freexifdata
Educational Resources

Photo Metadata & Privacy Guides

Learn how digital image metadata works, understand the privacy implications of smartphone geotags, and discover how to inspect and scrub sensitive tags.

Reference17 tags documented

The complete EXIF tag reference

Every EXIF, IPTC and XMP tag with its hexadecimal tag ID, where it is stored, what a real value looks like, and a privacy risk rating from None to Critical. Independently verifiable, and free to cite.

Open the tag referenceStart with GPS coordinatesCamera serial numbers

Core Photography & Privacy Knowledge Hub

Whether you are a photographer managing asset metadata or a privacy-conscious user sharing pictures online, understanding how image headers function helps protect your identity and streamline your workflow.

Hardware & Exposure

EXIF Fundamentals: What Your Photos Reveal

Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) embeds technical capture parameters directly into JPEG, HEIC, PNG, and TIFF headers. Beyond camera make and lens specifications, raw EXIF can record exact timestamps, shutter cycles, serial numbers, and software edit history.

  • Captures technical settings: shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and focal length
  • Stores unique equipment identifiers, firmware versions, and timestamps
  • Processed 100% locally in your browser with zero image uploads
Inspect Photo EXIFRead EXIF Guide
Location & Personal Safety

Geolocation Risks: Protecting Your Real-World Location

Smartphones and GPS-enabled cameras automatically embed latitude, longitude, and elevation tags. If shared without sanitization, these coordinates pinpoint private residences, workplaces, and daily routines down to a few meters.

  • GPS tags expose exact physical coordinates and altitude in standard decimal degrees
  • Desktop email and direct messaging apps frequently retain location tags
  • Strip coordinates before sharing to maintain privacy without altering image quality
Check GPS CoordinatesRead GPS Privacy Guide
Standards & Specifications

EXIF vs XMP vs IPTC: Understanding Metadata Standards

Different metadata standards serve distinct purposes: EXIF records camera hardware settings; IPTC embeds newsroom journalism and copyright information; XMP provides extensible XML data for modern editing tools; and ICC profiles govern color reproduction.

  • EXIF: Camera exposure, device details, and capture timestamps
  • IPTC & XMP: Creator copyright, licensing terms, keywords, and edit history
  • ICC Profiles: Color space gamut definitions (e.g., sRGB, Display P3) needed for accurate display
Strip All MetadataCompare Metadata Standards

Direct Tools & In-Depth Guides

15 guides
#EXIF#Privacy#Social Media#Metadata
7 min read•

Does Facebook Remove EXIF Data?

Does Facebook Remove EXIF Data? Yes for feed, album and group photos, but file uploads and Marketplace listings can still leak the original metadata.

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#EXIF#Privacy#Social Media#Metadata
7 min read•

Does Instagram Strip EXIF Data?

Does Instagram Strip EXIF Data? Yes for feed posts, carousels and Stories, but not always for document uploads. See what is removed and what survives.

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#EXIF#GPS#Privacy#Security
8 min read•

Remove GPS from Photos Before Selling

How to remove GPS from photos before selling a car, bike or rented room: a practical checklist that stops your listing photos from leaking your home address.

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#EXIF#Metadata#Privacy#Tools
8 min read•

Camera Serial Number Privacy in EXIF

Camera serial number EXIF privacy explained: which tags hold your body and lens serials, what they can identify, and how to strip them before you share a photo.

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#EXIF#Metadata#Privacy#Tools
8 min read•

freexifdata vs ExifTool: Which Is Better?

Compare freexifdata vs ExifTool: a zero-install browser EXIF viewer against Phil Harvey's command-line gold standard, feature by feature, honestly assessed.

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#EXIF#HEIC#Metadata#Privacy
7 min read•

HEIC EXIF Viewer: Read HEIC Metadata

A HEIC EXIF viewer lets you view HEIC metadata without uploading your photos: where the EXIF lives in ISOBMFF boxes and why HEVC decoding is needed.

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#EXIF#Metadata#JPEG#Technical
9 min read•

JPEG Metadata Explained: Every Segment

JPEG metadata explained: what each segment from SOI to EOI contains, where EXIF, XMP, IPTC and ICC actually live, and how to produce a genuinely clean file.

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#EXIF#RAW#Metadata#Privacy
7 min read•

RAW EXIF Viewer: CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG

A RAW EXIF viewer reveals camera, GPS and MakerNote data inside CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, DNG and RAF files, plus why browsers cannot decode RAW pixels.

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#EXIF#Metadata#Android#How-To
6 min read•

How to View EXIF Data on Android

How to View EXIF Data on Android using Google Photos, Files by Google, Samsung Gallery, or a private browser-based EXIF viewer that needs no install.

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#EXIF#Metadata#iPhone#How-To
6 min read•

How to View EXIF Data on an iPhone

How to View EXIF Data on an iPhone using the Photos share sheet, AirDrop to a Mac, or a private browser-based viewer that reads tags on-device.

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#EXIF#Metadata#macOS#How-To
6 min read•

How to View EXIF Data on macOS

How to View EXIF Data on macOS using Preview, Finder, the Photos app, Spotlight metadata via mdls, or a private browser-based viewer with no install.

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#EXIF#Metadata#Windows#How-To
6 min read•

How to View EXIF Data on Windows

How to View EXIF Data on Windows using File Explorer, PowerShell, ExifTool, or a private browser-based viewer that reveals every embedded tag.

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#Metadata#EXIF#XMP#IPTC#ICC#Photography
8 min read•

EXIF vs XMP vs IPTC: Metadata Guide

A comprehensive breakdown of digital image metadata standards: EXIF, Adobe XMP, IPTC journalistic tags, and ICC color profiles explained.

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#GPS#Privacy#iPhone#Android#Tutorial
6 min read•

How to Remove GPS Geotags From Photos

Step-by-step guide to finding and removing GPS location coordinates from photos across iPhone, Android, Mac, Windows, and free in-browser privacy tools.

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#EXIF#Metadata#Privacy#Photography#Security
7 min read•

What is EXIF Data? Photo Privacy Guide

Learn what EXIF data is, what information your camera and smartphone embed in every photo, the hidden privacy risks, and how to safely inspect and remove it.

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