How to remove EXIF data from photos on iPhone
iPhone photos carry their location, the device model and the time they were taken. iOS lets you remove some of that, but not all of it. This guide covers each option and what it leaves behind.
Stop adding location to new photos
Open Settings, then Privacy & Security, Location Services, Camera, and choose Never. New photos will no longer carry GPS coordinates. Photos already in your library keep theirs.
Remove location from one photo
- Open the photo in Photos and tap the info button, or swipe up.
- Tap Adjust next to the location line.
- Choose No Location.
This removes the coordinates from the photo in your library. Other details, such as the device model and capture time, stay.
Remove location only when you share
In the share sheet, tap Options at the top and turn Location off before you send. Your original keeps its location, and the copy you share does not. This setting covers location, not the full EXIF block.
Remove all metadata with Untrace
- Open Untrace in Safari and choose the photo from your library.
- Review what it found, then choose Clean image.
- Save the cleaned copy to Photos or Files.
Nothing is uploaded: the photo is read and rewritten in the browser on your phone. To clean many photos together, add up to 50 at once and download them as one ZIP.
HEIC photos. iPhones save HEIC by default. Safari can decode it, but some other browsers cannot. If a photo will not open, switch Settings, Camera, Formats to Most Compatible so new photos are saved as JPEG.
See what your own photo is hiding. Untrace lists every metadata block, then removes it, all inside your browser.
Scan a photoCommon questions
Does a screenshot remove EXIF data?
A screenshot is a new file without the original's camera details, and it normally has no GPS coordinates. It can still record the device and time.
Does AirDrop or Messages keep location?
They can. Sharing the original file usually includes its metadata, so use the Location switch in Options or clean the file first.