What a photo can say about you
Phones and cameras write extra information, called EXIF metadata, into every photo. Depending on the device, that can include:
- GPS coordinates, often precise enough to pick out a single house.
- The date and time the photo was taken, to the second.
- The phone or camera model, lens and settings.
- Sometimes the owner’s name or the camera’s serial number.
- The software used to edit the photo.
Read more in what EXIF data is.
Don’t social apps remove this already?
Big social networks such as Instagram and Facebook strip location data when they re-compress the photos you post. Many other routes don’t. Email attachments, cloud storage links, photos sent as files or documents in messaging apps, and uploads to marketplaces and forums often pass the original file along untouched. Cleaning the file yourself protects you wherever it goes.
How the removal works
- The tool reads the photo in your browser and lists the hidden data it finds.
- For JPG, PNG and WebP it cuts out the metadata blocks and leaves the image data untouched, so there is no quality loss. The color profile and rotation flag are kept so the photo looks the same.
- HEIC photos are converted to a high-quality JPG, which carries no metadata.
- The clean copy is read again to verify that nothing personal is left.
Stop new photos from saving your location
iPhone
Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera and choose Never. To remove the location from a single photo as you share it, tap Options at the top of the share sheet and turn off Location.
Android
Open your camera app’s settings and turn off Save location. Some phones call it Location tags or Geotagging.
Questions
Does removing the data reduce quality?
Not for JPG, PNG or WebP. Only the metadata blocks are cut out; the image data is copied byte for byte. HEIC photos are saved as a high-quality JPG, because that is the only way to make a clean copy of them in the browser.
Why is my photo still the right way up?
Phones often store a rotation flag instead of turning the pixels. The tool keeps that single flag so your photo isn’t displayed sideways. It contains no personal information.
Which formats are supported?
JPG, PNG, WebP and HEIC/HEIF. HEIC and AVIF photos come back as JPG.
Why isn’t the location shown on a map?
Showing a map would mean sending your coordinates to a map service. The tool only shows the numbers, so they stay on your device.
Is anything uploaded?
No. Your photos are read and cleaned inside this browser tab and never leave your device.