The principle: strip a copy, keep the original

Metadata is useful at home — it powers “photos from 2019” searches and camera settings you’ll want later. The goal is not to delete it everywhere; it’s to make sure it doesn’t leave with the file. Every method below produces a clean copy; the original stays untouched.

Right here, in the browser

Drop the file into the viewer, read what’s inside, then hit Remove all metadata & download. The image is re-encoded to fresh pixels — every segment (EXIF, GPS, XMP, IPTC, thumbnails, comments) is gone, and the tool re-scans the output to prove it. Works on any OS, no install, and the file never leaves your device.

Windows (no install needed)

1. Right-click the photo → Properties → Details tab.
2. Click Remove Properties and Personal Information at the bottom.
3. Choose Create a copy with all possible properties removed → OK.

This clears EXIF, GPS, author and copyright fields. What it misses: it can’t reach inside Photoshop APP13/IPTC blocks or XMP packets on some file types — verify the copy in the viewer if the file came from an editor.

macOS

• Preview can remove location only: open the photo → Tools → Show Inspector → ⓘ → GPS → Remove Location Info. Other EXIF fields have no GUI removal.
• For a full strip, export the photo: File → Export, or re-save via File → Duplicate → Save — or use the command line below.

iPhone & iPad

• Per share: share sheet → tap Options at the top → turn Location (and “All Photos Data”) off. This strips location and metadata for that share only — the stored original keeps everything.
• Permanently for new shots: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera → Never.
• Shortcuts: a “Remove metadata from image” shortcut (Media actions → Get Images → Strip Image Metadata) can batch-clean existing photos in the library.

Android

• Google Photos: share a photo → the share sheet offers Remove location data before sending (the toggle appears when location is present).
• Gallery apps (Samsung, Pixel): photo → ⋮ → Details → Edit/Remove location.
• Camera setting: Camera → ⚙ Settings → disable Location tags / Save location for future shots.
• Third-party “EXIF eraser” apps exist — prefer ones that work fully offline; a metadata stripper that uploads your photos defeats the point.

Command line — ExifTool (the thorough option)

exiftool -all= -overwrite_original photo.jpg        # remove everything, in place
exiftool -all= -o clean.jpg photo.jpg               # remove everything, write a copy
exiftool -gps:all= photo.jpg                        # remove only GPS fields
exiftool -all= -r ./share-folder/                   # batch a folder

-all= wipes every metadata group — EXIF, XMP, IPTC, MakerNote, thumbnails — without re-encoding, so there’s zero quality loss. Verify afterward with exiftool -a -u -g1 photo.jpg or drop the file into the viewer.

The platforms that strip for you — and the ones that don’t

Channel	Metadata on upload/share
Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn	Stripped on re-encode (platform may still keep it internally)
WhatsApp / Signal (as photo)	Stripped by re-compression
WhatsApp / Signal (as document/file)	Preserved — sent untouched
iMessage, email attachments, cloud-drive links	Preserved
Forums, classifieds, some dating apps	Varies — many preserve originals

The asymmetry matters: the platforms that strip do it silently, so you can’t tell which are protecting you. When in doubt, send a stripped copy — it works on every platform, including the ones that would have cleaned it anyway.

Frequently asked questions

Does re-saving a photo in an editor remove EXIF?

Usually, but not always — some editors preserve metadata through export, and several keep an embedded thumbnail generated *before* your last edit. The only reliable check is inspecting the saved file afterward, which is exactly what the viewer on this site does.

Is there a way to remove metadata without re-encoding the image?

Yes — tools like ExifTool rewrite the file's metadata blocks in place without touching the pixels, so there's zero quality loss. The browser stripper on this site re-encodes instead (canvas has no metadata-preserving write path), which costs one lossy generation for JPEG but works everywhere with no install.

Do WhatsApp, iMessage or Signal strip EXIF automatically?

WhatsApp and Signal strip metadata when they compress and re-encode images — but sending a photo 'as a document' in WhatsApp or 'as a file' in Signal skips that path and preserves everything. iMessage keeps metadata on originals. Rule of thumb: if the file isn't re-compressed, assume its metadata survived.

Can I turn off geotagging so I never have to strip it?

Yes — iPhone: Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera → Never. Android: Camera app → Settings → turn off 'Location tags' or 'Save location'. This only affects new shots; older files keep whatever was already written.