ExifTool is the gold standard for reading and editing file metadata, but it's a command-line program, and plenty of people just want to see where a photo was taken or wipe the GPS before posting it. For a quick look with nothing to install, our EXIF Viewer reads the photo in your browser. ExifToolGUI and ExifCleaner put a window on ExifTool itself, and digiKam is the pick for managing metadata across a whole library.
ExifTool is a free Perl library and command-line program written and maintained by Phil Harvey. It reads, writes and edits metadata in hundreds of file types, from JPEGs and camera RAW files to PDFs, videos and Office documents. Its site says it recognizes tens of thousands of different tags, including the private maker notes camera brands bury inside their files. It's free software, distributed under the same terms as Perl itself, and it runs on Windows, macOS and Linux.
So why switch? Mostly because it's a command-line tool. Typing exiftool -gps:all photo.jpg is second nature to a developer and a wall to everyone else. Other reasons come up too: people want something on their phone, something that doesn't need installing on a work laptop, or a simple button that strips everything before a photo goes online.
Here's how the common options compare. "Reads" means what it shows you, not every possible tag.
| Tool | Type | Platform | Reads | Edits or strips? | Uploads your file? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ToolAspect EXIF Viewer | Web, in-browser | Any browser | EXIF, camera data, GPS | View only | No |
| ToolAspect Image Metadata Remover | Web, in-browser | Any browser | n/a | Strips everything (JPEG output) | No |
| ExifToolGUI | Desktop front-end for ExifTool | Windows | Everything ExifTool reads | Edits and strips | No |
| ExifCleaner | Desktop, built on ExifTool | Windows, macOS, Linux | n/a | Strips, drag and drop, batches | No |
| Jeffrey's Image Metadata Viewer | Web, server-side ExifTool | Any browser | Nearly everything, plus a map | View only | Yes |
| Exiv2 | Command-line tool and C++ library | Windows, macOS, Linux | EXIF, IPTC, XMP | Edits and strips | No |
| digiKam | Photo manager, uses Exiv2 | Windows, macOS, Linux | EXIF, IPTC, XMP | Edits in bulk | No |
| Windows File Explorer | Built in | Windows | Common fields | "Remove Properties and Personal Information" | No |
| macOS Preview and Photos | Built in | Mac | Common fields, GPS map | Photos can hide location when sharing | No |
| iPhone and Android share options | Built in | Phones | Location, date, device | Turn off location per share | No |
Yes, two kinds, and the difference matters for privacy.
Our EXIF Viewer runs entirely in your browser. It uses the open-source exifr library to read the photo from your disk, so the image never leaves your device. It reads the main image, EXIF and GPS blocks from JPEG, HEIC, AVIF, TIFF and PNG files: camera make and model, lens, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, date taken, software and coordinates. It flags GPS clearly when it finds it. What it doesn't do is decode XMP, IPTC captions or manufacturer maker notes, so it shows the fields most people look for rather than ExifTool's full dump.
Jeffrey's Image Metadata Viewer is the other classic. It runs ExifTool on its server, so you get close to the complete picture, plus a map pin and a breakdown of the camera settings. The catch is that you upload the photo, or give it a URL to fetch. That's fine for a picture already public on the web. It's a poor fit for a private photo of your kids or your house.
On Windows, ExifToolGUI is the long-standing choice. It's a separate free program that needs the ExifTool executable alongside it, then shows tags in panels you can click to edit, with batch options for things like shifting dates or copying GPS between files. It doesn't hide ExifTool's complexity entirely, but you don't have to remember any switches.
On macOS and Linux, there's no direct twin. digiKam is the most complete free option: a full photo manager built on the Exiv2 library, with bulk editing of captions, keywords, dates and locations. It's heavy if you only want to check one file. For quick checks on a Mac, Preview's inspector (Tools, then Show Inspector) has an EXIF tab and a GPS tab with a map.
The ExifTool way is exiftool -all= photo.jpg, which removes every writable tag and keeps the original as a backup copy. Without the command line, pick by volume:
See camera settings, date and GPS without installing anything. The photo is never uploaded.
Open EXIF ViewerMore than people expect, but less than the scare stories suggest. A photo taken on a phone with location turned on usually carries:
| Field | Example | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| GPS latitude and longitude | Often to 5 or 6 decimal places | Enough to pinpoint a house, sometimes a room |
| Date and time taken | To the second, sometimes with a time zone offset | Shows routines when combined across photos |
| Device make and model | Phone brand and model | Links photos back to one device |
| Lens and exposure | Focal length, f-number, ISO, shutter speed | Harmless, useful for photographers |
| Software | OS version or editing app | Reveals what edited the file |
The good news is that most big social platforms strip GPS from photos they display publicly. The bad news is that email attachments, messaging apps set to send the original file, cloud share links and many forums don't. Check before you send, not after.
If you work with metadata regularly, like a photographer fixing dates after a time-zone mix-up, an archivist, or someone doing open-source investigation, it's worth an afternoon. Nothing else reads as much or handles as many formats, and a single command can rename a thousand photos by date taken.
If you just want to know whether a photo gives away where you live, you don't need it. Drop the photo into the EXIF Viewer, and if GPS shows up, run it through the Image Metadata Remover before you share it.
ExifTool itself is command-line only, but several free programs put a window on top of it. ExifToolGUI is the best-known one for Windows, and ExifCleaner is a simple drag-and-drop cleaner for Windows, macOS and Linux that uses ExifTool under the hood.
Yes. It's been maintained by Phil Harvey for over two decades, it's free, and its source code is public. Download it from exiftool.org rather than a mirror site. Since it writes to files, test any editing or stripping command on copies first.
Yes. ToolAspect's EXIF Viewer reads the camera, exposure and GPS data in your browser without uploading the photo. Windows File Explorer (Properties, then Details) and Preview on a Mac (Tools, then Show Inspector) also show the common fields.
Most viewers read only the main EXIF and GPS blocks. ExifTool also decodes manufacturer maker notes, XMP, IPTC, ICC profiles and many file formats beyond images, which adds up to tens of thousands of possible tags. For a full forensic dump, ExifTool or a viewer built on it is still the reference.
For one photo, ToolAspect's Image Metadata Remover re-encodes the image in your browser so the EXIF, GPS and other blocks are dropped. For a batch, ExifCleaner lets you drag in a folder. ExifTool's own command for this is exiftool -all= followed by the file name, which keeps a backup copy by default.