What EXIF data is and what it can reveal
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a block of details your camera writes into the photo file next to the picture itself. Depending on the phone or camera and its settings, it can include:
- GPS location: latitude and longitude, often accurate to a few metres, plus sometimes altitude.
- Date and time the photo was taken.
- Camera make and model, lens, and sometimes a body or lens serial number.
- Software that created or edited the file, and exposure settings such as ISO and shutter speed.
- Orientation, which tells apps which way up the photo should be shown.
Photos can also carry XMP and IPTC blocks (written by editing apps, with fields like creator, caption and keywords), embedded comments, and a small preview thumbnail. PNG files can hold text chunks, and WebP files can hold EXIF and XMP chunks.
How this tool removes it without hurting quality
A photo file is a list of labelled blocks. This tool copies the blocks that make up the picture exactly as they are and leaves out the blocks that describe it, so the picture is never decoded or compressed again. Quality and file size stay the same, apart from the few kilobytes of metadata that were removed.
- JPEG: EXIF and XMP, IPTC, comments and other application blocks are dropped. The colour profile and the basic JFIF header stay.
- PNG: text, EXIF and last-modified chunks are dropped.
- WebP: EXIF and XMP chunks are dropped and the file header is corrected.
After cleaning, the tool reads the new file again and shows what is left, so you can see it say Nothing left for yourself.
Which apps remove location and which keep it
It depends on how you share the photo. Treat these as typical behaviour, and check the photo you actually send if it matters:
- WhatsApp: photos sent the normal way are compressed and lose their location. Sent as a Document, the original file goes through with all its metadata.
- Facebook, Instagram and X: they remove location from the copy other people see, though the service itself receives the original.
- Email attachments, AirDrop, USB and shared-folder links (Google Drive, Dropbox, iCloud) send the original file with its metadata. On recent iPhones the share sheet has an Options button with a Location switch for photos.
- Your own website, a marketplace listing or a forum may publish the file exactly as you upload it.
Cleaning the file before you share it works the same everywhere.
iPhone HEIC photos
iPhones save photos as HEIC by default. This tool cleans JPEG, PNG and WebP. For a HEIC photo, use HEIC to JPG: it converts the photo to JPG and leaves out the location and camera details, so the result is already clean. You can then drop it here to check.
If you choose Most Compatible under Settings, Camera, Formats, new iPhone photos are saved as JPEG, which this tool can clean directly.
Questions
How do I remove location from a photo?
Drop the photo into this page, check what it reveals, press Remove details and download the clean copy. The picture itself is not re-saved, so it looks identical.
Does WhatsApp remove location from photos?
Photos sent as normal photos are compressed and lose their location. If you send a photo as a Document, the original file goes through with its location intact.
Does removing the location make the photo lower quality?
No. Only the metadata blocks are left out. The image data is copied byte for byte, so quality and dimensions stay the same.
Are my photos uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser and the page blocks requests to other sites, so your photos never leave your device.
Can I remove the location from an iPhone HEIC photo?
Not here directly. Convert it with HEIC to JPG, which drops location and camera details, or switch Settings, Camera, Formats to Most Compatible so new photos are JPEG.