Compared · checked 2026-10-24

The best free EXIF removers

A photo can carry where it was taken, the camera's serial number and the date. These free tools show that data and strip it before you share the picture. Here is what each one does, from its own pages.

We make Metadata Remover, one of the tools on this page. Every fact about the other tools comes from their own pages, linked under each one, as they read on 2026-10-24. Prices and features change: check each site before you choose.

How we compared them

• Free to use, with no account
• Where the photo goes: stays on your device, or is uploaded
• Which formats it cleans (JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, video, PDF)
• Whether you can see and choose what is removed
• Whether the picture keeps its quality

At a glance

1. Metadata Remover (ours)

Best for: Seeing exactly what a photo gives away and removing chosen parts in the browser, without re-encoding the picture.

Good

• Lists GPS, dates, camera, serial numbers, software, author and more in plain words, then removes the categories you tick
• Removal is byte-level: the picture data is never decoded or re-encoded, so quality is unchanged
• Nothing to install, and the photos are read on your device
• Several photos at once, downloaded as one ZIP
• Works on your phone, tablet and computer in the browser, even offline

Not so good

• No HEIC, HEIF, AVIF or RAW files, and no video or PDF
• Still marked as being built
• No command line for scripts

Open Metadata Remover

2. ExifTool

Best for: Power users who want full control over metadata in almost any file type, from the command line.

Good

• Reads and writes EXIF, GPS, IPTC, XMP, ICC, maker notes and more
• Deletes metadata individually, in groups or altogether
• Writes HEIC, MOV and MP4 metadata, not only pictures
• Drag and drop files and folders onto the Windows .exe

Not so good

• A command-line program: the many options take learning
• For PDF its own table notes that old metadata is never actually deleted
• By default it keeps a copy named _original next to each file it changes

ExifTool website · Sources: ExifTool home page

3. ExifCleaner

Best for: A simple desktop app to drop a folder of photos, videos or PDFs and strip them all.

Good

• Drag files or folders onto the window and metadata is stripped
• Shows a before-and-after list of what was removed
• Options to keep orientation and to save copies
• Open source, with no network access or telemetry

Not so good

• Has to be downloaded and installed
• Its page does not say whether you can pick single fields to keep

ExifCleaner website · Sources: ExifCleaner home page

4. ImageOptim

Best for: Mac users who want smaller images for the web, with the metadata scrubbed in the same step.

Good

• Removes EXIF data such as GPS position and camera serial number
• Also compresses images, without losing quality by default
• Works from the Dock, the Finder Services menu and the command line

Not so good

• Mac only
• Built for compression: it changes the file, and lossy mode can lower quality
• Its page mentions an option to keep the metadata, but not choosing single fields

ImageOptim website · Sources: ImageOptim for Mac

5. Verexif

Best for: A quick look at one public picture's EXIF data, with its GPS position on a map.

Good

• Nothing to install
• Shows the GPS position on a map when there is one
• Can read a picture from a public URL
• Says it does not store a copy of the image

Not so good

• The picture is uploaded to the site
• Image size limit of 20 MB
• Its page does not list the formats it can clean

Verexif website · Sources: Verexif

Which one to choose

Metadata Remover is our pick for cleaning photos before you post them: it runs in the browser, shows in plain words what each picture gives away, removes the parts you choose without touching the pixels, and nothing is uploaded. It installs from the browser and works offline. It cannot clean HEIC, RAW, video or PDF.

Choose ExifTool for HEIC, video or scripted batches, if you are happy on the command line: it is the most complete tool here. Choose ExifCleaner for the same job in a simple desktop window, ImageOptim on a Mac if you also want smaller files, or Verexif for a quick look, though it means uploading the picture.

Questions

Does removing EXIF data lower the photo quality?

Not with Metadata Remover: it removes the metadata blocks and leaves the picture data as it is. Tools that also compress, such as ImageOptim, rewrite the image, and their lossy settings can change it.

Can I remove only the GPS location and keep the date?

Yes in Metadata Remover (untick the categories you want to keep) and in ExifTool (delete single tags or groups). ExifCleaner and ImageOptim pages do not describe choosing single fields.

Do these tools upload my photos?

Metadata Remover reads them in your browser. ExifTool, ExifCleaner and ImageOptim are programs on your computer. Verexif asks you to upload the picture, and says it does not store a copy.

What about iPhone HEIC photos?

Metadata Remover does not clean HEIC yet. ExifTool writes HEIC metadata. Or export the photo as JPEG first and clean that.

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