Most photos from a phone or camera carry an EXIF block: a set of tags embedded in the file alongside the pixels. It is useful for photographers and invisible to casual viewers, which is exactly why it is worth understanding.
What is stored
- Camera and lens — make, model, lens, serial number in some cases
- Exposure — aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length, flash
- Timestamp — the exact date and time the shot was taken
- GPS — latitude and longitude, if location tagging was on
- Software — the app or editor that last saved the file
You can inspect all of it with the EXIF Viewer, which parses the file in your browser.
Why it matters
The GPS tag is the sensitive one: a photo taken at home can pin your address. The timestamp and camera serial can also link separate photos to the same person or device. Many social platforms strip EXIF on upload, but files shared directly — by email, chat, or a download link — usually keep it.
Removing it
The Remove Image Metadata tool redraws the image through a canvas, which produces a new file with no EXIF, no GPS and no colour profile — just the picture.
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