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How to remove GPS location from a photo

Most phones save the exact latitude and longitude of every photo they take. If the file keeps that data when you share it, anyone who receives it can read where you were.

Updated 2026-10-20 ยท Written by the Untrace team

How do you know a photo has GPS data?

Location is stored in the photo's EXIF block, in fields called GPSLatitude and GPSLongitude, usually accurate to a few metres. Phones add it whenever the camera app has location access. The simplest check is to drop the photo into Untrace: it lists every metadata block it finds, including GPS, before changing anything.

Option 1: turn off location tagging in the camera

  • iPhone: Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, Camera, then choose Never.
  • Android: open the camera app, open its settings and switch off Location tags (the wording varies by manufacturer).

This only protects photos you take from now on. Photos already on your phone keep their coordinates.

Option 2: remove location when you share from your phone

On iPhone, the share sheet has an Options button with a Location switch you can turn off for that share. Google Photos on Android offers a Remove location action in a photo's details. Both remove coordinates only. The camera model, timestamps and other EXIF fields stay in the file.

Option 3: remove all metadata in your browser

  1. Open Untrace and add the photo.
  2. Review the list of what it found, GPS included.
  3. Choose Clean image and download the copy.

Untrace redraws the picture to pixels and writes a new file, so GPS, camera and time data are not carried over. It works offline from your file's point of view: nothing is uploaded.

Check the result. Drop the cleaned file back into Untrace. It should report that nothing was found.

Does social media remove GPS for you?

Some large platforms remove location data from the version they display, but not all do, and policies change. Photos sent as an original file by email, a chat app's file option or a cloud link usually keep everything. Cleaning the file yourself means you do not depend on the platform.

See what your own photo is hiding. Untrace lists every metadata block, then removes it, all inside your browser.

Scan a photo

Common questions

Does removing GPS data change the picture?

The visible image stays the same. Untrace re-encodes it, so the file size and format can change slightly.

Can someone find my location from a photo without GPS data?

Yes, from what the picture shows, such as street signs or landmarks. Metadata removal does not hide what is visible.