A PHOTO CAN SAY MORE THAN YOU THINK.
Remove JPEG metadata.
Keep the photo.
See the information embedded in a JPEG. Download a checked copy with personal metadata removed.
Your photos
0 / 20Drop your JPEGs here
Up to 20 photos · 20 MB each
Selected photos are not uploaded.
Originals stay unchanged. Orientation is preserved.
Select a photo to inspect
A closer look at
what travels with your photo.
When present, embedded information appears here.
KNOW WHAT YOU'RE SHARING
A smaller trail.
The same image data.
Cleaning removes metadata segments without re-encoding the JPEG's compressed image data. A minimal orientation tag is kept when needed so the photo stays the right way up.
What gets removed?
EXIF camera details, GPS tags, timestamps, author information, embedded thumbnails, XMP, IPTC, comments and other application segments are removed. Extra data after the JPEG is removed too. Each output is inspected again before it is included in the download.
What remains?
The compressed image, essential decoding information and orientation. A fixed JFIF header or Adobe colour-transform instruction may remain. ICC colour profiles stay only when the checkbox is enabled; profiles can include descriptive information.
Does this make a photo anonymous?
No. Visible faces, addresses and other clues in the picture remain. Filenames and file-system information are separate from embedded metadata. This tool cleans supported metadata containers; it is not a forensic anonymity guarantee.
Where are the files processed?
In this browser's memory. The tool does not upload your selected image or its extracted metadata. Google advertising and consent services make separate web requests and may use cookies; see our privacy policy. There are no user accounts. Refreshing clears the batch. The sample is a test pattern with fictional metadata, downloaded from this site.
Which files work?
Standard 8-bit baseline and progressive JPEGs, up to 25 megapixels. This version accepts 20 photos and 80 MB per batch. PNG, WebP, HEIC, video and damaged metadata are not supported.
UNDER THE HOOD
How it works
A JPEG file is a sequence of labelled segments. Some segments hold the picture itself and the tables needed to decode it. Others are containers for extra information that cameras, phones and editing apps add along the way. This tool reads each segment, keeps the ones needed to show the photo correctly and leaves the rest out of the cleaned copy. For real-world examples, see what photo metadata reveals.
Where metadata lives in a JPEG
- EXIF is the main camera record: maker and model, lens and exposure settings, the software used, capture and edit dates, and sometimes an owner name or a camera serial number.
- GPS tags sit inside the EXIF block. They can hold latitude, longitude and altitude, and sometimes the direction the camera faced and a timestamp.
- XMP is a text-based record written by many editing and photo-management apps. It can repeat EXIF details and add a creator name, ratings, keywords or edit history.
- IPTC fields come from news and photo-agency workflows: captions, keywords, credit, copyright and place names.
- Embedded thumbnails are small preview images stored inside EXIF. A thumbnail is not always updated after editing, so it can show a version of the picture from before it was cropped.
Why skipping re-encoding keeps quality
Most "save as" tools decode the photo into pixels and compress it again. Every time a JPEG is compressed, a little more detail is lost. This tool never decodes and re-compresses the picture. The compressed image data and the tables used to decode it are copied into the new file exactly as they were, so the cleaned photo looks identical to the original, pixel for pixel.
Why the orientation tag stays
Phones often store a photo sideways and add a small EXIF tag saying how to rotate it for display. Removing that tag would make many photos appear on their side. The cleaned copy gets a new, minimal EXIF block that holds only this orientation value and nothing else.
What an ICC profile is, and why it's optional
An ICC colour profile tells apps how the numbers in the file map to real colours. Many phone photos use a wide-gamut profile such as Display P3. Without it, colours can look duller or shifted in apps that manage colour. Profiles usually describe a colour space rather than a person, but they can include descriptive text, so the "Preserve ICC colour profiles" box lets you choose. It is on by default.
The sample, byte by byte
The table above shows which values change. This one shows what happens to the file itself when the fictional sample is cleaned.
| Part of the file | Original | Cleaned copy |
|---|---|---|
| Whole file | 1,252 bytes | 886 bytes |
| EXIF block | 400 bytes | 34 bytes |
| What the EXIF block holds | Maker, model, software, two dates, creator, serial, GPS, orientation | Orientation only |
| Quantisation and Huffman tables | Original | Byte-for-byte identical |
| Compressed image data | 241 bytes | 241 bytes, byte-for-byte identical |
The 366 bytes saved are exactly the bytes removed from the EXIF block. Nothing in the picture data changed. Read more in how to remove photo metadata without losing quality.
BEFORE YOU SEND IT
When metadata survives sharing
Whether location and camera details reach the other person depends on how the photo travels, not just which app you use.
Usually kept
- Sending a photo as a file or document in a chat app, rather than as a normal photo.
- Email attachments.
- Links to cloud storage, such as shared folders and file-sharing links.
- AirDrop and other direct device-to-device transfers.
Often removed
- Many social apps strip metadata from the public copy when you post.
- Many chat apps strip it when you send a photo the normal way, which often also recompresses the picture.
Behaviour varies between apps and changes with updates, and the service itself may still keep the original you uploaded. The simplest habit is to clean the copy you send.
Stop your phone adding location
- iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera > Never. New photos will not record where they were taken.
- iPhone, one photo at a time: in the share sheet, tap Options at the top and turn Location off before sending.
- Android: open the Camera app's settings and turn off Location tags or Save location. The exact name and place vary by phone maker.
Turning location off only affects new photos. Photos you have already taken keep their GPS tags until you remove them. The step-by-step location guide covers more phones and apps.
This is general information, not an anonymity guarantee. Check what is visible in the picture too: see what a photo can reveal even without metadata and the photo privacy checklist.
QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Does cleaning reduce photo quality?
No. The compressed image data is copied byte for byte, so there is no re-compression and no quality loss. The file gets smaller only because metadata was removed.
Does it work with HEIC or iPhone photos?
Not with HEIC files. iPhones save HEIC by default when "High Efficiency" is selected in Settings > Camera > Formats. Choosing "Most Compatible" saves new photos as JPEG, and iPhones often convert to JPEG when sharing to apps that need it. PNG and WebP are not supported either.
Can it remove location from a video?
No. Videos store location and device details in their own format, which this tool does not read or change. Check the video settings on your phone, or turn off location for the camera before recording.
Does it hide what's in the picture?
No. It removes hidden information, not visible details. House numbers, street signs, reflections, screens, documents and faces stay exactly as they are. Crop or cover them before sharing if they matter.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. Reading, cleaning and zipping all happen in your browser's memory. Your photos and their metadata are not sent to Tidy. Refreshing the page clears the batch.
Why keep the ICC profile by default?
Because removing it can change how colours look, especially for wide-gamut phone photos. Profiles usually describe a colour space, not you. If you want the smallest possible trail, uncheck the box and compare the colours before sharing.