Full GPS report
Camera, capture time, and a map pin. Typical of originals from a phone with locati0n services on — AirDrop, cable, email, or iMessage. Check the privacy flags before you share it.
EXIF VIEWER — FREE · IN-BROWSER · NOTHING UPLOADED
EXIF Viewer — See Photo GPS, Date & Camera Data, 100% in Your Browser
Every photo file carries a hidden record: when it was taken, the exact GPS spot, the device, even the editing software.
EXIF ViewerOffline-ready
Drop photos here, paste (Ctrl+V), or tap to choose — up to 20 at onceJPEG · PNG · TIFF · HEIC · up to 50 MB each
Your photos never leave this browser tab. No upload, no server, no account. Don't take our word for it — turn off Wi-Fi, it still works.
No photo handy? Inspect a sample:
- Reads camera, GPS & dates
- Free — no sign-up
- Works offline
- No ads
How to verify nothing uploads
- Open this page, then open your browser's Network panel (DevTools).
- Drop a photo. You should see zero image upload requests.
- Or turn off Wi-Fi entirely — the viewer still works.
Every photo file carries a hidden record: when it was taken, the exact GPS spot, the device, even the editing software. Drop a photo below to see all of it — decoded into plain English, with the risky fields flagged. And unlike upload-based EXIF viewers, nothing leaves your device: the file is read right here, in this tab. Checking your photo's privacy shouldn't cost you your privacy.
What a photo gives away — a real example
This is the report you get. One phone photo, dropped in — and everything the EXIF data was ready to tell anyone who looked:
Taken on Sat, May 3 2025 at 18:42, with a Pixel 8, near El Born, Barcelona — camera facing northeast.
Privacy exposure — if you post this photo as-is
- Exact locati0n (±5 m — enough to find a front door)HIGH
- Date & time takenMEDIUM
- Device: Google Pixel 8MEDIUM
- Edited with: ——
El Born · Barcelona41.3856° N, 2.1819° E
- 1A one-sentence summary in plain English — before any table
- 2Risk flags that tell you which fields matter, not just what they say
- 3Every camera setting explained — hover the ⓘ marks, zero jargon
- 4GPS plotted on a map, one click from Google Maps and Street View
- 5Export the full metadata as JSON or CSV — up to 20 photos at once
Three reports you'll see — and what each one means
Same tool, three common outcomes. Knowing which one you got tells you what to do next:
Camera data, no GPS
Settings and timestamps survived, locati0n didn't. Common on DSLRs without geotagging, or phones with locati0n off. Still useful for verifying "shot yesterday on my iPhone" claims.
Nearly empty file
Almost no tags. Usually a social save, WhatsApp photo mode, a screenshot, or an AI-generated image. Not a dead end — use the platform table below, then the visual-clue locator if you need the place.
Try the three sample files above to see each report type in under a second — no upload required.
Which apps strip EXIF data — and which quietly keep it
If your photo came through a social app, its metadata was probably removed on upload — that's why the viewer above may come up empty. "Probably" is doing a lot of work in that sentence. What others can download is not the whole story:
| Platform | Public / downloadable copy | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Instagram / Facebook | ✂️ Stripped | Stripped from what others download — the platform still received your original GPS on upload |
| X / Twitter · Reddit · TikTok | ✂️ Stripped | Public copies are clean; API / scheduler uploads can behave differently |
| ✂️ Stripped (posts) | Document / PDF uploads are a different pipeline — metadata can survive | |
| Snapchat | ✂️ Stripped for recipients | Other users can't read GPS from the snap; the service still processes the file |
| ⚠️ Depends | Stripped as photo — fully preserved when sent as document | |
| Telegram | ⚠️ Depends | Stripped as photo — preserved with "send without compression" |
| Signal | ✂️ Stripped before send | Strongest default among messengers — strips before transmission and doesn't keep the original |
| iMessage | ⚠️ Preserved | Full metadata travels with the image, GPS included |
| Email · Drive · Dropbox | ⚠️ Preserved | Direct file transfer keeps everything intact |
| Discord | ⚠️ Mostly kept | Inline previews often strip; downloaded attachments may keep tags |
| Screenshots (iOS / Android) | ➖ Never had it | A screenshot is a new file — no camera data, no GPS from the original scene |
The exceptions that catch people
Same app, different send mode — opposite privacy outcome. These are the cases that fill support inboxes:
| Mode / edge case | What happens to EXIF | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp → Document | Full file, GPS included | Treat it like email: drop it above before you forward further |
| Instagram DM (original quality) | Weaker stripping than feed posts | Don't assume a DM is "cleaned" the way a public post is |
| X via scheduling / API tools | Pipeline may skip web stripping | Strip on your device before the scheduler ever sees the file |
| AI-generated images | Usually no camera EXIF | Empty tags are expected — they never had a shutter or GPS fix |
Stripped for other users ≠ deleted on the platform. When you upload to Instagram, Facebook, X or TikTok, the service typically ingests the original file — including GPS — before it serves a cleaned public copy. Social stripping protects you from strangers downloading your pin; it does not stop the platform from receiving the data. If that distinction matters, clean the file yourself before it leaves your device.
