Image Toolkit

Remove Location from Photos

Strip GPS Data Before You Share

See whether a photo gives away where it was taken, then remove the location and other hidden data before you share it. It all happens on your device, so the photo is never uploaded.

Drag and drop an image here

or click to select a file (JPEG, PNG, WebP or HEIC)

Guide by Ashley Whitehair, web designer at Norwich Website Design

How to remove location from a photo

  1. Add the photo

    Drop a JPG, PNG, WebP or iPhone HEIC photo onto the box above, or click it to choose one. It’s checked as soon as it’s added.

  2. Look for the red warning

    If the photo records where it was taken, a red box shows the coordinates, with a View on map link. No red box means the photo holds no GPS coordinates.

  3. Remove it and save a clean copy

    Press Strip All Metadata, then Download Clean Image. Share that copy, not the original.

What location data is in a photo?

When a phone’s camera is allowed to use your location, it writes a GPS section into the EXIF data of every photo, working out where you are from satellites, Wi-Fi and mobile networks. That section can hold:

  • Latitude and longitude, the exact spot. Outdoors, phones usually fix their position to within a few metres, close enough to pick out a single house.
  • Altitude, direction and time. There’s also room for the height above sea level, the compass direction the camera faced and the time from the satellites.
  • Place names. Photo apps and editors can also write the city, region and country into the photo’s IPTC or XMP details.

None of it shows in the picture, but any app that reads photo details can put the photo on a map, as the Photos app on an iPhone does in its Places view.

Which apps and sites remove it for you

Some services strip location from the copy other people see. Many ways of sending a photo don’t:

Where the photo goesWhat happens to its location
X (Twitter)X says photo details aren’t available to people who view your photo. X itself still reads them when you upload, for example to suggest a location.
Google Photos sharingAlbums, links and conversations you share leave location out by default, unless you choose to include it.
iPhone Share buttonYou can leave it out: tap Options at the top of the share sheet and turn off Location.
Email attachmentsSent exactly as they are, location included.
Cloud storage linksServices such as Google Drive and Dropbox share the original file, location included.

Policies change, and even a site that hides location from the public still receives it. Removing it yourself before you upload is the way to be sure.

Stop your phone adding location to new photos

PhoneHow to turn it off
iPhoneSettings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera, then choose Never.
Google PixelIn the Camera app, open Settings → More settings and turn off Save location.
Samsung GalaxyIn the Camera app, tap the settings cog and turn off Location tags.

This only affects photos taken from then on. Photos you already have keep their location until you remove it. On an iPhone you can do that in the Photos app: open the photo, tap the More button, then Adjust Info → Adjust Location → No Location. Unlike this tool, that removes only the location and keeps the date and camera details.

What this tool removes, and what it can’t

Strip All Metadata removes the GPS coordinates along with everything else in the EXIF data, any location copied into XMP, place names in IPTC, and the small preview image some cameras embed. It keeps only the orientation, so the photo stays upright, and the colour profile: neither says anything about you. JPG, PNG and WebP photos keep every pixel; iPhone HEIC photos come back as a JPG.

To check the result, press Clear and add the clean copy: it should say No personal metadata found, with no red warning. But no tool can remove:

  • What’s in the picture. House numbers, street names, car number plates, school uniforms, a shop front or the view from a window can show where you are as clearly as GPS. Crop them out before you share.
  • Copies that already exist. The tool makes a new copy and doesn’t change the original, so the photo on your phone, in your cloud backup and anywhere you’ve already posted it keeps its location.
  • Location in videos. The tool works on photos only; videos, including the moving part of a Live Photo, carry their own location.

Frequently asked questions

How accurate is the location stored in a photo?

Outdoors, usually to within a few metres, enough to identify a single house. Indoors it can be less accurate. Here, View on map opens the spot on OpenStreetMap.

Does sending a photo by email remove its location?

No. Email attachments arrive exactly as they were sent, with their location and other details. Remove it before you attach the photo.

Can I remove the location but keep the date and camera details?

Not with this tool: it removes all personal metadata at once. On an iPhone, the Photos app can remove only the location: open the photo, tap More, then Adjust Info, Adjust Location and No Location.

How do I stop my iPhone camera recording my location?

Go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera and choose Never. New photos won’t have a location; ones you’ve already taken keep theirs.

How do I turn off location on an Android camera?

In the camera app’s settings. On a Google Pixel, turn off Save location (under More settings); on a Samsung Galaxy, turn off Location tags.

Does removing the location change the photo on my phone?

No. You download a new, clean copy, such as IMG_0001_no_metadata.jpg. The original keeps its location, so share the clean copy.

Can someone still tell where a photo was taken?

Sometimes, from what’s in it, such as street signs, landmarks or the view. Removing the metadata hides the exact coordinates, but check the picture too.

Is the location removed from iPhone HEIC photos?

Yes. The clean copy is saved as a JPG at 92% quality, with no GPS location, date or camera details.

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