Private by design

Remove hidden metadata before you share

Find GPS locations, timestamps, device details and embedded previews, then clean them from up to 20 images without uploading a single file.

Metadata handling guide

What gets removed, preserved or cannot be removed

Not every value shown by a metadata reader is private or safely removable. This guide explains how the tool treats each type of image information.

Removed privacy metadata
Removable GPS coordinates, capture dates, camera and lens details, creator fields, editing history and embedded previews are deleted and verified.
Preserved for correct display
ICC color profiles and image orientation are retained when needed to prevent color shifts or incorrect rotation. Retained does not mean removal failed.
File information, not removable metadata
Format, dimensions, file size, bit depth and encoding describe the image itself. They cannot be removed without making the file unusable and appear under File information.
Protected or format-limited fields
Some manufacturer data and binary fields cannot be safely removed one by one. A field is marked unsupported or still present when the file format or metadata engine cannot write it.

Privacy risk and recommended action by metadata type

Use the field names as a reference when reviewing your image. Risk depends on where and with whom you plan to share the file.

Location

High privacy risk
GPSLatitude · GPSLongitude · GPSAltitude

Remove before public sharing. Exact coordinates can reveal a home, workplace, school or travel route.

Capture time

High privacy risk
DateTimeOriginal · CreateDate · ModifyDate

Remove when timing could reveal routines, attendance or when a place was unoccupied.

Device

Medium risk
Make · Model · SerialNumber · LensModel

Remove for privacy. Model and serial fields can identify equipment or link images from the same device.

Identity

Review before removing
Artist · Creator · Copyright · Credit

Remove personal names and contact details. Keep copyright or credit only when you want to assert ownership or meet a publishing requirement.

Editing history

Medium risk
Software · History · DocumentID · InstanceID

Remove when sharing a final image. These fields may reveal software, workflow, document identifiers or editing history.

Camera settings

Low risk
ISO · FNumber · ExposureTime · FocalLength

Usually low privacy risk. Remove for a minimal file; keep when photographers need the technical shooting details.

Embedded preview

High privacy risk
ThumbnailImage · PreviewImage

Remove. Embedded thumbnails may preserve an earlier crop, edit or version that is not visible in the main image.

Display and color data

Usually preserve
ICC_Profile · Orientation · ColorSpace

Usually preserve. ICC and orientation help render colors and rotation correctly and normally do not identify the photographer.

How to read the result after cleaning

A remaining field is not automatically an error. Check its status and purpose before trying again.

Removed: The field existed in the original and is absent from the cleaned copy. No further action is needed.

Still present: The field is still embedded. Retry if it is removable; if it persists, the format or tag may not support individual deletion.

Preserved: The tool intentionally kept display-critical information. This is a successful, expected result rather than a removal failure.

Common metadata standards in plain language

EXIF

Camera data such as capture time, device model, exposure settings and GPS location.

IPTC

Publishing fields such as creator, credit, caption, keywords and copyright.

XMP

An extensible metadata format used by Adobe and other editing or asset-management software.

ICC

A color profile that helps different screens and applications display the image consistently; it is normally preserved.

Standards and technical references

Removal support follows the file format and ExifTool's writable-tag definitions. The references below document EXIF, XMP and individual tag capabilities.

ExifToolCIPA Exif standardsAdobe XMP specifications

Clean metadata in three steps

Inspect first, remove only from a copy, and verify the result before download.

1

Add your images

Choose up to 20 supported image files from your device.

2

Review privacy details

Search EXIF, XMP and IPTC tags and see location, device and identity risks at a glance.

3

Clean and download

Remove metadata from one image or the whole batch, verify it, then download files or a ZIP.

Privacy cleaning without changing your pixels

A browser-local workflow for understanding and removing hidden image information.

Inspect before deleting

See grouped metadata tags and searchable values instead of cleaning files blindly.

Flag sensitive details

Surface GPS, timestamps, camera details, creator identity and embedded previews.

Preserve image quality

Strip metadata without recompressing pixels, while preserving orientation and color profiles.

Batch processing

Inspect and clean up to 20 files, then package all cleaned results in one ZIP.

Local WebAssembly

ExifTool runs inside a dedicated browser worker; your image content is not sent to our servers.

Verified results

Every cleaned file is inspected again so remaining metadata is visible before download.

Metadata remover questions

What the tool removes, what it preserves, and how local processing works.

Share the image, not its hidden history

Inspect and remove private metadata locally before posting, emailing or publishing your files.

Select filesEXIF Remover