Free EXIF Viewer & Remover

Inspect every piece of metadata hidden in your photos — camera, lens, GPS location, date, copyright — then strip it with one click. 100% private: everything runs in your browser. Your files never leave your device.

  • Files stay on your device
  • Instant — no upload wait
  • Free, no signup
  • JPG · PNG · WebP · HEIC

Drop a photo here

or click to choose a file from your device

Supports JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, TIFF · up to 50 MB

Processing happens entirely in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

How to view and remove EXIF data

  1. Drop or choose a photo. JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC and TIFF all work.
  2. Inspect the metadata. Camera, lens, GPS, exposure, date, copyright — every readable EXIF tag is shown.
  3. Click Remove All Metadata. A clean copy is generated and downloaded — original quality preserved for JPG.

What is EXIF metadata — and why remove it?

EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is information cameras and phones quietly embed inside every photo you take. It's useful for photographers — but it also leaks private details when you share images online.

What's hidden in your photos

  • Exact GPS coordinates of where the photo was taken
  • Camera make, model and serial number
  • Lens, focal length, aperture, ISO, shutter speed
  • Date and time, often down to the second
  • Software used and any edits applied
  • Author, copyright and description fields

Why this matters

  • Posting a photo with GPS can reveal your home address
  • Timestamps can place you at a specific location
  • Camera serials can link multiple anonymous accounts
  • Buyers and clients often expect clean, copyright-free files
  • Stripping metadata reduces file size for faster sharing

Why use an EXIF data viewer online?

Understanding the information stored inside your photos can dramatically improve your photography and protect your privacy. An online EXIF viewer lets you read this hidden metadata in seconds — no software install, no account required.

1

Camera settings analysis

Examine the exact aperture (f-stop), shutter speed, ISO and focal length used for any shot. Reverse-engineer photos you admire and learn how the look was achieved — then apply those settings to your own work.

2

Time and location tracking

EXIF stores the precise date, time and GPS coordinates a photo was taken. Travel photographers can rebuild itineraries from a folder of files; journalists can verify where and when an image was captured. Our viewer plots GPS data on a map link for instant context.

3

Image verification & authenticity

EXIF carries fingerprints — software used, edit history, original capture time — that help establish whether a photo is genuine. This matters for legal evidence, journalism, insurance claims and forensic investigations where image integrity is critical.

4

Lens and camera identification

Quickly see the exact camera body and lens used. Useful when comparing gear before a purchase, troubleshooting a quirk, or cataloguing a large library of photos shot with multiple bodies and lenses.

Meaning of common photo EXIF values

When you open a photo in our EXIF viewer you'll see dozens of fields. Here's what the most important camera settings actually mean — and how each one shapes the final image.

1. Aperture (F-Number)

Aperture refers to the opening inside a camera lens that controls how much light reaches the sensor. It's written as an f-stop or f-number (for example, f/2.8 or f/5.6) and stored in EXIF as FNumber.

  • A low f-stop (e.g. f/1.8, f/2.8) means a wide aperture — more light enters the camera, producing a shallow depth of field with a blurred background. Ideal for portraits.
  • A high f-stop (e.g. f/11, f/16) means a narrow aperture — less light, with most of the scene in sharp focus. Ideal for landscapes and architecture.

2. Shutter Speed (Exposure Time)

Shutter speed is how long the camera's sensor is exposed to light, stored as ExposureTime (e.g. 1/200 sec). It controls both brightness and how motion is rendered.

  • A fast shutter speed (e.g. 1/1000 sec) freezes fast-moving subjects — sports, wildlife, action.
  • A slow shutter speed (e.g. 1/30 sec, 2 sec) lets in more light and creates artistic motion blur or light trails. Usually requires a tripod.

3. ISO Speed

ISO measures how sensitive the camera sensor is to light, stored as ISOSpeedRatings. Raising ISO brightens the image but also adds digital noise.

  • A low ISO (e.g. ISO 100, 200) is best for bright daylight — clean, noise-free images.
  • A high ISO (e.g. ISO 1600, 6400) is for low light, but introduces grain. Modern cameras handle high ISO much better than older ones.

4. White Balance

White balance tells the camera what "white" should look like under the current lighting. EXIF stores this as WhiteBalance (Auto or Manual).

  • Auto white balance works well in mixed conditions — the camera estimates color temperature for you.
  • Custom / manual white balance lets you lock in accurate colors under tricky lighting like tungsten, fluorescent or mixed studio sources.

