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What is EXIF data?

EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is metadata your camera or phone embeds into every photo the moment you press the shutter. It typically records the camera make and model, lens, exposure settings, the exact date and time — and, on most phones, the precise GPS coordinates of where you were standing.

That's useful for photographers organizing a catalog. It's a problem when you share photos publicly: a photo posted from your home can reveal your home address, a listing photo can expose a seller's location, and timestamps can reveal patterns about your daily life.

What can hide inside a single photo

GPS latitude and longitude, altitude, the exact second of capture, camera body and lens serial numbers, the owner's name set on the camera, the editing software used, and sometimes a small embedded thumbnail of the original uncropped image.

For the longer version — where EXIF is stored, how it differs from XMP and IPTC, why its timestamps have no time zone, and who can actually see it — read what is EXIF data?

How exif.me protects your privacy

Most online EXIF tools upload your photo to a server to process it — which means the photo, its location data, and everything else now exists on someone else's machine. exif.me works differently: all reading, editing, and removal happens in JavaScript inside your own browser. There is no upload button because there is no upload. Close the tab and nothing persists anywhere.

For JPEG, PNG and WebP, metadata removal is lossless — exif.me rewrites the file’s container structure to drop metadata while leaving the image data byte-for-byte identical. There is no recompression and no quality loss. That includes HEIC, the format iPhones shoot in — no conversion step needed. Only TIFF falls back to re-encoding.

Common questions

Does exif.me upload or store my photos?

No. Processing is 100% local, in your browser. Your photos never touch a server.

Does removing EXIF reduce image quality?

No. For JPEG, PNG, and WebP the metadata is removed without touching the image data at all — the pixels are byte-for-byte identical to the original. Only TIFF falls back to re-encoding, which is visually identical in nearly all cases.

Can I clean several photos at once?

Yes. Drop in as many photos as you like and use Clean all to download them as a single zip. Batch mode can also strip GPS from every photo, apply one location to a whole set, or shift every timestamp by a number of hours — useful when a camera clock was set wrong.

Can I remove EXIF data from iPhone HEIC photos?

Yes — and without converting them to JPEG first. exif.me strips HEIC losslessly by rewriting the file's container structure, so the photo stays a HEIC and the image data is byte-for-byte identical. This is the case that matters most: iPhone photos are where GPS coordinates most often leak, and converting to JPEG just to clean them costs you quality. More on iPhone photo metadata.

Why does my photo show up sideways?

Almost always the EXIF orientation tag rather than the picture itself. Cameras and phones often save the image exactly as the sensor read it and set a tag saying how far to turn it for display. Software that honours the tag shows the photo upright; software that ignores it shows the same file on its side — which is why one photo can look fine in one app and wrong in another. Use Rotate left / Rotate right in the edit panel and save: exif.me rewrites the tag, so the image data is never decoded or re-compressed and nothing is lost. Most online rotate tools re-encode the whole picture to do the same job. Full explanation.

What is the "hidden embedded thumbnail"?

Many cameras and phones store a small preview image inside the photo’s metadata. That preview isn’t always regenerated when a photo is cropped or edited, so it can still show the original framing — including parts you thought you removed. exif.me displays it when present, and clearing metadata removes it.

How do I remove just the GPS location?

Use Remove GPS only. It deletes the coordinates and leaves the camera, lens, exposure and timestamps in place — useful when you want to keep a photo's technical record but not publish where it was taken. More on removing metadata.

Can I add a GPS location to a photo?

Yes — drop in a JPEG, enter coordinates (or use your current location), and save. See the add GPS to photo guide for details and legitimate uses.

Do Instagram and Facebook remove EXIF automatically?

Major social platforms strip most EXIF from the copies they display — but they receive and may retain the original. Email, messaging apps, marketplaces, forums, and your own website usually keep EXIF fully intact. Stripping before sharing is the only way to be sure. Which apps strip EXIF, platform by platform.

Which formats are supported?

JPEG has full support: view, edit, add GPS, and lossless removal. PNG, WebP and HEIC — the format iPhones shoot in — support viewing plus lossless removal, with no conversion step. TIFF can be viewed, and is re-encoded on removal. Editing individual fields and writing GPS remain JPEG-only.