What is stored
EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format, a standard published by the Japanese industry bodies JEITA and CIPA. Cameras and phones write a block of details into each photo alongside the pixels. Most phone and camera photos are JPEG or HEIC, which carry the full set; screenshots and many PNG files carry little or none, and WebP files can store EXIF too. Typical fields are the camera make and model, the date and time of capture, the orientation, exposure settings such as shutter speed and aperture, and GPS coordinates when location was switched on.
New to this? Start with the step-by-step guide to viewing and removing EXIF data.
Why it matters
Most of it is harmless and useful: photo apps sort pictures by date and rotate them correctly because of EXIF. The location data is the sensitive part. A picture taken at home and posted without removing GPS can show where you live, so it is worth checking a file before you share it.
Seeing and removing it
Our EXIF Viewer lists the metadata in a JPEG and gives you a cleaned copy with it removed, all inside your browser. Many phones also let you turn off location tagging for the camera, which stops GPS data being recorded at all. See how to view and remove EXIF data for the steps.
Common misunderstanding
People assume websites always strip metadata on upload. Some do and some do not, and the behaviour can change, so it is safer to remove sensitive metadata yourself than to rely on that.