5. Exposure Compensation

Exposure compensation (ExposureBiasValue in EXIF) adjusts the camera's automatic exposure up or down without changing other settings — measured in EV stops.

  • Positive EV (e.g. +1.0) brightens the image — useful for back-lit subjects or snowy scenes the camera underexposes.
  • Negative EV (e.g. −0.7) darkens the image — useful for protecting highlights in bright scenes or moody silhouettes.

6. Focal Length

Focal length (FocalLength) is the distance from the lens to the sensor when focused at infinity, measured in millimetres. It determines the angle of view and how much the lens "zooms" the scene.

  • Short focal length (e.g. 14–35 mm) is wide-angle — lots of scene, exaggerated perspective. Great for landscapes and interiors.
  • Long focal length (e.g. 85–200+ mm) is telephoto — narrow view, compressed perspective, blurred background. Great for portraits and wildlife.
  • EXIF often also stores FocalLengthIn35mmFilm, the equivalent on a full-frame sensor for easy comparison across cameras.

7. Metering Mode

Metering mode (MeteringMode) tells the camera how to measure light when calculating exposure.

  • Pattern / Matrix / Evaluative: averages the whole frame — a good default for most scenes.
  • Center-weighted: prioritises the middle of the frame. Useful for portraits.
  • Spot: measures only a small point. Useful for high-contrast scenes where you want one specific area exposed correctly.

8. GPS Coordinates

EXIF can store the exact latitude (GPSLatitude) and longitude (GPSLongitude) where a photo was taken, plus GPSAltitude, GPSDateStamp and the satellite reference (GPSMapDatum, usually WGS-84).

  • Useful for geotagging travel libraries, mapping a hike, or proving location for editorial work.
  • Risky if you share photos publicly — coordinates can reveal your home, school, or a child's exact location. Use the Remove All Metadata or Remove GPS only option above before posting online.

9. Orientation

Orientation (Orientation) is a flag set by the camera's accelerometer telling viewers which way is up. It's why phone photos display correctly even when the file itself is rotated 90°.

  • Stripping EXIF removes orientation data — apps that respect EXIF orientation may then display the photo "sideways" until it's physically rotated and re-saved.

10. Color Space

ColorSpace indicates the gamut of colors a camera recorded — commonly sRGB (web-safe, default) or Adobe RGB (wider gamut for print).

  • For web sharing, sRGB is the safest choice — colors look the same across all browsers.
  • For high-end print work, Adobe RGB preserves more vibrant greens and blues.

A note on trusting EXIF data

EXIF metadata is editable. GPS coordinates can be imprecise, timestamps can be wrong if the camera clock wasn't set, and anyone with basic tools can rewrite fields — including the Edit Metadata feature on this very page. For legal, forensic or journalistic purposes always corroborate EXIF with the original RAW file, the camera's own logs, or independent evidence.

Frequently asked questions

Is this EXIF tool really free?

Yes — completely free, no signup, no watermarks. Use it as often as you like.

Are my photos uploaded to a server?

No. The entire tool runs as JavaScript in your browser. Reading metadata, previewing the image and stripping EXIF all happen locally on your device — same privacy approach as the FilesDesk desktop app.

Which formats are supported?

You can view EXIF in JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC and TIFF. You can remove EXIF from JPG, PNG and WebP. HEIC removal is best done by first converting to JPG.

Will removing EXIF reduce image quality?

For JPG, no — we strip the metadata segments without re-encoding the pixels. For PNG and WebP, the image is re-saved at maximum quality.

Does this remove GPS location?

Yes. Remove All Metadata deletes every EXIF, GPS, IPTC and XMP block the file contains.

Can I rename photos using EXIF data instead of just removing it?

Yes — that's exactly what the full FilesDesk app for Mac and Windows does. It batch-renames files using EXIF date taken, camera, GPS and AI-generated descriptions, both offline with local AI and online with managed cloud.

Can I clean metadata from many photos at once?

This free tool handles one image at a time. For batch metadata cleaning across folders, the FilesDesk desktop app processes hundreds of files in a single click.

Need to clean and rename photos in bulk?

FilesDesk strips and edits EXIF across whole folders, renames photos by date taken, camera or AI-generated content, and works offline or online on Mac & Windows.

Try FilesDesk free