Frequently asked questions about EXIF, GPS and privacy
Here we answer common questions about EXIF, GPS location, image quality and privacy. If you need to inspect a specific photo, start with the practical tools.
What is EXIF metadata in a photo?
EXIF metadata is technical information that cameras and phones often store inside the image file. It can include the date, device model, orientation, camera settings and, in some cases, GPS coordinates.
Does this website upload my photos to a server?
No. In this tool, analysis and cleaning happen inside the user's browser. The image is not sent to our own backend for processing.
What does it mean when a photo has GPS location data?
It means the file still includes coordinates associated with where the photo was taken. If you share that image, another person could discover an approximate or exact location.
Does removing GPS also remove other metadata?
Yes. In this tool, the most reliable privacy-first way to remove location data is to create a new clean copy without the original EXIF block. That removes GPS data and also the remaining EXIF metadata.
Will image quality drop after cleaning EXIF?
We aim to keep visual quality high. JPEG files are recreated with high quality and PNG files are exported again without the original metadata block. File size or compression can still change slightly depending on the output format.
Does it work with HEIC or HEIF?
Not reliably yet across browsers. The interface shows a clear notice when it detects HEIC or HEIF and recommends converting the image to JPG or PNG first.