Every photo your phone or camera takes carries a hidden layer of information along with the picture itself. Most of it is harmless. Some of it, like where the photo was taken, is something you may not want to hand out. It’s worth knowing what’s in there.
What EXIF data is
EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format. It’s metadata, meaning data about the photo, stored inside the file. Typical contents include:
- The date and time the photo was taken
- The camera or phone model
- Exposure settings such as shutter speed, aperture and ISO
- The orientation of the image
- GPS coordinates, if location was turned on when you took the picture
Why it can be useful
Photographers use it to review settings and learn what worked. Photo apps use the date to sort your library. The orientation tag is what tells software to display a portrait photo upright, and it’s behind the common problem where a picture appears sideways after being processed.
Why it can be a privacy problem
Location data is the main concern. If you photograph your home, your child’s school or anywhere you’d rather keep private, and then share the original file, the coordinates may go along with it. Many big social networks remove this information when you post, or don’t show it publicly, but this isn’t guaranteed everywhere. Sending photos as email attachments, through some messaging options, or uploading them to a personal website, forum or marketplace listing may keep the data intact. If you sell things online or publish photos on a site you control, it’s good practice to check.
How to see it
- Windows: right-click the file, choose Properties, then the Details tab.
- Mac: open the photo in Preview and choose Tools > Show Inspector, then look at the tabs for more information and GPS.
- iPhone: open the photo and swipe up, or tap the info button, to see date and location.
How to remove it
- Windows: in the same Details tab, click “Remove Properties and Personal Information” and follow the options.
- Mac: in Preview’s inspector, the GPS tab has a button to remove location info.
- iPhone: when sharing a photo, tap Options at the top of the share sheet and turn off Location before sending.
- Prevent it from the start: turn off location tagging for your camera app in your phone’s settings.
Does resizing remove it?
That depends on the tool. Some resizers and compressors discard metadata as they re-encode the image, while others keep it. Don’t assume. After resizing, check the properties of the output file as shown above. If privacy matters, confirm that the data is actually gone before sharing.
A side benefit: smaller files
Metadata adds a bit to file size, usually only a few kilobytes, but it can be more with embedded thumbnails or color profiles. Removing it is a small part of general optimization. See our website image optimization checklist and how to reduce image file size.
Sideways photo problem
If your picture shows up rotated after you strip metadata, the orientation tag may be what’s missing. The fix is to rotate the image properly and save it, so it’s upright in the pixel data itself.
When you resize a photo for sharing with our online image resizer, take a second to check the output file’s details if location privacy matters to you.