Photos can reveal your GPS location, device and time. Remove EXIF metadata before sharing with these free online and offline EXIF remover tools.
Here is a list of best free EXIF remover websites and tools. Every photo taken with a phone or camera contains hidden EXIF metadata: the date and time, camera or phone model, lens and exposure settings, and often the exact GPS location where it was taken. When you send an original photo by email, upload it to a forum or share it with a marketplace buyer, that information can go with it.
Screenshot: Jimpl EXIF metadata viewer.
Many social networks strip EXIF data automatically, but plenty of sites, messaging apps set to “original quality”, and file transfers do not. An EXIF remover deletes that metadata so the image contains only the picture.
Some online tools upload your photo to their server to process it. That is fine for everyday pictures, but for sensitive photos it is better to use a tool that works offline or entirely in your browser. Each tool below notes which kind it is.
ExifCleaner is the best choice if you can install an app. It is free and open source, cleans whole folders in one go and never uploads anything. For a quick online option, Jimpl lets you see exactly what a photo reveals before removing it.
| Tool | Type | Uploads your photo | Batch |
|---|---|---|---|
| ExifCleaner | Desktop app (open source) | x | ✓ |
| Jimpl | Website | ✓ (deleted within 24 hours) | x |
| Metadata2Go | Website | ✓ | x |
| Windows File Explorer | Built into Windows | x | ✓ |
| iPhone and Android sharing options | Built into your phone | x | ✓ |
ExifCleaner is a free, open-source (MIT) desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux. Drag files or entire folders onto its window, and it removes metadata in place using the well-known ExifTool engine. It supports common image formats (JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, AVIF and more, including several RAW formats), videos such as MP4 and MOV, and even PDFs.
Version 4.0 brought a full modernization of the app after a long gap between releases.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Works fully offline | Desktop install required |
| Cleans whole folders at once | Removes all metadata, no selective editing |
| Images, videos and PDFs |
Jimpl is an online EXIF viewer and remover that has been running since 2010. Upload a photo (up to 50MB), and it shows all the metadata it contains, including a map of the GPS location if present. You can then download a copy with the EXIF data removed. Jimpl says uploads are private and deleted within 24 hours.
Seeing the metadata first is a good way to understand what your photos reveal.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Shows all metadata, including a location map | Photos are uploaded to a server |
| Clean download with one click | One photo at a time |
| Files deleted within 24 hours |
Metadata2Go can view and delete metadata from photos as well as many other file types, such as videos, audio files and documents. Upload a file, and it strips EXIF, GPS and author information and returns a clean copy. No account is needed.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Works with many file types, not just photos | Files are uploaded for processing |
| No sign-up | |
| Shows metadata before deleting it |
Windows has a built-in remover. Select one or more photos in File Explorer, right-click and choose Properties, open the Details tab and click Remove Properties and Personal Information. You can create a clean copy with all removable properties deleted, or pick which fields to remove from the original files.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Already on every Windows PC | A few fields may be left behind |
| Batch-select many photos | Less thorough than ExifCleaner |
| Nothing is uploaded |
Your phone can remove location data as you share. On an iPhone or iPad, select photos in the Photos app, tap Share, then tap Options at the top and turn off Location (and optionally All Photos Data). On Android, Google Photos lets you remove the estimated location from a photo, and many camera apps have a setting to stop saving location in the first place.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No extra app needed | Options vary by phone and app |
| Remove location at the moment you share | Easy to forget each time |
To stop photos from giving away where you live, turn off location in your camera app and remove metadata before sharing originals. ExifCleaner is the most thorough free tool; Jimpl and Metadata2Go are handy when you are on someone else’s computer.
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