Is the metadata remover free?
Yes. Removing EXIF, GPS, and other metadata from an image is completely free, with no signup.
Does it upload my image?
No. The cleanup runs locally in your browser, so the image stays on your device and is never uploaded to a server.
What metadata can an image include?
Depending on the file, it may include timestamps, device and camera details, orientation data, and sometimes precise GPS location information.
Does removing metadata change how the image looks?
Usually no. Metadata removal changes the file information around the image rather than the visible picture itself, so the photo looks the same.
Why do this in the browser?
For privacy-focused jobs, browser-based handling is the better default because the file never has to leave your device just to have its metadata removed.
Does the tool prove the metadata is really gone?
You can prove it yourself. Run the cleaned file through the EXIF and GPS viewer on this site and every camera, timestamp, and GPS field comes back empty. The reason is structural, not a filter: the browser canvas holds nothing but pixel values, so re-encoding from it cannot emit metadata it never had.
Does removing metadata make the file smaller?
Usually only slightly. An EXIF block is typically a few kilobytes, and a camera thumbnail embedded inside it can add tens of kilobytes. The far bigger change is the re-encode itself. A JPG exported at 90% quality is often smaller than the camera original, and a PNG export of a JPG photo is usually much larger.
What is actually sent over the network when I use this?
The image never leaves your device. The only request the page makes is a short credit counter call that sends the tool name so free usage can be counted. No pixels, no file name, and no metadata are included in it, and the cleanup itself would still run if that call failed.
Will removing metadata rotate my photo?
It can straighten a photo that was previously displayed sideways. The EXIF Orientation tag tells viewers to rotate the image on display. When the browser draws the photo it applies that rotation, and the cleaned export contains the rotated pixels with no Orientation tag, which means the picture stays upright everywhere from then on.
Do PNG and WebP files carry metadata too?
Yes. PNG can carry eXIf, tEXt, and iTXt chunks holding EXIF, comments, and editing history, and WebP can carry EXIF and XMP chunks. A screenshot saved as PNG often carries the software name, and an image exported from a design app can carry the project or author name. The same re-export removes all of them.
Should I strip metadata from images I put on my own website?
Almost always, yes. It removes camera and location data you did not intend to publish, and it shaves a few kilobytes off every request. The one exception is stock or portfolio work where the embedded IPTC copyright and creator fields are the point, in which case strip only what is sensitive using a metadata editor rather than this tool.