Remove EXIF data and from photos
Check what a photo gives away before you send it: where it was taken, when, and with which phone. Then save a copy with all of it removed. Lossless for JPEG and PNG, and nothing leaves your device.
What hides inside a photo file
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| GPS latitude and longitude | Accurate to a few metres on phones. A photo taken at home reveals your address. |
| Date and time taken, time zone | Shows your routine and when a place is empty. |
| Camera make, model, serial number | Can link photos posted under different accounts to the same device. |
| Software and editing history (XMP) | Can show the original was edited, and sometimes keeps a preview of the uncropped image. |
| Embedded thumbnail | Some editors update the main image but not the thumbnail, so a crop is not a crop. |
How the cleaning works
A JPEG is a sequence of labelled blocks. The EXIF, XMP, IPTC and comment blocks sit before the image data. BlurShot reads the file in your browser, copies every block except those, and keeps the colour profile so the photo looks the same. PNG works the same way with its text, eXIf and time chunks. Because the image data is not re-compressed, quality does not change.
Photos you edit in the blur tool get this for free: downloads are drawn from pixels only, so no metadata is ever written.
Removing metadata does not remove what is visible. A street sign, a view from a window or a number plate can locate a photo as well as GPS can.
Questions people ask
What is EXIF data?
EXIF is a block of metadata that cameras and phones write into JPEG (and some PNG, HEIC and WebP) files: camera make and model, lens, exposure, the date and time taken, often GPS coordinates, and sometimes the camera's serial number.
How do I remove the location from a photo?
Drop the photo above and press Remove metadata. BlurShot deletes the EXIF, XMP, IPTC and comment blocks, which is where GPS coordinates live, and gives you a clean copy. The original on your device is not changed.
Does removing EXIF reduce quality?
Not for JPEG and PNG. BlurShot cuts out the metadata blocks and leaves the compressed image data byte-for-byte identical. Other formats are re-saved as a high-quality JPEG.
Do social networks strip EXIF anyway?
Most large platforms remove GPS from public images, but email attachments, messaging apps that send "original quality" files, cloud-drive links, forums and many websites pass the file through untouched.
How do I stop my phone adding GPS in the first place?
On iPhone: Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, Camera, set to Never. When sharing, tap Options and switch off Location. On Android: open the Camera app settings and turn off location tags (the name varies by maker).