How to Remove Location Data from Photos: Check EXIF Before Posting to Social Media

What is recorded in a photo file

A photo isn’t just the image you see. Information about how it was taken is written into an area called EXIF. The camera app adds it automatically, so most people never notice it.

The problem is the first row: GPS. Latitude and longitude are recorded to several decimal places, so plotting them on a map pinpoints a location within a few meters to a few tens of meters. One photo taken inside your home could lead someone to where you live. How to read the latitude and longitude in EXIF, and how precise each number of digits is, is explained in converting latitude and longitude between DMS and decimal.

Some sharing methods keep it, others strip it

You often hear that social media removes location data, so you don’t need to worry. That is half right, but how a photo is handled depends entirely on how you share it.

Whether data is stripped depends on each service’s specifications, which can change without notice. Also note that “not displayed” doesn’t mean “not sent.” When you post, the original with location data has already reached the service’s servers. Removing it on your own device before handing it over is the most reliable and least troublesome order.

• Even with EXIF removed, what is in the photo can give you away. Nameplates, mail, buildings seen from a window, school uniforms, and the view of a route to school are stronger clues than location data.
• Posting many photos from the same place narrows down where you live, even if no single photo identifies you.
• The time of posting tells people where you are right now. Simply posting travel photos after you get home avoids announcing that your home is empty.

How to check and remove it

First check whether location data is there, then choose between removing it when sharing or deleting it from the file. The key difference is whether the original gets changed.

1. 1

   Check one photo

   On iPhone, open the photo in the Photos app and show its info; a map appears if it has location data. If no map appears, there is no location data. In Google Photos on Android, the location appears in the details. On Windows, right-click the file and open the Details tab in Properties; on Mac, use Get Info or the Inspector in Preview.

2. 2

   iPhone: remove it when sharing

   Open “Options” at the top of the share sheet, turn off Location, and then send. Only the data sent to the recipient changes; the photo on your device isn’t modified. This is the fastest method when you send photos one at a time.

3. 3

   Android: check your sharing settings

   Google Photos has a setting that removes location data from photos shared by link. With it turned on, recipients don’t get the location. The name and position of the setting change between app versions.

4. 4

   Windows: remove it from the file

   Right-click the file and open “Remove Properties and Personal Information” at the bottom of the Details tab in Properties. You can remove the data from the original file or create a copy with it removed. It works with multiple files selected.

5. 5

   Mac: remove it in Preview

   Open the photo in Preview and show the Inspector from the Tools menu. If there is a GPS section, you can remove the location data there. Photos without location data don’t show this section at all.

6. 6

   Convert the format to strip everything at once

   Converting to PNG, JPEG, or WebP with the image format converter redraws the image in the browser, so EXIF and other metadata aren’t carried over. Files are processed only in your browser and aren’t sent to a server. Trying one photo is quicker than looking up how to do it on your device.

Stop location from being recorded in the first place

If you rely on removing it one photo at a time, you will eventually forget. Deciding before you shoot whether location is recorded prevents leaks.

• Don’t allow location for the camera app: photos you take from then on won’t contain GPS. You won’t be able to look back at trips on a map, so it is a trade-off.
• Set permission to “Ask Next Time”: you will be asked each time, so you can allow it only when you want to record location. On iPhone you can choose location permission per app.
• Review location settings in social media apps too: “Add location” when posting is separate from the photo’s EXIF. Even if you remove EXIF, the location is public if you add it there.
• Limit where you post photos of children: removing EXIF leaves uniforms, school bags, and the view of their route to school. A private account or a family shared album is safer.
• You may be able to remove location from photos already taken: the Photos app’s info screen sometimes lets you change or remove the location. This modifies the original and can’t be undone, so copy important photos first.

What to check before posting

You don’t need to inspect everything every time. For photos taken at home, at work, or around where your children spend their days, checking in this order is enough.

• Check whether location data is included (whether a map appears on the info screen)
• If it is, turn it off when sharing or remove it from a copy
• Check that “Add location” isn’t turned on in the post screen
• Look at what is in the shot: nameplates, mail, license plates, the view outside the window, uniforms
• For posts while traveling or out, decide whether to wait until you are home

Whether to post a photo ultimately comes down to “would it be a problem if this information were known?” You can remove EXIF yourself, but what is in the shot and when you post are decisions made before shooting. In terms of order, setting your camera not to record location saves more effort than learning how to remove it. Location data is also stripped when converting iPhone HEIC photos to JPEG; the steps are in how to convert HEIC to JPEG.

FAQ

Does posting to social media automatically remove a photo’s location data?

When you post as an image, EXIF is often stripped during recompression. However, that is the service’s specification, not a guarantee, and it can change without notice. When you send as a file or share through a cloud storage link, the location data stays. Also, the original with location data has already reached the server when you post, so removing it yourself first is more reliable.

Do screenshots contain location data?

Normally, no. GPS is recorded only in photos taken with a camera app that has location access. Screenshots, images saved from the web, and scanned images have no information about where they were taken. However, if a map app or an address is visible on the screen, the location can be known regardless of EXIF.

Where can I see whether a photo contains location data?

On iPhone, open the photo in the Photos app, show its info, and see whether a map appears. In Google Photos on Android, the location appears in the details. On a computer, use the Details tab in the file’s Properties on Windows, or Get Info or the Inspector in Preview on Mac. If there is no location data, the item doesn’t appear at all.

Does converting an image’s format remove EXIF?

With a converter that redraws the image in the browser and exports it, EXIF and other metadata aren’t carried over, so it is removed. However, the date taken and the camera model are removed along with location, so keep the original if you want to organize photos by date. Also note that converting JPEG to JPEG slightly lowers quality due to recompression.