How to remove metadata from photos before sharing
By Sekora Studios · Updated
To remove metadata from a photo, open the metadata remover, choose a JPG, PNG or WebP file, review the details found and select Remove metadata. Download the cleaned copy and share that file. Your original stays unchanged, and the photo is processed on your device.
Steps
- Choose one JPG, PNG or WebP photo, up to 25 MB. HEIC needs conversion first; animated images are not supported.
- Read the open details panel. It shows the values found in your file, including any camera, date or location fields. Large or unreadable blocks are summarized.
- Leave Also remove colour profiles unchecked to preserve colours. Select it only if you also want the profile removed, then check the downloaded photo for colour changes.
- Select Remove metadata, then Download clean photo. If nothing removable is found, use Prepare a clean copy.
- Reopen the downloaded file in the remover or inspect it with ExifTool. Check that private details are gone, then share the downloaded copy instead of the original.
What can a photo reveal?
Embedded metadata can include where and when a picture was taken, the camera and lens used, device serial numbers, author names, captions and editing information. Not every photo contains these fields. A missing GPS tag does not mean the picture has no other private details.
This remover clears whole EXIF, XMP and IPTC blocks, including unfamiliar fields inside them. It rebuilds a minimal display-orientation tag when needed. Comments, PNG text, embedded previews and data appended after the image are removed too.
Will removing metadata change the picture?
The tool copies the encoded picture data without recompressing it. It keeps the file format, dimensions and display orientation. Colour profiles are kept by default because removing one may change how colours appear.
The optional colour-profile control removes the embedded ICC profile too. Display settings needed to render the image can remain, so the result is not a file with literally no descriptive data.
What this does not hide
A face, house number or street sign is part of the picture, not its metadata. Cover visible private details with the redaction tool or crop them out before sharing. Metadata removal also does not remove invisible watermarks or other information encoded in the pixels.
The downloaded copy has a neutral filename. Your device may give it a new creation or modification date. This tool does not erase the original, previous uploads, backups or filesystem attributes attached to other copies.
More questions
Does it remove GPS location from photos?
Yes, it removes the EXIF and XMP blocks that can contain GPS coordinates in supported files. Check the downloaded copy as well as the original; a recognisable place in the picture can still reveal its location.
Can I remove photo metadata on my phone?
Yes. Use a modern mobile browser and choose a supported still image. The current limits are 25 MB, 24 megapixels and 12,000 pixels on either side. The browser handles saving the download.
Should I rely on a social network to remove it?
Check the exact file you intend to share rather than assuming an upload service will clean it. Keep a separate cleaned copy when you need to share the same photo elsewhere.