How to use the remove image metadata
- Drop photos onto the drop zone or click to choose them (JPEG, PNG or WebP).
- Review what each file contains. GPS coordinates are flagged in red.
- Choose whether to keep the colour profile (recommended) and the rotation flag.
- Click Remove metadata. Each result is re-checked and marked "no metadata found" when clean. Download the files or a ZIP.
Worked example
A phone photo with location
A typical phone JPEG contains an EXIF block with the camera model, date taken and GPS coordinates, often an XMP block and sometimes an embedded preview after the image data. Removing metadata drops those blocks and keeps the compressed image data byte for byte, so the file gets slightly smaller and looks identical.
How it works
JPEG: the file's marker segments are parsed and APP1 to APP15 (EXIF, XMP, IPTC and others) and COM comment segments are dropped, keeping the Adobe APP14 marker needed to decode some colour files and, optionally, the ICC colour profile. Data after the end-of-image marker is removed. With "Keep rotation flag" on, a minimal EXIF block containing only the orientation is written back. PNG: tEXt, iTXt, zTXt, eXIf and tIME chunks are dropped; image and colour chunks are kept. WebP: re-encoded through a canvas at quality 95, which removes all metadata but is lossy.
Assumptions
- Metadata is read with the exifr library before and after removal to verify the result.
- A colour profile describes colours only and contains no personal data.
Frequently asked questions
Are my files uploaded?
No. Images are processed in your browser on your own device and are never sent to our server. The page keeps working if you go offline after it loads.
Does removing metadata reduce image quality?
Not for JPEG and PNG: only metadata blocks are removed and the image data is copied unchanged. WebP files are re-encoded at quality 95, which the tool states in the result.
Why keep the colour profile and rotation flag?
The colour profile keeps colours accurate, especially for wide-gamut phone photos, and contains no personal information. The rotation flag stops photos appearing sideways. Turn either off to remove them too.
Is my location really removed?
Yes. GPS data is stored in the EXIF block, which is removed. The tool re-reads the cleaned file and confirms when no metadata is found. The picture itself can still reveal a location through what it shows.
Limitations
- Images up to 50 MB each are accepted. Very large images (tens of megapixels) depend on device memory, and iPhones and iPads limit canvases to about 16.7 megapixels.
- HEIC, TIFF and RAW files are not supported. Convert them to JPEG first.
- WebP metadata is removed by re-encoding, which is slightly lossy.
- Visible content such as faces, signs or screens is not changed.