Metadata Stripping

Metadata stripping is removing the hidden information stored inside a photo file, such as the GPS location, the camera's serial number and the editing history, before the photo is shared.

Remove EXIF, location and all other metadata from up to 50 photos — nothing uploaded.

Also used in: EXIF Viewer

Why it matters

A photo can say more than its picture: where it was taken, when, on which camera, sometimes the owner's name. Some social networks remove location data when you upload, but email attachments, cloud links, portfolio sites, marketplaces and messaging apps that send files as documents can keep everything.

Stripping it yourself before sharing is the only way to be sure, and it's especially important for photos taken at home, of children, or of clients at private locations.

Example

A photographer sends a family's gallery as a download link. Before uploading, she strips the metadata from all 50 photos so the family's home address isn't embedded in every file they forward to relatives.

Her own copyright notice she adds back in her editing software, so only the information she chooses travels with the photos.

Turn the photo into a post

Upload a photo and CAPTD writes the caption, hashtags and alt text for it — free to try, no signup.

Want the full lesson?

This topic is covered in depth in Lesson 10: Building a Habit of Shooting Regularly.