Two takeaways. Never rely on a platform to clean up after you — the safe order is strip first, share second. And if someone sent you a photo by iMessage, email or as a WhatsApp document, drop it in above: the metadata is very likely intact. Strip metadata before sharing →
Platform behavior changes without notice — we re-test this table monthly. Last checked: July 2026.
- Jul 2026 — added Signal, LinkedIn, Snapchat; split DM / Document / API exceptions
What each line of EXIF data actually means
EXIF data is the technical record your camera or phone writes into every photo — capture time, GPS coordinates, camera settings. An EXIF viewer reads that record; here's how to read it yourself:
- 01
DateTimeOriginal
When the shutter actually fired. If it differs from ModifyDate, the file was edited afterwards. Many phones omit timezone offset — treat the clock as the camera's local time, not proof of a city.
- 02
GPSLatitude / Longitude
The exact spot, often within a few meters outdoors. Phones write this by default. Indoors it can drift 50 m or more.
- 03
FNumber (f/1.8)
Aperture. Lower number = more light, blurrier background.
- 04
ExposureTime (1/120s)
Shutter speed. Fast freezes motion; slow explains blur.
- 05
ISO
Sensor sensitivity. 1600+ means low light — and visible grain.
- 06
FocalLength
The zoom used. On phones, it tells you which lens fired.
- 07
Software
What last saved the file. "Photoshop" or "Lightroom" here is your first hint a photo isn't straight from the camera.
- 08
Make / Model
The device. Handy for checking a seller's "shot yesterday on my iPhone" claim.
EXIF isn't the only metadata block
Photo files can carry several standards side by side. Knowing which is which helps when a field looks "missing" but another block still has it:
| Standard | Contains | Usually written by |
|---|---|---|
| EXIF | Capture time, GPS, camera / lens / exposure | Camera or phone at shutter time |
| XMP | Edits, ratings, keywords, some AI / editor traces | Lightroom, Photoshop, phone editors |
| IPTC | Captions, credits, copyright, newsroom fields | Editors and agencies |
| ICC | Color profile (sRGB, Display P3…) | Camera or color-managed software |
Every field gets the same plain-English note inside the results table — drop a photo in and hover the ⓘ marks. Try it above
How to view EXIF data on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac
Your device shows the basics. The fastest built-in route on each — and the blind spots that send people back to a browser tool:
iPhone / iPad
Photos → open the image → swipe up (or tap ⓘ). You get date, lens summary, and a small map if GPS exists. Blind spots: no exact coordinate copy, little IPTC/XMP, and it only works for your own library — not files someone emailed you.
Android
Google Photos → tap ⓘ (or ⋮ → Details). Similar summary to iOS. Blind spots: downloads and WhatsApp saves often show "no locati0n" even when residual tags still exist in the file bytes.
Windows
Right-click → Properties → Details. You'll see some camera and GPS rows as decimals. Blind spots: HEIC is blank without codecs, many tags stay empty, and there's no map or privacy flags.
Mac
Preview → Tools → Show Inspector (⌘I) → GPS / EXIF tabs. Solid for JPEG from a camera roll. Blind spots: Finder's Get Info shows even less, no batch, weak XMP view.
When the built-in view isn't enough — a file someone sent you, a HEIC on Windows, twenty files at once, or a privacy check before posting — that's what this page is for. Nothing installed, nothing uploaded.
This EXIF viewer vs Jimpl, Pic2Map, ExifTool, or your phone
Honest answer: pick by the job. "No upload" is table stakes now — the differences are interpretation, map depth, and what happens when GPS is gone.
Photo stays on your device
- This page
- ✓ verifiably offline
- Jimpl
- ✗ upload (24h delete)
- Pic2Map
- ✗ upload
- ExifTool
- Yes
- Phone / OS
- Yes
Plain-English summary + privacy flags
- This page
- Yes
- Jimpl
- No
- Pic2Map
- No
- ExifTool
- No
- Phone / OS
- No
GPS map / address path
- This page
- Pin + Maps link
- Jimpl
- Coords list
- Pic2Map
- ✓ map + address
- ExifTool
- No
- Phone / OS
- iPhone: small map
Tag depth (MakerNotes)
- This page
- Common tags + export
- Jimpl
- Broad tables
- Pic2Map
- Basic + GPS focus
- ExifTool
- ✓ gold standard
- Phone / OS
- Summary only
When GPS is already gone
- This page
- Explains why + visual-clue path
- Jimpl
- Dead end
- Pic2Map
- Dead end
- ExifTool
- Shows empty tags
- Phone / OS
- Shows empty
Best for
- This page
- Privacy check + reading a photo you received
- Jimpl
- Quick look if you accept upload
- Pic2Map
- GPS → map on non-sensitive shots
- ExifTool
- Batch / forensics / scripting
- Phone / OS
- Your own library, zero friction
Processing thousands of files, or editing metadata? Install ExifTool — free, open-source, and nothing here competes with it. Just need to see what's in a photo, and what it would reveal about you? That's this page. Upload sites still work — just savor the irony of sending a photo to a stranger's server to check its privacy.
