What exactly is hiding in my photos?

Typically: GPS coordinates (if location was on), the exact capture time, camera or phone model, lens, exposure settings, software used for edits, and sometimes a device serial number or even a small preview thumbnail of the pre-crop image. The viewer shows you all of it before you decide what to strip.

Does removing EXIF reduce image quality?

No. Metadata lives in separate segments of the file, apart from the compressed pixel data. The tool removes those segments and leaves the image data byte-for-byte intact — no re-encoding, no generation loss.

Don't Instagram and Facebook already strip EXIF?

Major social platforms generally strip metadata from what they display publicly — but they receive and can retain the original, and many other venues (forums, marketplaces, email, blogs, cloud links) pass files through untouched. Cleaning before upload is the only approach that does not depend on each platform's behavior.

Why does this tool run locally instead of uploading my photo?

Uploading a photo to strip its private metadata would be self-defeating — the service would see the very GPS points and timestamps you are trying to remove. Local processing means the sensitive data is never disclosed to anyone, including us, during cleaning.

Can I keep some fields, like copyright?

Yes. Selective mode lets you keep fields such as copyright and creator credit while stripping location, device, and timestamps — a common setup for photographers sharing work publicly.

See and Remove EXIF Data from Your Photos

Every photo from a phone or camera carries hidden EXIF metadata: where it was taken, when, on what device, with what software. This tool reads that metadata locally, shows you exactly what a photo would reveal, and produces a clean copy with the fields you choose stripped out. Your photos never leave your browser — which matters, since the whole point is privacy.

The actual tool runs in our ad-free secure workspace — nothing on this page processes your file.

Open Remove Photo Metadata →

What this tool does

Parses and displays EXIF, XMP, and IPTC metadata from JPEG, PNG, and WebP images — GPS coordinates, camera model, lens, timestamps, editing software, and more.
Shows GPS positions plainly, so 'there are coordinates in this photo' is impossible to miss.
Strips all metadata or just the fields you select, and writes a cleaned copy of the image.
Handles batches — clean a whole folder of photos in one pass.
Produces a before/after report of what was found and what was removed.
Leaves your pixels untouched: image quality is not re-compressed away during cleaning.

Your privacy on this tool

Stays on your device

Photos are read, parsed, and cleaned entirely in your browser.
The metadata viewer runs on-device — nobody else sees your GPS points, timestamps, or camera details.
Cleaned copies are saved directly to your device; originals are never modified or uploaded.

Reaches our server: nothing

This tool makes no upload. Your content is processed entirely in your browser.

How to use it

Open the tool at /app/remove-photo-metadata.
Drop in one photo or a whole batch (JPEG, PNG, or WebP).
Review the metadata report — check what each image would have told the world.
Choose 'remove all' or pick specific fields to strip (you might keep copyright, for example).
Download the cleaned copies and use those for sharing; keep originals archived if you want the data for yourself.

Open Remove Photo Metadata →

Common uses

Cleaning photos before posting them to forums, marketplaces, or social platforms that do not strip metadata for you.
Checking what a photographer's edit history and gear list reveal before delivering images to a client.
Auditing old photos already in a blog or listing to see what they have been leaking.
Stripping timestamps and device identifiers from images used in reports or documentation.
Preparing images for a portfolio where you want copyright kept but device and location details gone.

Supported formats

JPEG
PNG
WebP

Works in all modern desktop and mobile browsers; no plugins or uploads required.

Limitations & security notes

Limitations

Metadata removal does not change the image content itself — a street sign or storefront in the picture can reveal location no matter how clean the EXIF is.
Only JPEG, PNG, and WebP are supported; RAW formats (CR3, NEF, DNG) and HEIC need conversion first.
Some proprietary maker-note fields are undocumented; the tool removes them, but 'display everything meaningfully' is not always possible for vendor-specific blobs.
If a photo was already posted, cleaning your copy does not un-share the metadata that platform or its downloaders may have captured.
SecretPNG is in beta and has not been independently audited.

Security notes

EXIF GPS data is precise enough to identify a home address — treat any photo taken at home as sensitive until checked.
Timestamps plus location across multiple photos reconstruct movement patterns; batch-cleaning before sharing prevents that correlation.
Serial numbers in EXIF can link separate photos to the same camera — and therefore to each other and to you.
Verify the clean: re-open a cleaned file in the viewer and confirm the report shows nothing left.
Some platforms strip metadata on upload and some do not — cleaning before upload is the only version you control.

Frequently asked questions

What exactly is hiding in my photos?: Typically: GPS coordinates (if location was on), the exact capture time, camera or phone model, lens, exposure settings, software used for edits, and sometimes a device serial number or even a small preview thumbnail of the pre-crop image. The viewer shows you all of it before you decide what to strip.
Does removing EXIF reduce image quality?: No. Metadata lives in separate segments of the file, apart from the compressed pixel data. The tool removes those segments and leaves the image data byte-for-byte intact — no re-encoding, no generation loss.
Don't Instagram and Facebook already strip EXIF?: Major social platforms generally strip metadata from what they display publicly — but they receive and can retain the original, and many other venues (forums, marketplaces, email, blogs, cloud links) pass files through untouched. Cleaning before upload is the only approach that does not depend on each platform's behavior.
Why does this tool run locally instead of uploading my photo?: Uploading a photo to strip its private metadata would be self-defeating — the service would see the very GPS points and timestamps you are trying to remove. Local processing means the sensitive data is never disclosed to anyone, including us, during cleaning.
Can I keep some fields, like copyright?: Yes. Selective mode lets you keep fields such as copyright and creator credit while stripping location, device, and timestamps — a common setup for photographers sharing work publicly.

Guides:remove location data from photos what file metadata reveals

Last reviewed: 2026-07-14Open Remove Photo Metadata

SecretPNG is in beta and has not been independently audited. Security status.