How to remove metadata from photos

Last reviewed: August 2026 · by Ferran Sarrió

Removing metadata from a photo means stripping the embedded EXIF, GPS, IPTC and XMP fields, while leaving the visible image itself unchanged.

1. Check what metadata is present first

Before removing anything, it helps to know what a photo actually contains. Our metadata viewer shows the detected fields and a plain-language summary, so you can confirm, for example, whether GPS coordinates are actually embedded before assuming they are.

2. Remove the metadata

Use a metadata remover to strip the detected fields and produce a clean copy. Our remover shows a before/after field count and lists which categories were actually removed, rather than a generic "done" message.

3. Verify the result if it matters to you

For sensitive use cases, re-check the cleaned file with a metadata viewer to confirm the fields you cared about (e.g. GPS) are gone. Different tools support different formats to different degrees, so verification is a reasonable habit rather than blind trust.

What metadata removal does NOT do

Removing metadata does not anonymize the image itself. Faces, visible text, landmarks, reflections and other identifying details in the actual picture remain exactly as they were — metadata removal only affects the embedded data, not the pixels.

A note on screenshots

Taking a screenshot of a photo instead of removing its metadata is not a reliable substitute: screenshot behavior varies by device and app, some platforms still embed metadata into screenshots, and you also lose image quality. If your goal is specifically to strip metadata, use a metadata remover rather than relying on a screenshot as a workaround.