EXIFClean - Photo Privacy Protection
Most phone photos carry a hidden label called EXIF. It records when the picture was taken, which camera or phone took it, the lens and exposure settings and, very often, the exact GPS position. When you send the original file to someone or post it on a site that keeps metadata, that location can travel with it.
EXIFClean lets you look inside a photo before you share it. Open an image to see its date, camera details and coordinates, and if it contains a location, remove it and download a clean copy. The rest of the picture is left untouched: the image data is copied byte for byte, so there is no re-compression and no loss of quality.
Everything happens inside your browser. The photo is not uploaded anywhere, and no account is needed.
The app runs entirely in your browser. What you enter is saved only on this device.
How to use EXIFClean
- Choose a photo. Tap Select Image, then Choose from Gallery. Pick a photo from your device. On a phone you can also choose Take Photo, which opens the camera through the browser.
- Read the metadata. The photo appears at the top with its EXIF information below: date taken, location (latitude and longitude) if present, camera make and model and other stored tags.
- Remove the location. Tap Remove GPS Data in the GPS Information section, or the delete icon next to the location. The location row disappears and the button changes to No GPS data.
- Save. Tap Save at the top right. Your browser downloads the cleaned file, named exifclean_ followed by a number. If you didn't remove anything, you get an identical copy.
- Check recent edits. Back on the home screen, Recent Edits lists what you saved with the time and whether the GPS was removed. Tap an entry to open the cleaned image and confirm the location is gone.
Features
- Shows EXIF date, camera, lens and other tags stored in a photo
- Displays GPS coordinates when a photo contains them
- Removes the GPS location from JPEG photos without re-compressing the image
- Also removes the XMP metadata block, which can repeat location data
- Downloads the cleaned copy to your device
- Recent edits list kept in this browser
- Photos never leave your device
What EXIF data reveals and when to remove it
What is inside EXIF
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a standard set of tags written by cameras and phones into JPEG files and some other formats. Typical tags include the date and time the photo was taken, the device make and model, lens, focal length, exposure time, aperture, ISO and orientation. If location services were enabled for the camera, a separate GPS section stores latitude, longitude and often altitude and direction.
Phone GPS is accurate to a few metres, so coordinates from a photo taken at home can point straight to your front door.
Where location can leak
Many large social networks strip location data from images they publish, but not every service does. Original files sent by email, through file-sharing links, in some chat apps' file or document mode, on marketplaces and forums, or uploaded to a personal website usually keep everything. Selling an item online with a photo taken at home, or sharing pictures of your children, are common ways people reveal more than they meant to.
If you are not sure how a site handles uploads, removing the location before sharing is the safe default.
What removing GPS does and doesn't do
Removing the GPS section deletes the coordinates, but the date, time and device details remain, which is usually what you want for your own records. It also doesn't change what is visible in the picture. Street signs, house numbers, landmarks, reflections and the view from a window can identify a location just as well, so take a look at the image itself too.
To avoid the problem at the source, you can turn off location tagging in your phone's camera settings and turn it on only when you want it.
Formats
JPEG is by far the most common format for photos with EXIF. Some phones save HEIC/HEIF by default; most browsers convert these to JPEG when you pick them for a website, but if you get an error, export the photo as JPEG first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The file is read and processed by the page in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
Where are my recent edits stored?
Only in this browser on this device, together with a copy of each saved image so you can reopen it. There is no account. Clearing site data, using a private window or switching browsers removes them. The downloaded files stay in your downloads folder.
Does it reduce image quality?
No. Only metadata bytes are cleared; the compressed picture data is copied unchanged.
Which formats can have the location removed?
JPEG. Other formats can be opened to view their data, but removing GPS will show an error for them.
Can I edit the date or camera details?
No. This version shows those fields and removes the location only.
What is different from the phone app?
The iPhone and Android apps save the result to your photo library and show ads that a subscription removes. On the web the cleaned file is downloaded instead, and there are no ads or purchases.
Limitations of the web version
- GPS removal works for JPEG files only
- One photo at a time; there is no batch mode
- Date, camera and copyright fields can be viewed but not edited
- Cleaned images are downloaded rather than saved to a photo library
Phone app
EXIFClean is also available as an app for phones and tablets: