Remove Image Metadata & EXIF Data
Remove embedded camera and file metadata before sharing an image publicly or uploading it to a service.
- Work on a copy so you keep the original metadata when you still need it.
- Strip metadata before public posts, marketplaces, and support tickets.
- Compression and metadata removal solve different problems — do both when you need a smaller, cleaner file.
Supports PNG, JPG, JPEG, and WebP. Processing happens entirely in your browser, so your image files are never uploaded or stored.
What image metadata can reveal
Photos and exports may carry EXIF, IPTC, XMP, embedded thumbnails, camera or phone model, timestamps, editing software, and sometimes GPS coordinates. That is useful in a private library and often unwanted when an image leaves your control.
Metadata removal does not change what is visible in the picture. It strips attached information from the file. Keep the original if you may need camera, copyright, or location details later.
When you should strip metadata
Consider removing metadata when sharing outside the original context:
- Publishing on a public site or marketplace.
- Sending screenshots that may include device or editor details.
- Sharing client or customer files with a wider group.
- Uploading to docs, blogs, or social platforms.
Do not rely on platforms to clean files
Some services re-encode uploads and drop most metadata; others keep parts of it. Behavior changes by product and app version. Safer default: strip sensitive metadata yourself before upload.
For web delivery, pair this tool with the compressor and resizer so the public file is both smaller and cleaner.
Stripping EXIF can rotate your photo
One EXIF tag is not descriptive data at all — it is an instruction. The Orientation tag tells viewers how to rotate the pixels for display, because many cameras store sensor data in one fixed orientation and rely on the flag. Remove the metadata and the flag goes with it, so an image that displayed upright can suddenly appear rotated a quarter turn.
If that happens, the pixels were always in that orientation and the flag was doing the correction. Rotate the image to match how it should look before you share it, or strip metadata only after the file has been exported upright. The same class of surprise shows up when a colour profile is dropped: colours can shift slightly because the interpretation data left with it.
What is removed, and what is not
Metadata lives in structured blocks inside the file — EXIF, IPTC, and XMP in a JPEG, text chunks (tEXt, iTXt) in a PNG, and often a small embedded thumbnail. Removing it strips those blocks and the thumbnail, and it does not intentionally alter the picture. Because the file is rebuilt from its decoded pixels, a lossy format like JPEG or WebP is re-encoded in the process and can differ from the original by a hair — the guarantee is that no visible change is applied, not that every byte is preserved.
What it does not remove: the visible content of the image, a watermark or logo baked into the pixels, the filename, or metadata a platform re-adds when you upload (many social networks attach their own EXIF, including a software tag). It is also not a way to hide that a photo was edited — pixel-level traces survive; only the labelled metadata is gone. Same for steganography: data hidden inside the pixels is untouched. This tool clears the attached labels, nothing more.
Frequently asked questions
What is EXIF metadata?
EXIF is a common standard for data embedded in image files: camera and lens details, exposure settings, timestamps, software used, GPS coordinates, and sometimes a thumbnail or copyright notice.
Does removing metadata reduce image quality?
No. Metadata removal leaves the pixels alone. Quality changes only if you separately re-encode or compress the image.
Are my images uploaded to remove EXIF?
No. Stripping runs locally in your browser. The file never needs to leave your device for this tool to work.
Why did my photo rotate after removing metadata?
The EXIF Orientation tag was telling viewers to rotate the image. Stripping metadata removes that instruction, so the raw orientation shows. Rotate the image to match how it should look, then save.
Can removed metadata be recovered?
Not from the stripped file — the data is gone from that copy. Keep the original if you may need camera, copyright, or location details later.