Strip EXIF, GPS and Embedded Metadata From Images

Produce a clean copy of a photograph with every trace of embedded data removed.

About the EXIF Data Remover

This tool does not attempt to edit metadata out field by field. It decodes the picture to raw pixels and writes an entirely new file from them, which means nothing from the original container survives — not the EXIF block, not GPS coordinates, not XMP records, not the maker-note sections that camera manufacturers use for their own data. What comes out is the image and nothing else.

You choose between JPG and PNG for the output. JPG is re-encoded at high quality, which keeps the file small and is appropriate for photographs; PNG writes the pixels without further loss, which suits screenshots and graphics where you want the visual result untouched. Several files can be cleaned in one pass, each arriving with a clear suffix so cleaned copies are never confused with originals. The stripping happens on your own device, which is the only arrangement that makes sense for a task defined by not wanting a file to travel.

Key Features

  • Everything goes: Rebuilding from pixels discards EXIF, GPS, XMP and manufacturer data together rather than selected fields.
  • Choose JPG or PNG: JPG keeps photographs compact, PNG avoids any further compression on graphics and screenshots.
  • High-quality re-encode: The JPG path uses a high quality setting, so cleaning a photo does not visibly degrade it.
  • Batch cleaning: Process a folder of images in one run before publishing or sending them.
  • Clearly named output: Each result is suffixed so a cleaned copy is easy to tell apart from the file it came from.

How to Use the EXIF Data Remover

  1. Add the images you need cleaned.
  2. Choose JPG for photographs or PNG for screenshots and flat graphics.
  3. Run the removal and download the cleaned copies.
  4. Publish or send the cleaned files rather than the originals, which still carry their data.

How It Works

Each image is decoded into a canvas and re-encoded from that canvas, and because a canvas holds only pixel values there is no mechanism by which the original file's metadata could carry across — the removal is a consequence of how the data is rebuilt rather than a filtering step that might miss a field. Two side effects follow. Any embedded colour profile is dropped along with everything else, which can shift colours very slightly on wide-gamut images. And choosing JPG means a fresh lossy compression pass, so for images you intend to keep archivally, select PNG or work from a copy and retain the untouched original somewhere safe.

When You Need It

A support organisation publishing photographs taken inside a refuge for its annual report faces a risk most publishers never think about: a phone that recorded location will have written the building's coordinates into every file, and the address of a refuge is protected information. Stripping the images before they reach a designer or a website removes that exposure at source. Campaigners publishing images from sensitive sites and anyone posting photographs taken at home run the same risk with less severe consequences.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this really remove GPS coordinates?
Yes. The file is rebuilt from pixel data alone, so location tags are not carried over any more than the camera model is. Nothing from the original container reaches the new file.
Will my photo lose quality when the metadata is removed?
Choosing JPG applies a fresh compression pass at a high quality setting, so any loss is slight but real. Select PNG if you want the pixels preserved exactly, accepting a larger file.
Do social platforms not strip this automatically?
Most major platforms do remove EXIF on upload, but that is their choice and it does not apply to a file emailed, sent by messenger, attached to a document or uploaded to a smaller site. Strip it yourself if it matters.
How can I confirm the metadata has gone?
Run the cleaned copy through the metadata viewer. It should report no EXIF fields, showing only the basic file details.
Could the location have been exposed before I stripped it?
Not by this tool. The image is decoded and rewritten inside your browser, so a photograph carrying the coordinates of a protected address is cleaned without ever being transmitted anywhere.