ScreenVault

ScreenVault / Remove EXIF

Remove EXIF data

See exactly what a photo or screenshot says about you (GPS location, device, time, software) and save a clean copy. Everything runs on your device.

What gets removed

MetadataTypical contentRisk
EXIF GPSLatitude, longitude, altitude of the captureReveals home or office address
EXIF cameraMake, model, lens, body serial numberLinks images to one device
EXIF datesTaken, digitized, modified, time zoneShows when and where in the world
XMP / IPTCAuthor, editing history, software, captionsNames, internal project titles
PNG text chunksSoftware, comments, creation time, sometimes AI-generation promptsTools and workflow details
ICC colour profileDisplay P3, sRGB and similarNone: kept by default so colours stay right

Lossless versus re-encoded

A JPEG is a series of segments; metadata lives in “APP” segments before the image data. PNG is a series of chunks. This tool copies every segment or chunk except the metadata ones, so the compressed pixels are byte-for-byte identical and there is no quality loss. WebP, GIF and other formats are re-drawn on a canvas and saved again, which removes metadata but re-compresses the image. After cleaning, the output is read back and checked.

Questions

What is EXIF data?

EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is metadata a camera or phone writes inside a JPEG, HEIC, WebP or PNG: device make and model, capture time, exposure settings, sometimes the GPS coordinates where the photo was taken, and the editing software used.

Do screenshots contain EXIF data?

Usually far less than photos, but not none. macOS writes a “Screenshot” user comment and pixel density, iOS saves creation date and software in EXIF/XMP, and editors add their own tags. Location is not normally added to screenshots, but a photo you screenshot from a gallery app loses nothing by being checked.

Is it safe to remove EXIF data here?

Yes. Files are read and rewritten in your browser; nothing is uploaded. JPEG and PNG are cleaned losslessly by removing metadata blocks without touching the pixels. Other formats are re-encoded, which also drops all metadata.

Will removing EXIF rotate my photo?

Phones often store pictures sideways and rely on an Orientation tag. When a JPEG has a non-default orientation, this tool re-draws it upright before saving, so it still displays the right way up without the tag.

Do social networks strip EXIF anyway?

Most large platforms (Facebook, Instagram, X) strip location from public images, but email attachments, chat apps sending “original quality”, cloud share links and many forums and CMSs keep the file as-is. Clean it yourself when it matters.

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