How to remove location and camera metadata from photos
Create a clean copy before sharing a photo that may contain EXIF, GPS, device, date, or author data.
Quick answer
Photos can contain hidden location, device, capture time, author, and editing fields. Creating a decoded and re-encoded copy removes common metadata while preserving visible pixels.
Step by step
Inspect the file, note any sensitive fields, create a clean local copy, download it with a new name, and inspect that copy again. Share the clean copy rather than replacing your original archive.
Common mistakes
Removing metadata does not hide information visible inside the image, such as faces, addresses, reflections, or a screenshot status bar. Some cloud services may retain the original separately.
Completion check
Verify that GPS, device, author, and capture-time fields are absent, then visually inspect the clean image and confirm it opens correctly before sharing.