What metadata is
Phones and cameras store extra information inside every photo, called EXIF data. It often includes the exact GPS location, the date and time, the phone or camera model, and sometimes the owner's name or a serial number. Many websites remove it when you upload, but email, messaging apps, cloud links and file transfers usually keep it.
How to use it
- Choose a photo. The tool shows what it found, including the location if there is one.
- A clean copy is made straight away. The tool reads it back to confirm nothing is left.
- Download the clean copy and share that instead of the original.
How it removes metadata
For JPG and PNG files, the tool cuts the metadata sections out of the file and leaves the image data untouched, so there is no loss of quality. If the photo was taken sideways, a single rotation flag is kept so it still displays the right way up. Other formats, such as HEIC and WebP, are converted to JPG, which removes everything.
Limits
- Color profiles are kept, because removing them can change how colors look. They don't identify you.
- What's in the picture itself (faces, street signs, screens) can still reveal things. This tool only removes hidden data.
- One photo at a time.
Questions
Do social networks remove this anyway?
Most large social networks strip location data from public posts. Email attachments, many messaging apps' "send as file" options, cloud-drive links and marketplace listings often don't. If in doubt, clean the photo first.
Can I stop my phone adding the location?
Yes. On iPhone, go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, Camera, and choose Never. On Android, open the Camera app's settings and turn off "Location tags" (the name varies by phone maker). Existing photos keep their location until you clean them.
Why is the clean file a slightly different size?
Because the metadata, and sometimes a small preview image stored with it, has been removed. The picture itself is the same.
Last updated 2026-10-23.