Can you trust EXIF data? And what if it's gone?
Read it as a witness, not a verdict
Anyone with the right tool can rewrite EXIF fields — GPS and dates included. Practical checks: a ModifyDate later than the capture date, an editor named in Software, a pin that contradicts what's visible in the picture, or a timestamp with no timezone offset treated as if it were UTC. When real money rides on it — a rental, a marketplace car — verify the locati0n visually too. Phone GPS is typically accurate to 5–15 meters outdoors, but can drift 50 m or more indoors.
No EXIF? The locati0n isn't gone
Most photos you'll check — anything saved from social media — have no metadata left. Screenshots and many AI images never had camera EXIF at all. That's not a dead end. The visual clues are still in the pixels: street signs, architecture, driving side, terrain. Our AI locati0n finder reads those instead of the metadata, and shows the reasoning behind each candidate place. Free, no account.
EXIF viewer questions, answered
How do I view the EXIF data of a photo?
Drop it into the viewer above — it reads camera, GPS and date fields right in your browser, nothing uploaded. Or use your device's built-in route: swipe up (iPhone), tap ⓘ (Google Photos), Properties → Details (Windows). Built-ins show a summary; this page shows the fields that matter, explained, plus export.
Can EXIF data show where a photo was taken?
Yes — if the GPS fields survived. Phones embed coordinates by default, usually accurate to 5–15 meters; this viewer plots them on a map with a Google Maps link. Photos saved from social apps usually come up empty — see the next question for why.
Why does my photo have no EXIF data?
Almost always because of where it's been. Social platforms strip metadata from the public copy on upload, messengers strip it in photo mode, screenshots never had camera data, and many AI-generated images never wrote a camera block. Originals straight from the camera — cable, AirDrop, email, or WhatsApp document mode — keep everything.
Does Instagram or WhatsApp remove EXIF data?
Instagram strips it from what others download — after collecting the original for itself. WhatsApp depends: stripped when sent as a photo, fully preserved as a document. Instagram DMs can be weaker than feed posts. iMessage and email keep everything. The tables above cover the full list, re-tested monthly.
Do screenshots have EXIF data?
No camera EXIF — a screenshot is a brand-new file, so no shutter settings and no GPS from the original scene. It may carry minor fields like device model and screenshot time. That's why a screenshot can't be traced through its metadata.
Do AI-generated images have EXIF data?
Usually not the camera kind. Generators don't fire a shutter or write a GPS fix, so an EXIF viewer often comes up empty or only shows software / export tags. Empty doesn't prove a file is AI — social saves look the same — but it means you should read the pixels, not the metadata.
Why is HEIC blank on Windows?
Windows Properties often can't decode HEIC without codecs, so Details looks empty even when the file still holds tags. Use this page in a modern browser, open the file on an iPhone/Mac, or export a JPEG and check again.
Is this EXIF viewer really private? How can I check?
The file is parsed by JavaScript inside your tab and never transmitted — verify it yourself: open DevTools → Network, drop a photo, and confirm there is no image upload; or turn off Wi-Fi and it still works. The one optional call is naming the GPS spot, which sends only two coordinate numbers. Never the photo.
Can EXIF data be faked?
Yes, easily — any field can be rewritten, GPS and dates included. Treat it as a witness, not proof: check whether ModifyDate is later than the capture date, whether an editor shows up in Software, and whether the pin matches what's in the picture.
Can I still find where a photo was taken if the EXIF is gone?
Often, yes — just not from metadata. The scene itself leaks locati0n: sign language, architecture, driving side, terrain. Our free AI locati0n finder reads those visual clues and returns the most likely places with the reasoning. It's built for exactly the photos this viewer comes up empty on. Try the AI locati0n finder
Check a photo you're curious about — it takes ten seconds.
Free · in-browser · works offline · nothing uploaded
- Clean photo metadataStrip risky fields before you share a photoOpen
- Find a photo's locati0n from visual cluesFor when the metadata is goneOpen
- Photo privacy checkWhat AI can tell from your photo (coming soon)
Every EXIF tool on this site runs 100% in your browser — photos never touch a server.