Meaning of EXIF Data
Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) is a standard which specifies various types of images and sound files. It also defines metadata that is to be associated with an image or sound file. EXIF metadata includes camera details like ISO speed, shutter speed, aperture, camera model, date and time, lens type and focal length etc. EXIF data of a file may also include location coordinates where a photo was clicked or sound was recorded. The process of adding geographic information to the EXIF data of a photograph is known as geotagging.
Why to Remove EXIF Data from Photos?
Geographic information related data could be personal in nature. Geotagged photos can reveal where exactly a photograph was taken. You may not want to disclose such a thing. If so, you should delete the location related EXIF data. Although not much, but removal of metadata reduces the size of images and thus helps in compression.
Remove EXIF Data on Windows Computers
To view and remove EXIF data in Windows:
TIP: In the Properties dialog, you can edit some of the properties if required. The editable property names will display a text box when you move the mouse pointer over them.
Remove ALL of the EXIF data
Since the built-in option in Windows does not delete all the EXIF data, you may want to try out a third party software. One of the most popular software to remove all of the EXIF data is the BatchPurifier. You can try out the free version before opting for the pro version. The free version supports removal only from the jpeg files. You can download the free version of BatchPurifier and after installing: BatchPurifier saves the ‘purified’ files in the output location specified by you. If you have a lot of photographs to process for EXIF data, it is better to use this software as it makes the whole task much easier.
Remove EXIF Data on Mac Computers
While it is easy to view and delete EXIF data on Windows, unfortunately that is not the case on Mac (surprising! Isn’t it?). On Mac, you can view the EXIF data but you cannot delete it. To delete this metadata from your photos, you have to opt for third party software on Mac. However, you can remove the all important location data from your photos in the Preview mode. To delete the photo location data:
Third party software on Mac to Remove EXIF data
To remove the other EXIF properties, you can use the simplest and the most popular software — ImageOptim. It has many preferences, that we recommend you to explore before you start using the software.
We advise that you backup your photos before you decide to remove the EXIF data. This is because the software removes all the metadata immediately after dropping them in the app. Though it is a time saver, you may want to save the metadata for later reference. ImageOptim is simple to use, you only need to drag and drop the images in the app to remove the EXIF data. The purified photos replace the original photos in the same location. Except for the basic information, the app removes almost all the EXIF data. Though a good app, it has its limitations. ImageOptim app does not allow you to edit the EXIF properties.
Preventing Geotagging on Android and iOS
As mentioned earlier except for the location related data all other contents of the metadata are useful and harmless. So, you may want to prevent your phone camera to stop gathering the location information and attach it to the photos you take. Let’s see how to do it.
Android
You can easily turn off the geotagging feature on Android devices.
Go to the Camera app > Settings > Save Location and toggle OFF the button. OR Go to Settings > Apps > Camera > Permissions > Locations and toggle OFF the button as displayed in the illustration below.
iOS
On an iOS device, open Settings > Privacy > Location Services > Camera > Never. Please note that simply turning off the location services will turn it off for every app. So, ensure that you explicitly select the apps for which you want to turn off the location services. In our case, I selected Camera from the list of available options as displayed in the illustration below.
You can always enable the option if required at any time. Besides disabling the geolocation feature on your Android device, if you wish to edit or delete the metadata, you can install the Photo Exif Editor app. Using this app you can select a photo and edit its metadata or remove it as required. I came across mixed reviews for the app. However, when I used it on my Samsung J5, I could edit and delete the selected metadata without encountering any problems.
Similarly, if you want to edit or delete the metadata on your iOS device you can opt for the Metadata Remover app available with in-app purchase. You can also opt for the full version of the Metapho app available for $2.99. The Metadata Remover allows you to delete the metadata and save a copy minus the EXIF data. The Metapho app allows you to select the data that you want to delete or edit. Should you have any question on this topic, please feel free to ask in the comments section. We, at TechWelkin and our reader community will try to assist you. Thank you for using TechWelkin!
