What is EXIF?
EXIF is a block of technical information stored inside JPEG, HEIC and some other image formats. The camera writes it automatically when the picture is taken. It usually includes:
- the date and exact time of capture;
- the make and model of the phone or camera, sometimes a serial number;
- exposure settings: shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length;
- GPS coordinates — if location access is enabled for the camera;
- the name of the software used to edit the image.
Why it matters
If you post an original photo on a forum or marketplace listing, or send it as a file, you may accidentally reveal your home address, your routine (from capture times) and your device. People selling items online and parents sharing photos of children have the most reason to strip metadata.
How to remove EXIF online
- Open the EXIF viewer and remover.
- Drop a photo into the window — you will see a table of metadata and, if GPS is present, a link to the location on a map.
- Click the download-without-EXIF button to get a copy with no EXIF or GPS data.
Everything happens in the browser: the file is not uploaded to a server, so this works for private photos too.
How to turn off location tagging on your phone
iPhone
Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera → Never. When sharing from the Photos app you can also tap “Options” at the top of the share sheet and switch off “Location” for that one share.
Android
Open the Camera app → settings (gear icon) → turn off “Save location”, “Location tags” or similar. The exact name depends on the manufacturer.
Windows
Right-click the file → Properties → Details tab → “Remove Properties and Personal Information” → “Create a copy with all possible properties removed”.
Messengers and social networks
Most social networks and messengers re-compress photos sent the normal way and drop EXIF. The risk appears when a picture is sent as a file or document, shared from cloud storage by link, or uploaded to sites that keep the original file.
Frequently asked questions
Does Telegram or WhatsApp remove EXIF from photos?
When you send a picture as a regular (compressed) photo, these messengers re-encode it and the metadata is not passed on. When you send it as a file or document, the original — including EXIF and GPS — reaches the recipient.
Can someone find out where a photo was taken?
Yes, if the phone camera wrote GPS coordinates into EXIF. Any metadata viewer shows the latitude and longitude, which point to a spot on a map.
Does removing EXIF reduce image quality?
Our tool re-encodes the image as a high-quality JPEG (around 95%), so the difference is not visible to the eye. The orientation of the photo is preserved.
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. Reading and stripping metadata happens right in your browser; the file is not sent anywhere.