Remove EXIF Data and Location From Photos
Remove EXIF data from your photos, including the GPS location, before you post or send them. JPG, PNG, and WebP are cleaned losslessly, so the image itself is untouched, and everything runs in your browser with nothing uploaded.
Drag and drop photos here, paste, or
JPG, PNG, WebP (lossless) · HEIC, AVIF (saved as JPG) — up to 50 MB each. Nothing is uploaded.
What gets removed
Photos carry several kinds of hidden data. EXIF is written by the camera: device make and model, lens, date and time, exposure settings, and often a serial number. GPS tags record where the photo was taken, usually to within a few metres. XMP and IPTC are added by editing and publishing software and can hold captions, author names, and more location fields. "Remove all metadata" deletes every one of these, plus JPEG comments and any files embedded after the image, such as the motion-photo video some Android phones attach. The colour profile is kept, because removing it would change how the colours display.
Lossless: why the photo itself is untouched
Most online EXIF removers draw your photo onto a canvas and save a new JPEG. That does strip the metadata, but it also recompresses an already-compressed image, so every pass loses a little quality. This tool works on the file structure instead. A JPEG is a sequence of labelled segments, and metadata lives in its own segments (APP1 for EXIF and XMP, APP13 for IPTC). The remover drops those and copies the compressed image data byte for byte, so the pixels in the clean file are identical to the original. PNG and WebP work the same way with their chunks. Only HEIC and AVIF, which browsers cannot rewrite in place, are re-encoded as high-quality JPG.
The orientation trap
Phones often save the image sideways and add an Orientation tag that tells apps to rotate it when displaying. Strip all EXIF and that tag goes too, so a portrait suddenly appears on its side. That is the most common complaint about EXIF removers, and the reason "Keep orientation" is on by default: the clean file contains one tiny tag saying which way is up, and nothing else.
Remove location only
If you want to share how a photo was made but not where, choose "Remove location only". The GPS block is wiped in place, and any XMP packet that repeats the coordinates is dropped, while the camera, lens, and settings stay. After cleaning, each file is re-read and the result tells you how many tags remain and confirms that no location is left. To inspect a file yourself, drop it into the EXIF viewer.
Why strip before uploading, not after
Facebook, Instagram, and X remove location from the copies other people see, but they receive your original, GPS included, before they strip it. Sending a photo as a file or document in a messaging app usually keeps everything. Cleaning the photo on your own device first is the only way to be sure no one else gets the location. For iPhone photos you also need as JPG, run them through the HEIC to JPG converter. The full guide to removing location and metadata from photos covers the built-in options on iPhone, Android, Windows, and Mac.
Frequently asked questions
How do I remove EXIF data from a photo?
Drop one or more photos into the remover above and download the cleaned copies. By default everything is removed (EXIF, GPS, XMP, IPTC, and comments) while the photo keeps its correct rotation. Your originals are not changed; you get new files with "-clean" in the name.
Does removing EXIF data reduce image quality?
Not for JPG, PNG, or WebP. The remover deletes the metadata blocks and copies the compressed image data byte for byte, so the pixels are identical to the original. HEIC and AVIF cannot be edited that way in a browser, so those are re-encoded as high-quality JPG, and the tool tells you when that happens.
Can I remove only the location and keep the camera details?
Yes. Choose "Remove location only". The GPS block is wiped in place and any XMP data containing coordinates is dropped, while the camera model, lens, date, and exposure settings stay intact. That suits photographers who want to share settings but not where they live.
Why does my photo turn sideways after removing EXIF data?
Phones often store photos sideways and add an Orientation tag telling viewers to rotate them. Strip every tag and that instruction is lost too. This remover keeps the Orientation tag by default, since it reveals nothing about you; untick "Keep orientation" only if you need a completely empty file.
How can I check that the metadata is really gone?
After cleaning, the remover re-reads each output file and reports how many metadata tags remain and whether any GPS data is left. For a full view, drop the cleaned file into the EXIF viewer.
Are my photos uploaded when I remove the metadata?
No. Removing EXIF data to protect your privacy by uploading the photo to a stranger’s server would defeat the point. Everything here runs in your browser, so the photos never leave your device.
Related reading
- How to Remove Location and Metadata From Photos Before You Share Them
What a photo really reveals, the built-in way to strip it on every device, why lossless removal matters, and which apps strip it for you.