What metadata gets stripped?

EXIF (camera model, settings, timestamp), GPS coordinates, IPTC (copyright, captions), XMP (editing history), comments, embedded thumbnails, and the color profile, once its colors are converted to sRGB.

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.

Does removing metadata reduce file size?

It depends on the file more than the metadata. The tool re-saves the image, so a high-quality JPEG or WebP usually shrinks, while a PNG can come out larger. The result shows both sizes.

Will the cleaned image look different?

It can differ slightly. JPEG and WebP are re-saved at quality 80, which is lossy. An 8-bit PNG stays lossless; a 16-bit PNG drops to 8 bits per channel. Colors from an embedded color profile are converted to sRGB.

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, PNG, and WebP, plus GIF, TIFF, and AVIF, each returned in the same format. SVG comes back as a PNG, and an animated GIF or WebP keeps only its first frame. HEIC and BMP are not supported.

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. Browsers and image viewers do not need metadata to show an image. The rotation tag and the color profile do change how a photo looks, so the tool applies both to the pixels before removing them.

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?

Save for Web re-saves the image and lets you choose the quality and which metadata to keep. This tool removes all of it and re-saves at fixed settings, JPEG and WebP at quality 80.

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 Image Metadata Cleaner

Click to upload image

JPG, PNG, WebP up to 20MB

Strip EXIF, GPS, IPTC, and XMP from a JPEG, PNG, or WebP image. Upload, clean, download. No file retention. Free, no signup.

4.6on G2

4.7on Trustpilot

How to use the Image Metadata Cleaner

A real screenshot of the tool before a file is chosen.

1
Choose a file
Upload a JPG, PNG or WebP up to 20 MB, then click Clean Metadata. Nothing is kept on a server longer than the request needs.
2
Check the preview
The photo shows in the box so you can check it is the right file.
3
Download the clean file
The result names the format and size it saved and lists what was removed. A JPEG or WebP goes through one more lossy save, which is why this 98 KB photo came back at 49 KB.

What the Metadata Cleaner does

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

This tool strips EXIF (GPS included), IPTC, XMP, comments, and the color profile, then re-saves the image in its own format. JPEG and WebP are re-saved at quality 80, and TIFF and AVIF are also saved lossily, so there can be a small quality loss. An 8-bit PNG stays lossless, while a 16-bit PNG or TIFF comes back at 8 bits per channel. A rotated phone photo is turned upright first. 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 and re-saves the image in its own format.

Check the result

See the file size before and after, and a summary of what the tool removes.

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 a photo before posting it publicly. Phone photos can 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

Some platforms strip metadata when you upload, but not all do. Strip it yourself so you are not relying on each platform.

Archive cleanup before public release

Strip private details from photos before an archive goes public. This tool cleans one image at a time; for a whole folder, use exiftool.

Platform-specific setup guides

How to prevent metadata leaks at the source.

iPhone / iOS

The Camera saves your location in photos while Location Services is on for it. To stop it: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera > Never.
For a photo you already took: open it in Photos, tap More, tap Adjust Info, tap Adjust Location, then tap No Location.
When sharing, tap Options in the Share Sheet and turn off Location.

Android

Many Android camera apps can save your location. To stop it: Camera app > Settings > Save location: off (the wording varies by phone).
For existing photos, share via this tool then download cleaned version.
Or use a privacy app like Scrambled Exif (F-Droid).

WordPress

Use a plugin that strips metadata on upload, or clean each file before you upload it.
For one-off uploads, run files through this tool first.
To check, download the published image and open it in an EXIF viewer. Response headers do not show EXIF.

Photoshop

File > Export > Export As, then set Metadata to None before exporting.
Save for Web (Legacy) has its own Metadata menu; set it to None as well.
Not sure what an export kept? Run the file through this tool before you publish.

Lightroom

Export dialog > Metadata section > set Include to "Copyright Only" and tick "Remove Location Info".
Avoid "All Metadata" unless you need full traceability.
To remove the copyright notice as well, run the export through this tool.

Grigora vs. exiftool

Side-by-side feature comparison.

Capability	Grigora	exiftool
Price	Free, unlimited	Free, open source
Removes EXIF, GPS, IPTC, and XMP	Yes	Yes, with -all=
Where the file is processed	Grigora server, not stored	Your own computer
Re-encodes the image	Yes, in the same format	No
Turns rotated photos upright	Yes	No
Formats	JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, TIFF, AVIF	A wide variety, including HEIC and camera RAW
Batch cleaning	One image at a time	Whole folders in one command
Install or signup	Neither	Install required

Common errors and how to fix them

Eight issues users hit when stripping image metadata.

HEIC photo fails to clean

Cause: The tool cannot read HEIC, the format an iPhone uses when its camera is set to High Efficiency.

Fix: Export the photo as a JPEG first. For new photos, Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible saves JPEG.

Cleaned file is larger than the original

Cause: The tool re-saves the image. A PNG, or a JPEG first saved below quality 80, can come out bigger.

Fix: Expected for some files. If size matters, run the result through the Image Compressor or the Image to WebP Converter.

Upload fails on large file

Cause: Files over 20 MB, and images over about 268 million pixels, are refused.

Fix: Resize or compress the image first, then clean it.

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: Run the file through this tool: it turns the pixels upright and removes the rotation tag, so every viewer shows it the same way.

Animated GIF or WebP stopped moving

Cause: The tool keeps only the first frame of an animation.

Fix: Use exiftool for animated files: it edits the metadata without re-encoding the image.

Frequently asked questions

Twelve answers about image metadata privacy.

Related free tools

Other utilities that pair with the Metadata Cleaner.

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