Privacy Tools

Metadata Remover

Strip hidden metadata from images, PDFs, and documents before sharing. GPS coordinates, device info, author names, and timestamps — removed instantly in your browser. Your file never leaves your device.

Upload a file to clean its metadata

Processed entirely in your browser · nothing uploaded to servers

JPEG PNG PDF DOCX MP4 +more

Drag and drop your file here

Or click to browse. JPG, PNG, WEBP, HEIC, PDF, DOCX, XLSX, MP4, MOV — up to 50 MB

Your file never leaves your device — processing is 100% local

Scored using our published, open-source methodology. View methodology

What metadata reveals about you

GPS location

Photos taken on smartphones embed your exact GPS coordinates — precise to within 3 metres. Sharing a photo shares exactly where you were when you took it.

e.g. 51.5074° N, 0.1278° W

Device identity

Camera model, phone model, lens serial number, and device serial number are stored in EXIF. This permanently links your file to a specific physical device.

e.g. iPhone 15 Pro · F2NXXQ3K

Creation timestamp

The exact date and time a file was created, modified, and last opened — sometimes to the millisecond. Can establish an alibi or timeline in legal contexts.

e.g. 2024-07-14 14:32:07 UTC

Author information

Word documents, PDFs, and spreadsheets store the author's full name, organisation, email, and revision history with each editor's name and edit time.

e.g. Author: Alice Johnson · ACME Corp

Camera settings

Aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length, and white balance. Used by law enforcement to verify photo authenticity and link images to specific camera hardware.

e.g. f/1.8 · 1/240s · ISO 32 · 24mm

Software fingerprint

The application used to create or edit the file, its version number, and sometimes the OS version. Can reveal your software stack and identify pirated software from licensing metadata.

e.g. Photoshop 25.3.1 · macOS 14.4

Supported file formats — metadata removed per format

JPEG / JPG

Photo (most common)

Strips: EXIF, GPS, IPTC, XMP

PNG

Lossless image

Strips: tEXt, zTXt, iTXt chunks

WEBP

Modern web image

Strips: EXIF, XMP chunks

HEIC

Apple photo format

Strips: EXIF, GPS, metadata box

PDF

Document

Strips: Author, dates, XMP, DocInfo

DOCX

Word document

Strips: Author, revision history, comments

XLSX

Spreadsheet

Strips: Author, company, creation date

MP4 / MOV

Video

Strips: GPS, device, creation time

How the metadata remover works — 4 steps, all in your browser

File is read locally

The browser's FileReader API reads your file directly from your device. Nothing is sent to any server — the file stays entirely on your machine.

Metadata is parsed

The JavaScript library reads the binary structure of the file — EXIF headers, PNG chunks, PDF dictionaries — and identifies every metadata field present.

Fields are stripped

Each metadata segment is removed by rewriting the file's binary structure without it. The image pixels or document content are completely unchanged.

Clean file downloaded

The cleaned file is offered as a download using a Blob URL. The original on your device is untouched — you receive a separate clean copy.

Why this matters for your privacy

Photos reveal your home address

A photo taken at home and posted publicly contains GPS coordinates accurate enough to locate your front door. Anyone can extract this with free tools in seconds — no technical skill required.

Documents expose your organisation

Word files and PDFs embed your name, company, and email from Office settings. Sending a proposal to a client reveals your internal username and software versions.

Serial numbers link files to you

Device serial numbers in EXIF data can link multiple photos taken on the same device — even years apart and under different names — creating a permanent trail across all files you share.

Cleaning doesn't change the content

Removing metadata strips only the hidden data in the file's header — the image, text, or video content is pixel-for-pixel identical. The clean file looks and works exactly the same.