A phone with location services on embeds the exact GPS coordinates of where a photo was taken directly into the file, in a block of metadata called EXIF. Share that photo without checking it first, and anyone who looks can find out where you were standing when you took it, not just that a picture exists.
In this article
This guide covers what's actually in a photo's metadata, how to check before you share, and how to strip it on each major operating system.
Key takeaways
- EXIF metadata can include GPS coordinates, the exact timestamp, and the camera or phone model, independent of anything visible in the image itself.
- Windows and macOS both have a built-in way to check and remove some of this, but neither removes everything in one pass.
- Checking a photo with an online tool means uploading it first, which defeats the point if the photo is the thing you're trying to keep private.
- On Linux,
exiftoolis the standard, reliable way to strip metadata, including in bulk across a whole folder.
What EXIF and GPS data actually contain
EXIF, short for Exchangeable Image File Format, is a block of metadata most cameras and phones write into every photo automatically. It typically includes the camera or phone model, the exact date and time the photo was taken, exposure settings, and, if location services were on, the GPS coordinates of where it was taken.
None of this is visible when you look at the image. It travels inside the file itself, which is why photographers, journalists, and security researchers routinely recommend stripping it before publishing a photo anywhere public.
How to check what's embedded in a photo
On Windows, right-click the file, choose Properties, and open the Details tab. GPS coordinates, if present, show up under a GPS section near the bottom. On macOS, open the photo in Preview, go to Tools, then Show Inspector, and check the GPS tab.
Avoid checking with an online EXIF viewer if the whole point is to keep the photo private: those tools need you to upload the file first, which means a third party has already received it before you've decided whether to share it with anyone.
How to remove it on Windows, macOS, and Linux
Windows
Right-click the file, choose Properties, open the Details tab, and click "Remove Properties and Personal Information" at the bottom. You can create a copy with everything removable stripped, or pick specific fields, including GPS latitude, longitude, and altitude.
This built-in method has real limits: it only touches fields visible in the Details tab, so a camera's serial number or software version can survive, and it has to be repeated one file at a time, with no bulk option.
macOS
Open the photo in Preview, go to Tools, then Show Inspector, open the GPS tab, and click Remove Location Info. Save the file afterward for the change to stick.
This removes the GPS tag specifically. Other fields, like the camera model, timestamp, and lens details, are left untouched. For full removal, a dedicated tool is needed.
Linux
exiftool is the standard tool for this. Install it with sudo apt install libimage-exiftool-perl on Debian or Ubuntu, or the equivalent package for your distribution. To strip GPS data only, keeping everything else: exiftool -gps:all= photo.jpg. To remove every writable metadata field: exiftool -all= photo.jpg. Add -overwrite_original to skip the backup copy it creates by default, and -r to run recursively across a whole folder of photos at once.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a screenshot has no metadata. Screenshots usually don't carry GPS data, but a photo re-saved or re-exported from certain apps can still carry over fields from the original.
- Checking metadata with an online tool. The file has to be uploaded to be checked, which defeats the purpose if privacy is the reason you're checking.
- Removing GPS but keeping the timestamp and device model. These narrow down who took a photo and roughly where, even without exact coordinates, if the context around the photo is public.
- Stripping metadata after already sharing the original. Once a file has been posted or sent, removing metadata from a later copy doesn't undo what the first copy exposed.
FAQ
Does every photo have GPS data in it?
Only if location services were enabled on the camera or phone when it was taken. Many cameras don't have GPS at all, and most phones let you turn it off for the camera app specifically.
Does cropping or editing a photo remove its metadata?
Not reliably. Some editing apps strip it automatically, others preserve or even add to it. Check explicitly rather than assuming.
Is metadata removal the same as reducing a photo's file size?
They're related but different. Metadata is usually a small fraction of a photo's total size, so removing it barely changes the file size; it's a privacy step, not a compression step.
The bottom line
GPS and other metadata travel inside a photo file independent of anything visible in the image, and checking it means looking somewhere most people never think to look. Windows and macOS both have a quick built-in check and removal step; Linux has exiftool for the same job with more control.
Image Tools strips EXIF and GPS data from every file automatically as part of processing it, on Windows and Linux, with the original image never leaving your machine to begin with.
