# EXIF Viewer — See Photo Metadata, GPS & AI Tags (and Remove Them)

> View a photo's EXIF metadata — camera, settings, GPS location, software, and AI tags — and download a clean copy with all metadata removed. Runs locally.

Source: https://toolpantry.app/exif-viewer

## About

Camera, settings, GPS location, software, AI tags — see what's inside the file, then download a clean copy with it all removed.

## Quick answer

How do I view and remove EXIF metadata from a photo? Add the photo to see its camera, GPS, and AI tags — then press "Download clean copy" to save a version with all metadata stripped. Everything runs locally; the photo is never uploaded.

## What's inside a photo file

- **EXIF** — camera make and model, exposure settings, orientation, date/time, and GPS coordinates if location was on
- **XMP / IPTC** — editor data, keywords, copyright, and increasingly **AI-source labels** (like IPTC's trainedAlgorithmicMedia)
- **Content Credentials (C2PA)** — a signed provenance manifest some cameras and AI tools attach
- **PNG text chunks** — AI generators often write prompts and settings here (Stable Diffusion's "parameters" is famous)

## Why GPS is the one that matters

A photo of your home with GPS attached tells anyone exactly where you live — street address precision. Most social platforms strip metadata on upload, but email attachments, cloud links, Discord, and direct file shares keep it. The habit that always works: clean the copy before you share it anywhere sensitive. If you're checking whether an image was AI-generated, the [AI image checker](https://toolpantry.app/ai-image-checker.html) focuses on exactly those signals.

## What "clean copy" does

Re-encoding through the canvas rebuilds the image from pixels only — every metadata segment is dropped: EXIF, GPS, XMP, IPTC, PNG text, and C2PA. That's a feature here, but it's worth knowing: the AI-source label goes too. If you need the evidence that an image is AI-generated, keep the original file.

## Common questions answered by the data

Wondering why a photo looks sideways in some apps? That's the Orientation tag — this viewer shows it. Curious what lens took a photo, or when it was actually shot (not when it was copied)? The LensModel and DateTimeOriginal fields tell you. Need to shrink the cleaned file for email or a portal? Run it through the [1 MB compressor](https://toolpantry.app/compress-image-to-1mb.html) afterward.

## Notes

Removing metadata works by re-encoding the image once through the canvas — visually identical at 92% quality, and it strips EXIF, GPS, XMP, and AI tags in one pass. Keep the original if you need it for editing.

## FAQ

**What is EXIF metadata in a photo?**

EXIF is data your camera or phone writes into the file: camera model, exposure settings, date, and — if location was on — GPS coordinates. Editors and AI tools add their own tags on top, including AI-source labels.

**How do I remove metadata from a photo?**

Load the photo here and press Download clean copy. The tool re-encodes the image through the canvas, which strips EXIF, GPS, XMP, and AI tags in one pass — the metadata never leaves your browser.

**Does removing metadata reduce quality?**

The image is recompressed once at high quality (92% JPEG). Visually it's identical, but it is one re-encode — keep the original if you need it for editing later.

**Does social media remove EXIF automatically?**

Most platforms strip metadata on upload, but not all, and not always — direct file shares, email attachments, and cloud links keep everything. If the photo has GPS in it, clean it before sharing.