Last updated: 12 November 2026

Free tool: runs in your browser

Photo metadata removerSee and remove EXIF and GPS location

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes. See what your photo gives away and download a cleaned copy.

The photo stays on your device. Your browser reads it and builds the cleaned copy.

Check a photo and remove its metadata

Choose JPEG, PNG or WebP photos. You see what each one carries, then you can download a cleaned copy.

The photo stays on your device. Your browser reads it, shows what it carries and makes the cleaned copy.

Keep the rotation setting, so the photo still shows the right way up Keep the colour profile, so colours look the same

Drop photos here or choose filesJPEG, PNG and WebP. Up to 20 photos at a time, 100 MB each.

Cleaning removes embedded metadata (EXIF, XMP, IPTC, text comments, thumbnails and Content Credentials) without re-compressing the picture, so the image data is unchanged. It does not remove anything in the picture itself, such as a visible watermark, a signature or a recognisable place. A cleaned copy is a different file from the original and has a different SHA-256 fingerprint. HEIC and other formats are not supported.

How do you remove EXIF data from a photo? The short answer

EXIF is information a camera or phone stores inside a photo file: when it was taken, which device took it and often a GPS location. Other blocks, such as XMP and IPTC, can hold captions, names and edit history. You can remove all of it by saving a copy of the file without those blocks, which this tool does in your browser without re-compressing the picture.

Removing metadata only changes what the file carries. It does not make the picture anonymous if a face, a watermark or a recognisable place is visible, and the cleaned copy no longer matches any record made of the original.

How it works

Choose your photos. The tool reads each file on your device and lists what it found: location, camera, dates, names, serial numbers, XMP, IPTC, thumbnails, comments and Content Credentials.
Pick your options. By default the rotation setting and the colour profile are kept, so the picture looks the same.
Download the cleaned copy. It is saved with -clean added to the name. The original file is not touched.
Compare the fingerprints. The tool shows the SHA-256 fingerprint of both files. They differ because they are different files.

What each kind of metadata can reveal

This is general information. Which fields exist depends on the device and the app that saved the file.

Common photo metadata and what to do about it
Metadata	What it can reveal	Worth removing before sharing?
GPS location	Where the photo was taken, often to within a few metres. For a photo taken at home, that can be your address.	Yes, for almost any photo you send to someone you do not know well.
Camera or phone model, serial number	Which device took it. A serial number can link photos to one camera.	Often, if you want photos to stay unlinked.
Date and time taken	When the picture was taken, according to the device clock, which anyone can set wrongly or edit.	It depends. It is a clue, not proof of when the photo was made.
Artist, owner and copyright text	A name or credit someone typed into the camera or an editing app.	Only if you do not want the name to travel with the file.
XMP and IPTC	Captions, keywords, ratings and edit history from apps such as Lightroom or Photoshop.	Often, if you do not want your editing history to travel with the file.
Content Credentials (C2PA)	A signed history of how a file was made or edited, if the tool that made it adds one.	Cleaning removes it. Keep the original if you may need the history.

Keep a dated record of the original first

A cleaned copy is a good file to share, but it is not the file you took. If a date for your photo might matter later, record the original before you clean and share anything:

Keep the original photo exactly as it came off your camera or phone.
Make a TimeBind of the original. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the photo stays on your device.
Share the cleaned copy. Keep the original and the Proof of Time Certificate together.

A TimeBind shows that the exact original existed no later than the recorded time and still matches. It does not show who took the photo or who owns it, and it does not show whether AI was used.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

What a TimeBind shows, and what it does not. It shows that an exact file existed no later than a recorded time and that a copy shown later still matches its fingerprint. It does not show who made the file, who owns it, that its contents are true, or whether AI was used to make or edit it. This is general information, not legal advice.

Photo metadata remover: FAQ

How do I remove EXIF data and location from a photo?

Choose the photo above. The tool shows what it carries, including any GPS location, camera details and dates, then makes a cleaned copy you can download. The original is not changed. It works with JPEG, PNG and WebP photos.

Does the photo leave my device?

The photo stays on your device. Your browser reads it, finds the metadata and builds the cleaned copy locally. The page loads from timebinder.io like any web page, but the photos you choose are not sent anywhere by this tool.

Does removing metadata lower the picture quality?

No. The tool does not re-compress the picture. It copies the image data exactly and leaves out the metadata blocks, so a cleaned JPEG shows the same pixels as the original. The file is usually a little smaller.

What metadata can a photo carry?

Typically the camera or phone model, the date and time it was taken, the software used, and sometimes a GPS location, the camera owner or artist name and serial numbers. Editing apps can add XMP and IPTC blocks with captions, keywords and edit history. Some files also carry a small preview thumbnail or a Content Credentials manifest.

Will my photo turn sideways after cleaning?

Not by default. Many phones store the rotation in the EXIF data instead of turning the pixels. The tool keeps that single rotation setting unless you untick the option, so the photo still shows the right way up. The colour profile is also kept by default so colours look the same.

Does cleaning remove Content Credentials (C2PA)?

Yes. A Content Credentials manifest is stored inside the file as metadata, so a cleaned copy no longer carries it. Keep the original if you may need that history. To look for a manifest first, use the Content Credentials checker.

Do social networks and messaging apps remove location data for me?

Some do when you upload, but not all, and what they do can change. Sending the original file by email, a file-transfer link, a forum or some marketplaces can pass the location on. If you want to be sure, share a cleaned copy.

Does this work for HEIC photos from an iPhone?

Not at the moment. The tool reads JPEG, PNG and WebP. On an iPhone you can set the camera to Most Compatible to save JPEGs, or export a photo as a JPEG before cleaning it.

Does removing metadata hide who made the photo, or prove anything?

No. Cleaning removes data stored inside the file. It does not remove a visible watermark or signature, and it does not show who made the picture or when. A cleaned copy is a different file with a different SHA-256 fingerprint, so it does not match records made of the original.

How do I keep a dated record of the original before I share the cleaned copy?

Make a TimeBind of the original file first. Your browser makes the fingerprint and the file stays on your device. The TimeBind shows that the exact original existed no later than the recorded time and still matches. Then share the cleaned copy. Your first Pooled TimeBind is free with no card, then from US$5.

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Date the original before you share a copy

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

Open TimeBinder →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.

Related glossary entry: metadata stripping.