How to View and Remove EXIF Data from Photos (iPhone, Android, PC)

Every photo you take carries hidden information: where it was taken, when, and with what device. Share the file as-is and that data travels with it. Here is how to check what your photos reveal, how to remove EXIF data on every device, and how to strip it from many photos at once — without uploading them anywhere.

What is EXIF data, and what hides in your photos?

EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is metadata your camera writes into each photo: GPS coordinates, date and time, device model, and camera settings like exposure. It's useful for organizing your library — but when you send the original file to a stranger or post it somewhere, the GPS tag can expose your home, workplace or a child's school.

How to check the location data in your photos

On iPhone, open a photo and swipe up (or tap the ⓘ button) — you'll see a map if location is embedded. On Android/Galaxy, open the photo in Gallery and tap Details. On Windows, right-click the file → Properties → Details. On Mac, open it in Preview and press Cmd+I for the inspector. If you see coordinates or a map, the file carries location data.

How to remove EXIF and location data (by device)

On iPhone

When sharing from the Photos app, tap Options at the top of the share sheet and turn off Location — the sent copy is stripped. To remove it from the file itself, tap ⓘ → Adjust → No Location.

On Android / Galaxy

Open the photo in the Gallery app, tap Details (or ⋮ → Details), then Edit and remove the location entry. Some Android versions offer a share option to strip location automatically.

On Windows and Mac

Windows: right-click the photo → Properties → Details → "Remove Properties and Personal Information". Mac: the Photos app can hide location (Image → Location → Hide Location); for single files, exporting without location data works too.

Strip EXIF from many photos at once — online, no upload

Doing this file by file gets old fast. A quicker way: convert the photos with Scrunch. Because conversion re-encodes each image from raw pixels, the output contains no EXIF at all — no GPS, no device model, no timestamp. Drop dozens of photos, pick a format (JPEG or WebP) and quality, convert, done. And since everything runs in your browser, the photos are never uploaded to any server — fitting, for a privacy task.

Prevent it: stop saving location in the first place

iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera → Never. Android/Galaxy: open the Camera app settings and turn off Location tags. From then on, new photos won't carry GPS data at all.

Frequently asked questions

Do KakaoTalk, Instagram or Discord send my location data too?

Most messengers and social networks strip EXIF when you send photos at standard quality — but sending as "original file" can keep it, and policies differ by service. For sensitive photos, remove the data yourself before sending instead of relying on the platform.

Does removing EXIF reduce image quality?

No. EXIF is side information, separate from the pixels — deleting it changes nothing visually. If you strip it via conversion, quality then depends on the format and quality setting you choose.

What about photos I already posted online?

You can't reliably tell whether the platform stripped the data. If a sensitive photo may have gone out with location attached, delete the post and re-upload a cleaned copy.

Do screenshots contain location data?

Screenshots don't embed GPS coordinates. They may still carry basic metadata like creation time, but nothing that reveals where you were — the location risk comes from camera photos.