Click to choose a photo or drag it here
JPEG (.jpg / .jpeg) only for now · Your photo is read only inside your browser
The sample's coordinates are made up (open sea in the western Pacific). You can also download the sample and upload it yourself.
Only metadata is removed – the image is not re-compressed and no pixels change. See "Good to know" below for exactly what is removed.
What does this check cover?
- EXIF: main directory (IFD0), camera settings (Exif IFD), GPS directory, embedded thumbnail (IFD1)
- XMP: location fields (GPS latitude/longitude, city, country, sub-location, etc.)
- IPTC (Photoshop segment): city, province/state, country, sub-location, etc.
- JPEG comments (COM), other application segments (APPn) and any data appended after the end of the image
- Vendor maker notes (MakerNote) are flagged as present but not decoded; they are removed as a whole when cleaning
What this EXIF viewer and remover does
Photo EXIF Viewer & GPS Remover is a free online tool by LeiLong Lab. It reads the metadata of a JPEG photo right in your browser and tells you whether the file contains a GPS location, which device took it and when. If it finds sensitive data, you can remove it in one click, download a clean copy and drop that copy back in to re-check it. Everything happens on your device – your photo is never uploaded.
| Shows | GPS latitude, longitude, altitude and GPS time; camera make/model, lens, serial numbers, software; date taken/modified and time zone; author, copyright, comments; locations in XMP and IPTC; embedded thumbnail; trailing data |
|---|---|
| Removes | EXIF (including GPS, device, dates, serial numbers, thumbnail and maker notes), XMP, IPTC, comments, other application segments and trailing data |
| Keeps | Image data (no re-compression), ICC color profile, orientation |
| Formats | JPEG (.jpg / .jpeg). HEIC, PNG, WebP and RAW are not supported yet and are clearly rejected |
| Runs | Locally in your browser – no upload, no install, no account |
| Price | Free |
How to remove location data from a photo (3 steps)
- Choose a photo: click "Choose photo" or drag a JPEG into the dashed box above. No photo at hand? Click "Try the sample photo".
- Read the result: the top of the page says "Location data found" (with coordinates) or "No location data found". Below it, every field is listed by group – location, device & software, date & time, camera settings – with sensitive ones highlighted.
- Clean and re-check: click "Remove location & sensitive metadata, download a copy". Your browser saves
yourfile_clean.jpg. Choose that copy again and look for "Re-check passed: No location data found".
What are EXIF data and GPS location in a photo?
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is metadata that cameras and phones write into every photo file. When location access is turned on for the camera, your phone stores the latitude, longitude, altitude and GPS time of where the photo was taken in the EXIF GPS directory. It also records the device model, OS or software version and the time the photo was taken – sometimes even the camera's serial number and a small thumbnail.
You can't see any of this when you look at the picture, but anyone who gets the original file can read it. Sending a photo "as a file", uploading it to cloud storage or attaching it to a forum post can hand over the location of your home, office or your kids' school. Besides EXIF, photo editors may write location into XMP and IPTC fields, and some phones hide a second EXIF block at the end of the file for depth maps or multi-picture images. This tool checks all of these places.
When should you remove location from a photo?
- Before sending a photo as an original file, or uploading it to cloud storage, forums or marketplace listings
- Before publicly sharing photos taken at or near your home, workplace or your children's school
- Whenever you're not sure whether an app or website keeps the original metadata – removing it yourself is safer than relying on the platform
Want the bigger picture? Read our guide: How to remove EXIF data from photos.
Limitations and good to know
- Local processing. Your photo is read and processed only inside your browser and is never uploaded to any server. The page loads Google Analytics for anonymous page-view statistics only; it never receives your photo or its metadata.
- "Not in this file" is not the same as "not recognized". "Not in this file" means the field really isn't there. "Present, but not recognized" means the file contains the data but this tool doesn't know what it means – such data is still listed as is and removed when you clean the photo, never hidden.
- Metadata only – not what's in the picture. Anything visible in the photo – faces, house numbers, street signs, license plates, shipping labels, landmarks outside the window, screen contents – is still there after cleaning. Crop or blur it yourself.
- No claims about platforms. This tool only tells you what is in this particular file. It does not predict or promise how any social network, messaging app or cloud service will handle the photos you upload.
- What gets removed. EXIF (including GPS, device, dates, serial numbers, thumbnail and maker notes), XMP, IPTC, comments, other application segments and data after the end of the image. Image data, the ICC color profile and the orientation are kept (otherwise the photo might show up sideways).
- JPEG only for now. HEIC/HEIF, PNG, WebP and RAW are not supported yet; you'll get a clear message instead of a false all-clear. When you pick a photo from a phone's gallery, the system may convert it or change its metadata first – this tool shows exactly the file the browser received.
- The sample photo uses made-up coordinates, device and author that don't belong to any real address or person.
FAQ
Are my photos uploaded to a server?
No. Your photo is read, analyzed and cleaned entirely inside your browser and is never uploaded to any server. The clean copy is also created locally and saved straight to your device. The page loads Google Analytics for anonymous page-view statistics only; it never receives your photo or any of its metadata.
How can I tell if a photo contains location data?
Drop the photo onto this page or click Choose photo. The tool checks the EXIF GPS directory, XMP location fields, IPTC location fields and any data appended after the end of the image. If any of them holds a location, the result reads Location data found and shows the coordinates.
Does removing EXIF and GPS data reduce image quality?
No. The tool only deletes metadata segments from the file. It does not re-compress the image or change any pixels, and it keeps the color profile (ICC) and orientation, so the clean copy looks exactly like the original.
Which formats are supported? Can I use iPhone HEIC photos?
Only JPEG (.jpg / .jpeg) for now. HEIC/HEIF, PNG, WebP and RAW files are rejected with a clear message instead of being silently skipped. For iPhone photos, export or share them as JPEG first, or set Settings > Camera > Formats to Most Compatible.
Once the metadata is removed, can a photo still reveal where I am?
Yes, it can. After cleaning, the file no longer contains location fields, but the picture itself may still give your location away: house numbers, street signs, license plates, shipping labels, landmarks outside the window or what is on a screen. Crop or blur those before sharing.
Don't social media sites remove EXIF data automatically?
Some do, some don't, and their behavior can change at any time; sending a photo as a file or uploading it to cloud storage usually keeps the original metadata. This tool makes no claims about any platform. It tells you what is in this particular file, so you can remove it yourself before you share.