Image Metadata (EXIF) Viewer + Stripper

EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a standard defined by JEITA (Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association) that embeds technical metadata directly inside image files. Every photo taken by a smartphone or digital camera contains EXIF data, which can include the exact GPS coordinates where the photo was taken, the camera model, timestamps, lens settings, and orientation. This tool lets you view all common EXIF fields and strip metadata by re‑encoding the image entirely in your browser — no upload to any server.

1. Upload an image: Add a JPG, PNG, or WebP photo you want to inspect. Files up to 10 MB are supported.
2. Choose an action: Use View metadata to see a structured JSON summary (and an optional raw tag dump), or Strip metadata to download a clean copy.
3. Download safely: If stripping, pick an output format and quality level, then download the metadata‑free image.

• Protect location privacy: GPS tags embedded by smartphones can reveal the exact latitude and longitude where a photo was taken — including your home address. According to a 2012 study by Friedland and Sommer at UC Berkeley, over 60% of Flickr photos contained embedded GPS coordinates, and the percentage is higher today with modern smartphones.
• Prevent data leakage: EXIF can contain your device serial number, your name (from camera settings), and software editing history.
• Professional asset delivery: PR agencies, legal teams, and design studios routinely strip metadata before distributing assets to avoid leaking internal information.
• Reduce file size: EXIF metadata can add 10–100 KB to a file. Stripping it produces a slightly smaller image.

Use case 1: Removing GPS before sharing a photo publicly

If you photograph your home, office, or a sensitive location, your phone embeds GPS coordinates that anyone can extract. Stripping metadata before posting to forums, marketplaces, or personal websites prevents your location from being exposed.

Use case 2: Verifying camera and lens details

Photographers, editors, and equipment reviewers use EXIF data to confirm which camera body, lens, focal length, aperture, and ISO were used for a particular shot — without relying on manual notes.

Use case 3: Troubleshooting image orientation

Some images rely on an EXIF "Orientation" tag (values 1–8) rather than rotated pixels. Viewing this tag explains why an image appears rotated in one application but not another — a common issue when transferring photos between iOS, Android, and desktop editing software.

Use case 4: Verifying photo authenticity

Journalists, OSINT researchers, and legal professionals analyze EXIF metadata to verify when and where a photo was captured. Checking the DateTimeOriginal, Make, Model, and GPS fields helps assess whether an image is genuine, altered, or taken from a different context.

When you upload an image, the tool parses the binary file header using the exifr library — a high-performance EXIF parser used by professional photo management applications. It reads:

1. TIFF IFD0 section — Camera make, model, orientation, and software version.
2. EXIF IFD section — Capture settings (ISO, aperture, shutter speed, focal length, flash status, date/time).
3. GPS IFD section (optional) — Latitude, longitude, altitude, and GPS timestamp.

The viewer presents two output levels:

• Summary view — A clean JSON object showing the most useful fields at a glance.
• Raw tag dump — Every parseable EXIF tag in the file, useful for developers or forensic analysis.

Stripping works by re-encoding the image through an HTML5 Canvas element. The original file is decoded into raw pixel data (an array of RGBA values), drawn onto a <canvas>, then exported as a brand-new image file. Because the Canvas API only handles pixel data — not file headers — the output file contains zero EXIF metadata.

This approach guarantees:

• All GPS coordinates, timestamps, camera info, serial numbers, and editing history are completely removed.
• JPG/WebP outputs are recompressed at your chosen quality level. Higher quality = larger file but closer to original appearance.
• PNG outputs are lossless — every pixel is preserved exactly, but the file may be larger than the original JPG.

Basic example (view metadata)

Input: IMG_4821.jpg Output (summary):

{
  "make": "Apple",
  "model": "iPhone 15 Pro",
  "software": "17.2",
  "dateTimeOriginal": "2025-12-19T18:04:11.000Z",
  "imageWidth": 4032,
  "imageHeight": 3024,
  "orientation": 1,
  "gps": null
}

GPS example

When GPS data is present and "Include GPS" is enabled:

{
  "gps": {
    "latitude": 40.7128,
    "longitude": -74.006,
    "altitude": 10.5
  }
}

This data pinpoints the photo to New York City. Always strip GPS before sharing publicly.

Strip metadata example

Select Strip metadata (re‑encode), choose your output format and quality, then download. The resulting file is a completely new image with zero embedded metadata.

"HEIC/HEIF isn't supported"

Most browsers cannot decode HEIC/HEIF images locally. Convert your photo first through the Image Conversion hub, then strip metadata from the converted file.

"The stripped file size changed"

Stripping re‑encodes the image, producing a new binary file:

• JPG/WebP output may differ in size due to recompression. Adjust quality if the result is too large or too small.
• PNG output is lossless and may be larger than the original JPG — this is expected.

"The metadata output is empty"

Not every image contains EXIF metadata. Screenshots, exported design assets, and images processed by messaging apps (WhatsApp, iMessage, Signal) typically have their metadata stripped automatically during transit.

• Always strip before sharing externally. Even if you trust the platform, metadata can persist in downloaded copies.
• Verify after stripping: Re‑upload the stripped file and view metadata again to confirm GPS and other fields are gone.
• Choose output format intentionally: Use PNG for lossless fidelity, JPG/WebP for smaller file sizes. If you need to resize simultaneously, use the image resizer.
• Check EXIF orientation before printing: Photo labs sometimes auto-rotate based on the Orientation tag. If your prints come out rotated, check tag value here first.
• Social media platforms strip metadata automatically (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram), but don't rely on this for privacy-critical images. Always strip manually for maximum control.

• Convert unsupported formats first with the Image Conversion hub.
• Resize clean images with the image resizer.
• Remove photo backgrounds with the background remover.
• Extract text from screenshots or scanned images with image to text (OCR).

This EXIF viewer and metadata remover runs entirely in your browser. Your images are processed locally on your device using client-side JavaScript. No image data is uploaded to any server, transmitted over the network, or stored anywhere. We do not log, collect, or have access to any images or metadata you inspect or strip using this tool.