How to remove metadata from a photo
Photos carry GPS coordinates, device details and timestamps. Re-encoding removes all of it.
Updated September 1, 2026
Every photo your phone takes records more than the image. EXIF metadata typically includes the exact GPS coordinates of where it was taken, the device make and model, the date and time to the second, and the camera settings. On some devices it includes the owner’s name.
That matters most in exactly the situations where people share photos without thinking: a marketplace listing photographed at home, a picture of a child in a garden, a screenshot of a document. The location is not visible in the image, but it is in the file.
Steps
- 1
Understand where metadata lives
It sits in the file container alongside the compressed pixels, not in the pixels themselves. That is what makes it removable without touching the image.
- 2
Re-encode the image
Decoding the pixels and writing a fresh file leaves the metadata behind by construction. This is more reliable than editing individual EXIF fields, which can miss vendor-specific blocks.
- 3
Do it before the photo leaves your device
Use a tool that runs locally. A metadata remover that requires you to upload the photo first has already sent the coordinates you were trying to remove.
- 4
Verify
Open the file’s properties, or run an EXIF viewer. Camera, date and GPS fields should be empty.
Do not rely on social platforms
Most strip metadata on upload, but not all, and not on every path. Anywhere you do not control, strip it yourself.
Screenshots are usually clean
Screenshots carry no GPS or camera data. It is camera photos that need attention.