What Is EXIF Data in Photos and How to Remove It

Every photo from a phone or camera carries a small label of hidden facts, called EXIF data. You can't see it on the picture, but anyone who opens the file with the right program can read it. Most of the time that's harmless. Sometimes it isn't.

What's inside

• The make and model of the camera or phone.
• The date and time the photo was taken, down to the second.
• The camera settings: exposure time, aperture, ISO and focal length.
• The GPS location, if location was switched on when you took it.
• Sometimes the owner's name, the camera's serial number and the software that edited the picture.

Why it matters

The location is the one to worry about. A photo of your home, your child's school or your car, posted as the original file, can show exactly where it was taken. Some websites strip this data when you upload, and many don't, especially when you send the file directly by email or as a document. A serial number can also link photos that you thought were unconnected.

See what your photos reveal

Drop a photo into the EXIF Viewer & Remover and it lists what it finds in plain words, with a clear warning if there's a location in it. The coordinates are shown so you can see how precise they are.

Removing it

For JPG, PNG and WebP files, the tool cuts the hidden data out of the file itself. The picture isn't re-saved, so there's no loss of quality, and the result is normally a little smaller. You can choose to keep the rotation setting, which stops phone photos from turning sideways, and the color profile, which keeps colors looking right.

Other ways to lose it

• Taking a screenshot of a photo creates a new image without the original's details.
• Making a file smaller or changing its format often drops them too, though not always. Check the result.
• HEIC photos from an iPhone need converting to JPG first. The HEIC to JPG converter leaves the location and camera details out.
• Shrinking a picture with the Image Compressor re-saves it, which leaves the metadata behind.

Turn it off at the source

In your phone's camera settings you can stop photos from recording the location. You can also choose to share photos without location data when you send them from the share sheet. Do it for photos you post publicly.