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What is EXIF data?

Every photo is more than its pixels. Cameras and phones write a block of hidden details into the file, and it travels with the picture unless somebody removes it.

The short answer

EXIF is a block of details embedded in an image file, written by the camera at the moment you take the photo. The standard dates from the 1990s and is used in JPG and, in newer forms, in PNG, WebP, HEIC and AVIF files.

What is usually in it

  • Camera and lens: maker and model, sometimes the lens.
  • Date and time the photo was taken.
  • Exposure settings: shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length, whether the flash fired.
  • Orientation: how the picture should be turned for display.
  • GPS position, if location tagging was on.
  • Software that last saved the file.
  • A small thumbnail of the picture.

Some files also store a body serial number or the name of the owner, if it was entered in the camera.

Why EXIF exists

Most of it is useful. Photo libraries use the date to sort pictures and the location to build maps. Photographers use the settings to learn from their shots. The orientation tag means the camera doesn’t have to rewrite the pixels when you hold it in portrait mode.

When it becomes a problem

The same details can reveal more than you intend:

  • Where you live or work, from a photo taken at home.
  • When you are away, from the date of a holiday photo posted in real time.
  • Which device you own, which is useful to someone targeting you.

Editing history can also leak. A photo cropped to hide something may still contain the uncropped thumbnail, because the embedded thumbnail is not always updated.

Looking at it yourself

Right-click the file on Windows (Properties, then Details) or use the Inspector in Preview on a Mac. The tool on this page shows what it found in each file (location, camera, date and so on) next to the cleaned copy, so you can see what was there.

Removing it

You can remove everything, or only the location. Removing the details from a JPG, PNG or WebP does not need re-encoding, so the picture itself doesn’t lose quality. The step-by-step version is in how to remove the location from photos.

One caution: removing the orientation tag by itself can make a photo appear sideways. The tool keeps what is needed to display the picture correctly.

See and remove the details in your photos

Drop your images here

or

You can also paste an image with Ctrl+V.

Converted on this device. Nothing is uploaded.

What to remove

JPG, PNG and WebP keep every pixel – only the hidden details go. The orientation stays, so photos aren't shown sideways. HEIC and AVIF photos are saved as JPG.

Remove EXIF data →

Frequently asked questions

What does EXIF stand for?

Exchangeable image file format. It is a standard for the details that cameras write into image files.

Is EXIF the same as metadata?

EXIF is one kind of metadata. Photos can also carry XMP and IPTC blocks, which hold things like captions, keywords and editing history.

Why is my photo sideways in one app but fine in another?

The pixels may be stored sideways, with an EXIF tag saying how to rotate them. Apps that ignore the tag show the picture sideways.

Does a screenshot have EXIF data?

Usually very little, often only the dimensions and the date. It generally has no GPS position.

Learn more