Photo metadata guides
Step-by-step answers to the questions people actually have about the data hidden in their photos. Each guide gives the exact menu path on phones and computers, the ExifTool command when a built-in app falls short, and the traps that catch people out (rotated photos after a strip, dates that shift by an hour, copyright fields that one app reads and another ignores).
For a single field, the metadata glossary explains every common EXIF, IPTC and XMP tag. For format quirks, see image file formats.
Understand image metadata
What is actually stored inside a photo, which standard stores what, and where provenance data fits.
What is metadata? A plain definition, then a real photo
Metadata is data about data. The three classic types, then a real JPEG read with ExifTool: camera, exposure, date taken, GPS and copyright tags.
What is EXIF data, and what does a photo's EXIF contain?
EXIF is the metadata cameras and phones write into each photo. Its history and versions, its TIFF-based layout, a real dump, and how to view or remove it.
EXIF vs IPTC vs XMP: what each standard holds and when they clash
EXIF records how a photo was taken, IPTC what it shows and who owns it, XMP holds both in XML. Field mapping table, conflict rules and what to write.
C2PA and Content Credentials: how signed image provenance works
C2PA attaches a signed provenance record to an image. What a manifest holds, where JPEG, PNG and WebP store it, how to inspect it, and what removing it does.
Does social media remove metadata from your photos?
What Facebook, Instagram, X, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Discord, iMessage, email and cloud storage do to EXIF and GPS, and how to test any platform yourself.
View photo metadata
Built-in viewers on phones and computers, what each one hides, and how to read GPS coordinates.
How to view photo metadata on iPhone, and what Photos hides
Swipe up on a photo in the iPhone Photos app to see camera, lens, exposure and map. What that panel leaves out, and how Shortcuts and Files show the rest.
How to view photo metadata on Android phones
Swipe up in Google Photos or open Details in Samsung Gallery to see camera, exposure and location data. Why some apps show no GPS, and what sharing removes.
How to view photo metadata on Windows and Mac
File Explorer, Preview, Photos, mdls, sips and ExifTool compared: which shows GPS, lens, IPTC and XMP, and what Windows writes when you edit a field.
How to find where a photo was taken from its metadata
Read a photo's GPS tags, convert degrees, minutes and seconds to decimal, and open it on a map. Plus camera direction, accuracy and why GPS goes missing.
Edit and remove metadata
Change dates, add copyright, strip GPS or wipe everything before you share a file.
How to remove metadata from photos, and what each method misses
Strip EXIF, GPS, IPTC and XMP from photos online, on Windows, Mac, iPhone or Android, or with ExifTool, and learn what each method leaves behind.
How to remove location from photos and stop geotagging
Turn off geotagging on iPhone and Android, remove GPS from existing photos on phone, Windows or Mac, and clear XMP GPS and IPTC city fields with ExifTool.
How to edit photo metadata online, on desktop and with ExifTool
Edit photo metadata online, in Windows, Lightroom, Bridge or digiKam, or with tested ExifTool commands, and avoid the IPTC length and encoding traps.
How to add copyright to photos and license metadata
Add copyright, creator, credit and license URLs to photo metadata, see how IPTC, EXIF and XMP map, and which fields Google Images reads for Licensable.
How to change date taken on photos, in apps and in the file
Fix the date taken on iPhone, Google Photos, Windows and macOS, or rewrite DateTimeOriginal with ExifTool: exact dates, time zone shifts and whole folders.