Information stored alongside the picture
EXIF stands for Exchangeable image file format. Its tags describe how an image was captured and how software should interpret it. A photo can contain the camera model, lens, exposure settings, capture time, orientation, and GPS coordinates.
A field being defined by the standard does not mean every photo contains it. The camera, permissions, file format, editing software, and export settings all affect the final file. CIPA lists Exif 3.1 as its current standard, published in January 2026.
Common EXIF fields
| Group | Examples | What they can tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Camera and lens | Make, Model, LensModel | The equipment used |
| Time | DateTimeOriginal, OffsetTimeOriginal | When the capture happened, and sometimes its time zone |
| Location | GPSLatitude, GPSLongitude, GPSAltitude | Where the camera was, if location was recorded |
| Capture settings | ExposureTime, FNumber, ISO | How the picture was exposed |
| Image structure | Orientation, ExifImageWidth, ExifImageHeight | How to display or interpret the image |
| Description and rights | Artist, Copyright, ImageDescription | Text supplied by a person or application |
Sources: ExifTool: EXIF tag reference; ExifTool: GPS tag reference
EXIF is one kind of metadata
A JPEG can also contain XMP, IPTC, comments, a color profile, and embedded previews. Removing only the EXIF block can leave other information behind. A photo-library app may also keep information in its own database that is not written into the image.
File-system dates and filenames are separate again. Downloading a clean copy can create a new local creation date. That does not mean the original capture date survived inside the file.
Sources: Adobe: XMP specifications; IPTC: Photo Metadata Standard 2025.1
Remove metadata from a copy
This tool decodes a supported photo and creates a new PNG from the displayed pixels. It applies orientation and leaves out source metadata blocks, including EXIF, XMP, and IPTC. The output is checked to contain only the PNG image header, image data, and end marker.
Keep your original for your own archive. The new PNG may be larger, and browser conversion to sRGB can change wide-gamut or HDR colors. Visible faces, text, and locations in the picture remain.
Make a clean copy
Remove source metadata from supported photos and videos in your browser.
Choose filesRelated guides
By EXIF Remover. Reviewed . Device menus and export behavior can change with software updates.