How can I remove metadata from images?

You can remove metadata from an image using built-in tools or free image editors, depending on your device. Metadata usually includes details like the camera model, date and time the photo was taken, GPS location (if enabled), and other technical information. If you're sharing images publicly, removing this information can help protect your privacy.

On Windows, the easiest method is:

• Right-click the image and select Properties.
• Open the Details tab.
• Click Remove Properties and Personal Information.
• Choose Create a copy with all possible properties removed or manually select the properties you want to remove.
• Save the new copy.

Image metadata (usually EXIF data) can include GPS location, device model, timestamps, and camera settings. If you want to remove it before sharing photos, there are a few practical options:

1. Built-in OS tools (quick method)
   On Windows, right-click the image → Properties → Details → Remove Properties and Personal Information.
   This creates a copy with most metadata removed.
2. Dedicated tools (more thorough)
   A popular free option is ExifTool, which can also batch-process images:

exiftool -all= *.jpg

This removes metadata from all JPG files in a folder.

• Image editing software
  Some editors allow you to control metadata during export. For example, HitPaw FotorPea lets you choose whether to retain or remove EXIF data when exporting enhanced images, which can be useful if you’re already processing photos.

If you need batch processing, tools like ExifTool are usually the most efficient.

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Removing metadata from images can definitely help with privacy, but there are a few downsides you might want to keep in mind:

1. Loss of Useful Information: Metadata can include useful details about your images, like when and where they were taken, camera settings, and even GPS coordinates. If you're a photographer or you like to keep track of where your photos were shot, losing that info might be a bummer.

2. Context Loss: If you share images without metadata, people looking at those pictures might miss out on the story behind them. Imagine sharing a beautiful vacation shot with friends, and they have no idea where it was taken or what you were up to. The magic can kinda fade!

3. Editing Inconvenience: If you're into editing your photos, metadata can help keep track of different versions and edits. When you strip it away, it might get tricky to manage what changes you've made over time.

4. Trust Issues in Certain Contexts: Sometimes, especially in professional settings, metadata can help establish the authenticity of an image. If you're submitting photos for a contest or a professional portfolio, the absence of metadata could raise some eyebrows.

5. Batch Processing Limitations: To remove metadata from images. If you're handling a large number of images, the batch processing limit (100 images at a time) might slow you down, especially if you’ve got a huge library to clean up.

If you want to use the command line to really cleanly and quickly remove metadata from images, the most classic method is to use exiftool.
This tool is very powerful and can handle almost all image formats, and it can be batch operated at a very fast speed!

✅ Detailed steps are here:

1. Install exiftool
2. Windows users can use choco install exiftool (provided that Chocolatey is installed)
3. Mac users can directly use brew install exiftool (if you have Homebrew)
4. Basic command: clear metadata of a single image
   Open the command line and switch to the directory where the image is located, for example:

bash
cd D:\Pictures

Then enter:

bash
exiftool -all= yourphoto.jpg

This command will clear all hidden information of yourphoto.jpg and remove metadata from images cleanly!

Batch clearing: clear the entire folder at once
If you have a bunch of pictures and don't want to type them one by one, you can do this:

bash
exiftool -all= *.jpg

Or directly process a certain type, such as .png:

Super convenient, one line of command to complete batch removal of metadata from images!

Notes:

By default, exiftool will back up the original image and add an _original suffix. If you don't want to keep a backup, you can add the -overwrite_original parameter:

bash
exiftool -all= -overwrite_original *.jpg

It is recommended to back up the original image before operation to be safe.

To sum up: Using exiftool to batch remove metadata from images on the command line is clean, efficient, and fully automated, which is very suitable when you have a lot of photos to clean up!

Let me tell you in detail how to remove metadata from images using the built-in Preview tool in macOS, and I guarantee that it is easy to understand:

🔵 The steps are very simple:

1. Open your image with Preview
2. Right-click → Open with "Preview", or just double-click.
3. Click the menu bar: File > Export
4. Note that it is not "Save As", but "Export".
5. In the pop-up export window, there is a small option: Uncheck "Include location information"
6. This option is checked by default, indicating that GPS location information is retained.
7. Unchecking this means that the new exported image will not carry geographic location information and some other metadata, which is equivalent to helping you remove metadata from images.
8. Save the new image
9. After saving, the new file is much cleaner than the original image, and privacy information such as location has been removed.

🔵 Pay attention to two small details:

This method mainly clears location information, but some small metadata such as device model and shooting parameters (such as ISO, aperture) may still remain.

If you want to completely remove all hidden information, it is recommended to use the exiftool command line together to remove metadata from images 100%.

The built-in File Explorer is quite good tool for removing metadata from images and photos.

File Explorer is a file management tool that comes with Windows 11/10, and it has a basic feature that helps you remove metadata from images. For JPEGs and PNGs, which are common image files, you can simply right-click on them to open the File Properties window, which will allow you to easily remove metadata such as the date of the shooting, the camera model, and the GPS information, among others. The whole process can be completed in just a few clicks, and the interface is designed to be very intuitive, so even users who are not very skilled in computer operation can easily get started.

Press Win + E to open File Explorer, navigate to the folder containing the target JPEG or PNG image, locate the editable target image, right-click on the image and select 'Properties', view the metadata in the 'Details' tab and click the 'Delete Properties' and Identities link at the bottom to remove metadata from images.

Select 'Create a copy of this file' and delete all possible properties and check all the fields and then click 'OK', a new file will be created. The copy will generate a new file. Finally, right-click on the new file and select Properties > Details to confirm that the metadata fields are empty or only the basic information is retained.

I have encountered the same problem as you before, and I want to find a way to remove metadata from images, especially photos taken with mobile phones, where the location and device information are hidden.
In fact, there are several ways to do it yourself without relying on third-party tools! Share three simple methods with you:

✅ Method 1: Use the built-in function of Windows to batch clear

Select the image → right click → properties → details → click "Delete properties and personal information".

It supports selecting multiple images to process together, and can basically remove metadata from images, but some hidden information may not be deleted thoroughly enough.

✅ Method 2: Use the preview tool that comes with macOS

On Mac, open the image → Export → Uncheck "Include location information".

In this way, the new image exported will not include GPS, and simply clean up most of it, which is a semi-automatic way to remove metadata from images.

✅ Method 3: Use the command line ExifTool (built-in or installable)

If you have brew (Mac) or choco (Windows), you can quickly install exiftool.

It can be done with one command, for example, exiftool -all= *.jpg can remove metadata from images in batches, completely and cleanly without leaving any traces!

To summarize: if you only delete a few photos occasionally, just use the system's built-in function;
If you want to do it in batches, thoroughly and professionally, use the exiftool command line, which is super fast and super clean!