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ExifProbe / How to remove metadata

How to remove metadata from photos

Every phone and computer has a built-in way to strip location, and most can stop recording it in the first place. Here are the exact steps, and what each method leaves behind.

The quickest route on any device: open the ExifProbe remover in your browser, pick the photos, and save the clean copies. It removes everything (or just location), works on phones, and re-reads each file to confirm.

iPhone and iPad

Remove location when you share (one photo or many)

  1. Select the photos and tap Share.
  2. Tap Options under the preview at the top of the share sheet.
  3. Switch Location off. For the full original with all data, "All Photos Data" is the switch that adds it back, so leave that off.
  4. Tap Done and share as usual.

Remove location from a photo in your library

  1. Open the photo and swipe up (or tap ⓘ).
  2. Tap Adjust next to the location map.
  3. Tap No Location.

Stop recording location

Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera → Never. Photos you take from now on have no GPS. Existing photos are unchanged.

Left behind: date, device model, lens and camera settings. To clear those, use a full remover.

Android

Google Photos

  1. Open the photo and swipe up to see details.
  2. Tap the pencil next to the location.
  3. Choose Remove location.

Google Photos also has Settings → Privacy → Remove geo location in items you share by link. It does not affect files you download or send another way.

Samsung Gallery

When you tap Share, look for Remove location data at the top of the share panel and turn it on. To edit the photo itself: open it, swipe up, tap Edit next to the details and delete the location.

Stop recording location

Open your camera app's settings and turn off Location tags, Save location or similar (the name varies by maker). Or remove the Camera app's location permission in Settings → Apps → Camera → Permissions.

Left behind: date, device model and settings.

Windows 10 and 11

  1. Select one or more photos in File Explorer, right-click and choose Properties.
  2. Open the Details tab and click Remove Properties and Personal Information.
  3. Choose Create a copy with all possible properties removed and click OK.

Windows writes copies next to the originals. It handles EXIF well for JPEG, but it can miss XMP blocks and does not support every format. Check the copy in the EXIF viewer before sharing.

Mac

Preview (location only)

  1. Open the photo in Preview.
  2. Tools → Show Inspector, then the ⓘ tab.
  3. Open the GPS tab and click Remove Location Info, then save.

Photos app

Select photos, then Image → Location → Hide Location. When exporting (File → Export), untick Include: Location information. "Export Unmodified Original" always keeps the original metadata, so avoid it for sharing.

Which method removes what

MethodGPSDate & timeDevice & settingsXMP / IPTC
iPhone share Options → Location offRemovedKeptKeptLocation parts removed
Google Photos / Samsung remove locationRemovedKeptKeptVaries
Windows "Remove Properties"RemovedRemovedRemovedSometimes kept
Mac Preview "Remove Location Info"RemovedKeptKeptKept
Screenshot of the photoNoneScreenshot timeScreenshot deviceNone (lower quality)
ExifProbe remover (Everything)RemovedRemovedRemovedRemoved, verified

What about taking a screenshot?

A screenshot is a new image made from what's on screen, so it has none of the original photo's metadata. It does get its own: the screenshot's date, and on some phones the device model. It also loses resolution and can pick up status-bar clutter. Fine in a pinch, but a lossless remover keeps the full-quality photo.

Before sending, check whether the app you are sharing to strips metadata anyway: which apps keep and which remove it.

Questions people ask

How do I remove location from a photo on iPhone?

For a single share, tap Share, then "Options" at the top of the share sheet and switch Location off. To remove it from the photo in your library, open the photo, swipe up, tap Adjust next to the map and choose No Location. To stop recording it, go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera → Never.

How do I remove metadata from a photo on Android?

In Google Photos, open the photo, swipe up, tap the edit pencil next to the location and choose Remove location. Samsung Gallery offers a "Remove location data" switch on the share screen. To stop recording location, turn off "Location tags" or "Save location" in your camera app settings.

Does "Remove Properties and Personal Information" on Windows remove everything?

It removes most EXIF fields, but it can leave some XMP and it depends on what Windows understands for that file type. Re-check the file afterwards, or use a tool that verifies the result.

Do these built-in methods remove the date and camera model?

Mostly not. iPhone and Android options target location only. The date, device model and camera settings stay. To remove everything, use a full metadata remover.