Remove metadata from photos
This free tool shows the hidden data in JPG, PNG and WebP images, such as the GPS position, camera model, serial number, date taken and author, and saves copies without it, for many images at once. It runs in your browser and the images are not uploaded. The picture itself is not re-compressed, so the quality stays the same. HEIC photos are not supported, and what is visible in the picture cannot be removed.
Did a file not convert correctly? E-mail [email protected], ideally with a small sample file, and it will be fixed.
Key facts
- Works with: JPG (.jpg).
- Your files are not uploaded: the work is done in your browser, on your own device.
- Image size: up to 16,384 pixels per side (about 16 megapixels on iPhone and iPad).
- Needs a current browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari) on a computer, tablet or phone; nothing to install.
- Free to use, with no sign-up.
Why remove photo metadata
A photo carries more than the picture. Phones and cameras store the exact place it was taken, the date and time, the make, model and often the serial number of the camera, and editing programs add their own notes, the author's name and a small preview copy. Shared as a file, by email, in a chat as a document, in a cloud folder or on a marketplace listing, all of that goes with it, and the GPS position can lead straight to a home address. Drop your photos here to see what each file holds; the location and anything that names a person is marked. One click then gives you clean copies. The data is cut out of the file without decoding and saving the picture again, so the image stays exactly as sharp as before, and nothing is uploaded, which is the point of cleaning a photo in the first place.
How to remove metadata from a photo
- Drop your photos in the box, or click to choose them. JPG, PNG and WebP are accepted.
- Check the list of what was found in each file. The GPS position and names are marked.
- Click Remove metadata and download the clean image, or a zip with all of them.
What is removed and what is kept
What is removed
All EXIF data (GPS position, date, camera and lens, serial number, software, author and copyright), XMP and IPTC data with captions, keywords and editing history, comments, embedded preview images, and other program data. In a JPG, extra pictures stored after the main one are removed too, such as a depth map or the short video of a motion photo. In a PNG, the text fields and the time of the last change go.
What is kept, and why
The colour profile stays, because without it the colours of many photos would shift; it describes the colours, not you. A photo that the camera stored sideways keeps one tag, its orientation, so that it still shows upright. Nothing else of the original metadata is left.
The picture is not touched
Unlike a screenshot or an image editor's save, this tool does not re-compress the picture. The compressed image data is copied unchanged, so a JPG loses no quality and the file only gets smaller by the size of the data that was removed.
What no tool can remove
Anything you can see in the photo stays: faces, house numbers, number plates, a street sign through the window or a reflection. Cover or crop those first. The file name and the dates your computer keeps for the file are not part of the picture data either.
HEIC photos from an iPhone
HEIC files are not supported here. Convert them with HEIC to JPG instead: the JPG it makes does not get the location, date or camera details, so it is clean already.
About the formats
JPG
JPG (or JPEG) is the most widely used image format for photos, supported by every camera, phone, browser and image editor. It uses lossy compression, which keeps files small at a small cost in quality.
- Best for photos; text and sharp lines can get blurry edges.
- No transparency: transparent areas become a solid colour.
- The quality setting trades file size against detail.
Frequently asked questions
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Your browser reads and cleans the files on your own device. Uploading photos to a server to remove their location would defeat the purpose.
How do I remove the location from a photo?
Drop the photo here and click Remove metadata. The GPS position is shown first in the list if the photo has one, and the downloaded copy no longer contains it.
Do social networks remove this data anyway?
Many large networks strip GPS data from photos they show publicly, but files sent by email, as a document in a chat, through cloud links or on many forums and marketplaces keep everything. Cleaning the file yourself means you do not have to rely on that.
Will the cleaned photo look different?
No. The picture data is copied unchanged and the colour profile is kept, so it looks exactly the same. Only data you cannot see is removed.
What are the cleaned files called?
The original name with _clean added, for example IMG_2041_clean.jpg. Your original files are not changed.
Can I remove the author and copyright details?
From your own photos, yes. Removing the author or copyright notice from someone else's photo to hide where it came from is against the law in the EU, the US and many other countries, so only clean other people's pictures when you have their permission.