How to Get Metadata for Instagram Photos (EXIF & XMP)

Instagram removes metadata from all uploaded photos. Here's how to find original versions that may still contain EXIF data and Lightroom edits.

Why Instagram Photos Don’t Have Metadata

Instagram strips all EXIF and XMP metadata from uploaded photos. This happens for two reasons:

  1. Privacy — Photos taken with smartphones often contain GPS coordinates, which could reveal users’ locations
  2. Bandwidth — Removing metadata reduces file sizes, saving storage and bandwidth costs

This means photos downloaded directly from Instagram won’t work with PixelPeeper or any other EXIF viewer — the metadata simply isn’t there.

How to Find Original Photos with Metadata

Since Instagram removes metadata, your goal is to find the original photo before it was uploaded. Here are several approaches:

1. Check the Photographer’s Website or Blog

Many photographers share the same images on their personal websites. Unlike Instagram, most photography websites preserve metadata in their images.

How to find their website:

  • Check their Instagram bio for a website link
  • Search their name + “photography” or “portfolio” on Google
  • Look for a Linktree or similar link aggregator in their bio

Once you find their site, use PixelPeeper’s Extract Images from Website tool to pull images and check for metadata.

Reverse image search can find other places where the same photo has been published — potentially with metadata intact.

How to do it:

  1. Download the image from Instagram (see instructions below)
  2. Go to Google Lens or Google Images
  3. Upload the image or drag it into the search box
  4. Browse results for the same photo on other websites
  5. Check those versions in PixelPeeper

Alternative search engines:

3. Check Flickr or 500px

Many photographers cross-post to Flickr or 500px, which preserve full metadata by default. Search for the photographer’s username on these platforms.

4. Look for Portfolio Platforms

Photographers often use portfolio platforms that preserve metadata:

  • Adobe Portfolio
  • SmugMug
  • Format
  • Squarespace (usually preserves metadata)

How to Download Images from Instagram

Instagram doesn’t provide a direct download button. Here are ways to get the image file:

Using PixelPeeper’s Extract Tool

The easiest method:

  1. Copy the Instagram post URL
  2. Go to Extract Images from Website
  3. Paste the URL and extract images

Using Browser Developer Tools

  1. Open the Instagram post in Chrome
  2. Press F12 or Cmd+Option+I to open Developer Tools
  3. Click the “Network” tab
  4. Filter by “Img” or search for “.jpg”
  5. Refresh the page and find the image URL
  6. Right-click the image URL and open in a new tab

Using Third-Party Tools

Various browser extensions and websites can download Instagram images. Be cautious with third-party tools and avoid anything requiring your Instagram login.

What If You Can’t Find the Original?

If you can’t find a version with metadata, you may still be able to learn from the photo:

  • Visual analysis — Study the colors, contrast, and tones to understand the editing style
  • Ask the photographer — Many are willing to share their editing approach if asked politely
  • Similar presets — Use PixelPeeper’s Preset Finder to find presets with similar characteristics

Understanding Instagram’s Compression

Beyond stripping metadata, Instagram also compresses and resizes images:

  • Maximum resolution: 1080px wide for feed posts
  • Aspect ratios: 1:1 (square), 4:5 (portrait), or 1.91:1 (landscape)
  • Quality: Compressed to reduce file size

This means even if you could recover metadata, the image itself is degraded from the original. For best results, always try to find the photographer’s original file.