Strip hidden data from your photos before sharing

Almost every photo you take carries hidden information baked into the file itself. This is called EXIF metadata, and it can include the exact GPS coordinates where the picture was taken, the date and time down to the second, and the make and model of the device. When you share the original file, you often share all of that too. The good news is that removing it is quick once you know where to look.

What is hidden inside a photo

EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a small block of data your camera writes into the photo file. It commonly contains:

• Location: the GPS coordinates where the photo was taken, sometimes accurate to a few metres.
• Timestamp: the exact date and time.
• Device details: camera or phone make and model, lens, and camera settings.
• Thumbnails and identifiers: a small preview image and, on some devices, a unique serial number.

None of this is visible in the picture, but anyone with the file can read it using free tools. Location is usually the most sensitive field, because a set of holiday or home photos can quietly map out where you live, work, and spend your time.

A useful thing to know first

Many large platforms strip most metadata automatically when you upload. As of July 2026, Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and X remove EXIF data server-side when a photo is posted or sent through their apps. That protects you on those services, but it does not help when you send the original file directly by email, AirDrop, a messaging app that preserves files, or a cloud link. For those cases, strip the data yourself before sending.

iPhone (iOS)

Remove location when sharing a single photo or a few photos:

1. Open the photo in the Photos app and tap the Share button.
2. At the very top of the share sheet, tap Options.
3. Turn off Location, then tap Done and share as normal.

This creates a shared copy without GPS data and leaves your original untouched. Note that it removes location but not every other field, and you must set it each time.

Stop recording location in future photos: go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera and choose Never.

Strip metadata in bulk with Shortcuts: the built-in Shortcuts app can remove all metadata from many photos at once. Create a shortcut that takes photos as input, adds the Convert Image action, and turns off Preserve Metadata. Running it produces clean copies you can save or share. Search Apple’s Shortcuts documentation for the current action names, as they occasionally change between iOS versions.

Android

Steps vary a little by manufacturer, but the pattern is consistent.

Google Photos (remove location):

1. Open the photo, tap the three-dot menu (or swipe up to see details).
2. Tap Remove location (sometimes under an Edit location option).

Be aware that Google Photos does not strip other EXIF fields, and it keeps the original metadata on its own servers. This step controls what is shown and what is included in some exports, not what Google has already processed.

Android share sheet (Android 13 and newer): when you tap Share on a photo, look for a Remove location data toggle near the top of the share sheet before you pick where to send it. Turning it on strips GPS from the shared copy. As of July 2026 this covers location only, not all metadata.

Files by Google: open the file, tap the three-dot menu, and use Remove location if it appears. For complete removal of all fields, a dedicated open-source app such as Scrambled Exif (share a photo to it and it returns a stripped copy) is a reliable option.

Windows

Windows has a built-in tool that needs no extra software:

1. In File Explorer, right-click the photo and choose Properties.
2. Open the Details tab.
3. At the bottom, click Remove Properties and Personal Information.
4. Choose Create a copy with all possible properties removed to keep your original intact, then click OK.

This is convenient, but be aware of its limits. As of July 2026 the built-in tool does not remove every trace: it can leave XMP and IPTC data blocks, embedded thumbnail EXIF, and manufacturer “MakerNotes” behind. For sensitive photos, a dedicated tool (see below) is more thorough.

macOS

Preview (remove location on JPEG or PNG):

1. Open the photo in Preview.
2. Choose Tools > Show Inspector (or press Command-I).
3. Click the information tab (the lowercase i), then the GPS tab.
4. Click Remove Location Information at the bottom.

Preview rewrites the file straight away. It only removes GPS, not the camera model, timestamp, or MakerNotes, and it does not handle HEIC, RAW, or TIFF through this menu.

ExifTool (remove everything, any platform): for complete control, the free command-line tool ExifTool by Phil Harvey works on Windows, macOS, and Linux. After installing it, this command wipes all metadata from a photo:

exiftool -all= photo.jpg

It creates a backup of the original by default. To clean a whole folder at once, point it at the folder instead of a single file. ExifTool is the most thorough option because it understands the full range of metadata formats.

Verify it worked

After stripping, confirm the data is gone. On Windows, check the Details tab again. On macOS, reopen the Inspector. On any platform, ExifTool with exiftool photo.jpg lists whatever remains. A clean file should show little or no location, device, or timestamp data.

For the bigger picture on protecting your images and the services around them, see the photos hub.