📷 EXIF Viewer & Metadata Stripper
View, analyze, and strip EXIF metadata from images. Protect your privacy by removing GPS data. Runs entirely in your browser.
What is an EXIF Viewer?
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a standard that defines the metadata embedded within digital image files. When you take a photo with a camera or smartphone, the device automatically records a wealth of information alongside the pixel data: the camera make and model, lens used, exposure settings like aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, the date and time the photo was taken, and often the GPS coordinates of the location. This metadata is stored inside the image file itself, typically within a section called the APP1 segment in JPEG files.
An EXIF viewer reads and displays this embedded metadata in a human-readable format. This is useful for photographers who want to review their camera settings, for forensic analysts examining image authenticity, or for anyone curious about how and where a photo was captured. However, this metadata also raises serious privacy concerns. When you share a photo online, anyone who downloads it can extract the GPS coordinates, potentially revealing your home address, workplace, or other sensitive locations.
This free EXIF viewer and metadata stripper runs entirely in your browser. Your images are never uploaded to any server. You can view all embedded metadata, selectively remove GPS location data while keeping other useful information, or strip all metadata completely for maximum privacy. The tool parses the raw binary data of your image files directly in JavaScript, with no external libraries or dependencies.
How to Use This Tool
- Upload an image by dragging and dropping it onto the upload area, or click to browse your files. The tool supports JPEG, PNG, WebP, and TIFF formats.
- Review the metadata displayed in organized sections: Basic Info, Camera, Location, Date/Time, Image Settings, Software, and Copyright.
- If GPS data is found, a privacy warning will appear. Use "Strip Location Only" to remove just the GPS data, or "Strip All Metadata" to remove everything.
- After stripping, the tool downloads a clean copy of your image. A before/after size comparison shows how much data was removed.
- Use "Copy as JSON" to export all metadata in a structured format for documentation or further analysis.
Key Features
- Complete EXIF Parsing - Reads camera info, GPS coordinates, timestamps, exposure settings, software info, and copyright data from the raw binary image data.
- GPS Privacy Protection - Detects embedded GPS coordinates and highlights them with a clear privacy warning. One click removes location data while preserving other metadata.
- Metadata Stripping - Remove all EXIF data or just GPS location. Downloads a clean image file with a before/after file size comparison.
- JSON Export - Copy all extracted metadata as structured JSON for use in scripts, reports, or other tools.
- 100% Client-Side - No server uploads. Your images and their metadata never leave your device. Built with pure JavaScript, no external dependencies.
- Multi-Format Support - Works with JPEG, PNG, WebP, and TIFF image files. Parses the APP1/EXIF segment from the raw file binary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of metadata do photos contain?
Digital photos can contain extensive metadata including camera make and model, lens information, focal length, aperture, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity, date and time of capture, GPS coordinates, altitude, image orientation, white balance settings, flash status, software used for editing, color profiles, and copyright information. The exact fields depend on your camera and its settings.
Is GPS data in photos a privacy risk?
Yes, GPS metadata in photos is a significant privacy concern. If you share a photo taken at your home, the embedded coordinates can reveal your exact address. Many social media platforms strip EXIF data on upload, but sharing images through email, messaging apps, cloud storage, or personal websites often preserves the full metadata. It is good practice to remove GPS data before sharing photos publicly.
Does stripping metadata affect image quality?
No. Stripping metadata only removes the non-pixel data segments from the file. The actual image pixels remain completely unchanged. You may notice a small decrease in file size because the metadata bytes have been removed, but the visual quality of the image is identical before and after stripping. For JPEG files, this tool removes the APP1 segment without re-encoding the image data.
Do all image formats support EXIF data?
JPEG is the most common format for EXIF metadata and has the broadest support. TIFF files also natively support EXIF data using the same IFD (Image File Directory) structure. PNG files can contain metadata in text chunks (tEXt, iTXt, zTXt) and some cameras embed EXIF data in PNG files through an eXIf chunk. WebP files can contain EXIF data in their RIFF container. This tool parses EXIF from all four formats when present.
Can I recover metadata after stripping it?
No. Once metadata is stripped and the file is saved, the information is permanently removed from that copy. The original file on your device remains unchanged. If you need to preserve metadata for archival purposes, always keep a copy of the original file before stripping. This tool downloads a new clean file and does not modify your original.