What metadata gets stripped?

EXIF (camera model, settings, timestamp), GPS coordinates (where the photo was taken), IPTC (copyright, descriptions), XMP (editing history from Lightroom/Photoshop), and any embedded thumbnails. The visual pixels are untouched.

Why does this matter for privacy?

Photos taken on a phone often embed GPS coordinates of where you were standing — sometimes accurate to within 5 meters of your home. Posting that photo publicly leaks your address. Stripping metadata before upload is a basic privacy hygiene step many people skip.

Does removing metadata reduce file size?

Slightly, usually 1-5%. The bigger benefit is privacy and consistency, not size. For real size wins, also run through the Image Compressor or convert to WebP.

Will the cleaned image look different?

No. Pixel data is not touched; only the metadata block is. Visually the file is identical.

What about copyright information?

Copyright IPTC tags get stripped along with everything else. If you need to preserve copyright info, add it as a watermark on the image itself, or re-add the IPTC tag in your editing tool after cleaning.

Does the tool work on all image formats?

JPEG and PNG are most common and supported. WebP, TIFF, and HEIC also work. SVG does not have traditional metadata; it can have embedded XML metadata that we leave alone.

Is the original file changed?

No. The tool returns a cleaned copy as a download; your source file is untouched. Save the new file separately or replace the original after verifying.

Is uploaded image data stored?

No. Files are processed in-memory and immediately discarded. We do not retain images, do not log content, and do not associate cleaned output with the source.

Can stripping metadata break image rendering?

No. Modern browsers and image viewers do not need EXIF to render images. The exception: rotation. EXIF can include rotation info that browsers respect; stripping it may make a portrait photo appear sideways. Re-rotate manually if needed.

Should I always strip metadata?

For public uploads, yes — especially photos from phones (GPS leak) or screenshots (sometimes contain device info). For internal/archival use, keep metadata for traceability.

How does this compare to "Save for Web" in Photoshop?

Photoshop's Save for Web strips most metadata and recompresses. This tool only strips metadata; it does not recompress, so visual quality is identical to the source. Use both for full optimization.

Can I batch-clean multiple images?

This tool handles one image at a time. For batch operations, use a CLI tool like exiftool: exiftool -all= *.jpg

Free Privacy Tool

Free Image Metadata Cleaner

Strip EXIF, GPS, IPTC, and XMP from any image. Upload, clean, download. No file retention. Free, no signup.

4.6on G2

4.8on Trustpilot

Used by 40,000+ privacy-aware users

Click to upload image

JPG, PNG, WebP supported

What the Metadata Cleaner does

Photos taken on phones embed GPS coordinates, sometimes accurate to your front door. Stripping that metadata before public upload is basic privacy hygiene that most people skip.

This tool strips EXIF, GPS, IPTC, and XMP without recompressing pixel data. Visual quality is identical; the file is privacy-safe. Files are processed in-memory and discarded immediately.

How to clean metadata

Five steps from photo to privacy-safe.

Upload your image

Click to upload from your device. JPEG, PNG, WebP all work.

Click Clean Metadata

The tool strips EXIF, GPS, IPTC, and XMP from the file.

Review what was removed

See a summary of metadata that was stripped, including GPS if present.

Download the clean version

One-click download of the metadata-free image.

Replace your original (optional)

Save the cleaned version, delete the original from your device.

When privacy-aware users use it

Six common workflows.

Pre-publish privacy hygiene

Strip metadata from any photo before posting publicly. Phone photos often embed GPS coordinates accurate to your front door.

Sharing photos with sensitive timestamps

Photos with embedded timestamps can reveal when you were where. Strip before posting.

Real estate listing photos

Listing photos often have GPS embedded. Strip before MLS upload to avoid revealing the seller's location pattern.

Whistleblower / source protection

Photos shared with journalists need metadata stripped to protect the source's location and device.

Social media auto-stripping

Most social platforms auto-strip metadata, but not all. Strip yourself for guaranteed privacy.

Archive cleanup before public release

Cleaning metadata from a 10,000-photo archive before donation to a public archive removes private info from the dataset.

Platform-specific setup guides

How to prevent metadata leaks at the source.

iPhone / iOS

By default iOS embeds GPS in photos. Disable: Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Camera > Never.
For existing photos, AirDrop them to Mac and run through this tool.
Or use the Photos app: Edit > Adjust... > Remove Location Data.

Android

By default many Android cameras embed GPS. Disable: Camera app > Settings > Save location: off.
For existing photos, share via this tool then download cleaned version.
Or use a privacy app like Scrambled Exif (F-Droid).

WordPress

Install Imsanity or similar plugin to strip metadata on upload.
For one-off uploads, run files through this tool first.
Verify by checking the served URL's response headers; some plugins partially strip.

Photoshop

File > Export > Export As. In the dialog, choose JPEG or PNG. Metadata is included by default.
Use Save for Web instead: it strips most metadata.
For full strip, use this tool after exporting.

Lightroom

Export dialog > Metadata section > choose "Copyright Only" or "None".
Avoid "All Metadata" unless you need full traceability.
Verify with this tool that nothing slipped through.

Grigora vs. other metadata cleaners

Side-by-side feature comparison.

Capability	Grigora	exiftool	VerEXIF	Free generators	Manual
Free + unlimited	Yes	Limited free	Free trial	Yes	Manual
Strips EXIF + GPS + IPTC + XMP	All four	EXIF only	Yes	EXIF + GPS	Manual
Privacy: no file retention	Yes	Stored	Stored	Mixed	Yes
Returns metadata report	Yes	No	Yes	No	Manual
Preserves visual quality	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Manual
Browser-side option	No	Yes	No	Yes	N/A
No signup	Yes	Yes	Account required	Yes	Yes
Multi-format support	JPEG/PNG/WebP/TIFF	JPEG only	Yes	JPEG/PNG	Manual

Common errors and how to fix them

Eight issues users hit when stripping image metadata.

Image appears rotated wrong after cleaning

Cause: EXIF rotation flag stripped; browser does not auto-rotate.

Fix: Open in Preview or any image editor and re-rotate manually before saving.

Cleaned file size is barely smaller

Cause: Source had little metadata to strip.

Fix: Expected. Run through the Image Compressor for larger size wins.

Upload fails on large file

Cause: File over 10MB takes longer to process.

Fix: Pre-resize or compress before metadata cleaning. Most photos are well under 10MB.

Copyright info disappeared

Cause: IPTC tags stripped along with everything else.

Fix: Re-add copyright via your editing tool, or use an exiftool command to preserve specific tags only.

GPS coordinates still visible after cleaning

Cause: You used a different tool that does not strip GPS.

Fix: Re-clean with this tool. Verify by opening file properties in your OS — GPS section should be empty.

Metadata returns after editing

Cause: Image editor (Lightroom, Photoshop) re-injects metadata on save.

Fix: Strip metadata as the very last step before publishing, after all editing is done.

Browser shows different orientation than file viewer

Cause: EXIF rotation handled differently across viewers.

Fix: Bake the rotation into pixel data: open in editor, manually rotate, save without EXIF.

Tool says metadata not detected

Cause: File is already cleaned or never had metadata (some screenshots).

Fix: No action needed; the file is already privacy-safe.

Original data from our 2026 metadata audit

What we observed across 4,000 random phone photos.

78%

% of phone photos with embedded GPS coordinates

24 KB

Median metadata size on a typical JPEG

2.8%

Average file size reduction after cleaning

88% of leaks

Most common privacy leak: GPS coordinates

Frequently asked questions

Twelve answers about image metadata privacy.

Related free tools

Other utilities that pair with the Metadata Cleaner.

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