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.
Keep orientation or the date if you want
Two switches decide what stays on purpose. Orientation is on by default: if a photo was taken with the phone held sideways, a tiny EXIF block holding only the orientation number is written back, so the photo does not turn on its side when you open it. Date taken is off by default; turn it on to keep only the date and time. Nothing else, including location, is kept in either case.
Stop photos getting a location in the first place
You can switch location tagging off at the camera, so new photos have no GPS to remove. The menus vary by phone and version, but typically:
- iPhone: Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, Camera, then choose Never.
- Android: open the Camera app, go to its settings, and turn off Location tags or Save location (the wording depends on the phone maker).
Photos you took earlier keep the location they were saved with, which is what this tool is for.
Questions
What is EXIF data?
EXIF is metadata stored inside a photo file: camera make and model, date and time, exposure settings, orientation and, if location was on, GPS coordinates.
How do I remove EXIF data on iPhone?
Drop the photo into this page in Safari and download the clean copy. To stop new photos carrying a location, go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, Camera, and choose Never.
Does removing EXIF data change how the photo looks?
No. The pixels are copied untouched. The only thing that could change is rotation, which is why Keep orientation is on by default.
Does a screenshot remove EXIF data?
A screenshot of a photo is a new image, so it does not carry the original photo's location or camera details. It does lower quality, though, which is why cleaning the file is better.
Does this remove XMP and IPTC data too?
Yes. XMP and IPTC blocks, JPEG comments, PNG text chunks and WebP EXIF and XMP chunks are all removed, and the tool checks the result to confirm.