hidden details in plain words, with a warning if it contains a GPS location.
- Press Remove hidden data. JPG, PNG and WebP files are cleaned without re-compressing the picture.
- Every cleaned file is checked again, then you can download it alone or all files as a ZIP.
What is EXIF data?
EXIF is a block of information that cameras and phones write into a photo file next to the picture itself. You don't see it when you look at the photo, but any app that reads the file can. Other kinds of hidden data travel the same way: XMP (often added by editing programs), IPTC (captions and credits used by news agencies) and plain text notes inside PNG files. This tool shows and removes all of them.
What a phone typically stores in a photo
- GPS location - latitude, longitude and often altitude, when location access is turned on for the camera app
- Date and time the photo was taken, sometimes with the time zone
- Phone or camera make and model, and on some devices the lens and a serial number
- Camera settings such as shutter speed, aperture, ISO and focal length
- Software - the operating system version or the editing app used
- Orientation - a tag that tells viewers to show the photo turned
Why the GPS location matters
A photo taken at home and shared with its location reveals your home address to anyone who opens the file. The coordinates are usually precise enough to point at a single building. The same goes for your children's school, your workplace or a holiday home that stands empty while you post the pictures. Removing the location before sharing is one of the simplest privacy habits you can adopt.
You can also prevent it at the source: both iPhone and Android camera apps let you turn off location tagging, and the iPhone share sheet has an Options button where you can leave out the location for a single share.
Which services remove it for you, and which don't
Some large social networks remove location data from the public copy of a photo, but policies differ and change, and the original you uploaded may still be kept. Keep in mind that they still receive your original file first. Many other ways of sharing hand over the file exactly as it is, with all metadata inside:
- email attachments
- cloud drives and file-transfer links
- "send as file" or "document" options in chat apps
- many forums, blogs and online marketplaces
If you are not sure how a site treats photos, clean them here first.
How this tool removes the data
For JPG files the tool takes the file apart into its sections, drops the ones that carry EXIF, XMP, IPTC and comments, and puts the rest back together. The compressed picture data is copied untouched, so there is no quality loss. The color profile is kept so colors look the same. PNG and WebP files are cleaned the same way, chunk by chunk.
There is one exception. If a photo is stored sideways and only shown upright because of its orientation tag, removing the tag would make it appear sideways. Those photos are redrawn upright and saved at 95% quality, and the tool tells you when that happens. HEIC photos are saved as JPG, since they have to be decoded anyway.
After cleaning, each file is read again to confirm that no EXIF, GPS, XMP or IPTC data is left. To edit document metadata instead, see PDF Metadata Editor.
Frequently asked questions
Does removing EXIF data reduce photo quality?
Not for normal JPG, PNG and WebP files: only the metadata sections are removed and the picture data is copied byte for byte. Photos that rely on an orientation tag, and HEIC photos, are re-saved at 95% quality, which is very hard to tell apart from the original.
How can I tell if my photo has a location in it?
Open it here. If it contains GPS coordinates you'll see a red warning and the latitude and longitude before anything is changed.
Is my photo sent anywhere to be checked?
No. Reading and removing the metadata both happen inside your browser. That matters here more than anywhere, since the whole point is to keep your location private.
Does it remove the color profile?
No. The ICC color profile is kept on purpose, because removing it can make colors look dull or shifted. It contains no personal information.
Will the file size change?
It usually gets a little smaller, because the metadata and any built-in preview thumbnail are gone. Photos from some phones shrink more because they carry extra embedded images.
Can I remove EXIF data on an iPhone?
Yes. Open this page in Safari, tap Choose files and pick photos from your library. iOS may convert HEIC photos to JPG while handing them over and may leave out some details on its own; the tool always shows what the file it received really contains.