How to remove EXIF and location metadata from iPhone photos

Every photo you take on an iPhone carries a small file of hidden information. Most of the time that is useful: Photos can sort your pictures by place and date. When you share a photo with a stranger, a buyer or the internet, it can reveal far more than you intended, including exactly where you live.

What EXIF metadata contains

EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a standard for storing information inside an image file alongside the pixels. On an iPhone photo it can include:

Field	Example	Why it matters
GPS coordinates	Latitude and longitude, often accurate to a few metres	Can reveal your home, workplace or a child’s school
Date and time	The moment the shutter fired	Shows routines and when you were somewhere
Device	Make and model	Narrows down who took it
Lens and settings	Front or back camera, focal length, exposure	Minor, but adds to a fingerprint
Software	iOS version or editing app	Shows which device or app processed it
Orientation	Rotation flag	Harmless, but needed to display it correctly

Photos can also carry XMP and IPTC data (captions, edit history, keywords). HEIC, the iPhone’s default format, stores similar information.

Four ways to control metadata on iPhone

1. Remove location when you share

This is the quickest habit to build, and it works per share.

1. In Photos, select one or more photos and tap Share.
2. At the top of the share sheet, under the selection summary, tap Options.
3. Turn off Location. Depending on your iOS version you may also see options for other photo data, such as captions, or for sending as an original file.
4. Tap Done, then share as usual.

The setting applies to that share only; your original keeps its location. It works for Messages, Mail, AirDrop and most apps that receive photos through the share sheet.

2. Remove location from the photo itself

If you want the location gone from the photo in your library:

1. Open the photo in Photos.
2. Swipe up, or tap the Info (ⓘ) button.
3. Tap Adjust next to the location or map.
4. Choose No Location.

You can select several photos and adjust their location together on recent iOS versions. Labels can vary slightly between iOS 18 and iOS 26; look for the location field in the Info panel.

3. Stop the camera recording location

To prevent new photos from storing GPS at all:

1. Open Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services.
2. Tap Camera.
3. Choose Never.

You will lose location-based features in Photos, like the map view and place-based Memories, for new photos. Some people switch it off only while travelling or at home.

4. Use a metadata remover for everything else

The share sheet focuses on location. If you also want to remove the date, device model and other embedded data, use a dedicated tool. Our Photo Metadata Remover runs entirely in your browser, so nothing is uploaded. It shows what a JPEG contains (camera, lens, date, software, orientation and GPS coordinates), then redraws the pixels into a new JPEG that drops EXIF, GPS, XMP, IPTC and other embedded metadata.

A few things to know: re-encoding can change the file size slightly; HEIC works only where the browser can open it (such as Safari); and when you pick a photo in Safari on iPhone, iOS may already convert HEIC to JPEG.

The screenshot trick, and why it’s a blunt tool

A common tip is to screenshot a photo and share the screenshot. A screenshot is a brand-new image, so it doesn’t carry the original’s GPS coordinates. But:

• it is lower resolution than the original and may be cropped oddly,
• it can capture the status bar, notifications or other parts of the screen,
• it has its own metadata (such as the date it was taken and the device),
• it is easy to forget and share the original instead.

It works in a pinch. For anything important, use the share-sheet option or a metadata remover.

Metadata can’t be recalled

Removing metadata only changes the copy you are editing. If you already posted, sent or uploaded the original, the recipient’s copy keeps whatever it had. Some platforms strip metadata on upload; many messaging and file-sharing routes don’t. Assume anything you shared in the past still carries its original data.

Also remember what metadata isn’t. Faces, house numbers, number plates, shop signs, a distinctive view or a reflection in a window can identify a place just as well as GPS.

Which apps can read the metadata?

Any app you give full photo access to can read the metadata of every photo in your library, including location. Limiting apps to selected photos reduces that exposure. See which apps can see your photos for how photo permissions work on iOS.

Where Velcrypt fits

Velcrypt doesn’t edit photos or remove metadata; it protects them. Photos you import into a vault are encrypted on your iPhone with AES-256-GCM, so their contents, including any embedded metadata, can’t be read by other apps or by someone browsing your library. If you keep private photos, combining both habits works well: strip location before sharing, and keep the originals in an encrypted vault. See hiding photos on iPhone and storing intimate photos safely.