PixelPeeper

How to Remove EXIF data?

There are many reasons why you might want to strip EXIF data from your photos. Here's how you can do it.

Before we proceed, make sure you understand the tradeoffs: Why You Shouldn‘t Remove Metadata from Your Photos

Removing Exif data from photos without affecting image quality or re-compressing the image is essential. Here are a few methods you can use to achieve this:

  1. ExifTool (Windows, macOS, Linux):

    ExifTool is a powerful, free, and cross-platform command-line tool for reading, writing, and editing metadata in image files. To remove Exif data using ExifTool, follow these steps:

    1. Download and install ExifTool from the official website (https://exiftool.org/).
    2. Open a terminal (Command Prompt on Windows, Terminal on macOS, or your preferred terminal on Linux).
    3. Navigate to the folder containing the image using the 'cd' command.
    4. Type the following command, replacing 'input.jpg' with your image's filename, and 'output.jpg' with the desired output filename: exiftool -all= -overwrite_original input.jpg -o output.jpg

      This command will create a new file without Exif data while preserving image quality.

  2. Exif Purge (Windows):

    Exif Purge is a simple and free Windows utility for batch removing Exif data from images without re-compressing them.

    1. Download Exif Purge from the official website (https://www.exifpurge.com/).
    2. Install and run the application.
    3. Click on "Add Files" to select the images you want to remove Exif data from, or drag and drop them into the application window.
    4. Choose an output folder by clicking "Browse" next to the "Save Files In" box.
    5. Click "Purge Exif Data" to process the images and remove Exif data while maintaining image quality.

  3. ImageOptim (macOS):

    ImageOptim is a free macOS application that optimizes images without re-compressing them, and it can also remove Exif data.

    1. Download ImageOptim from the official website (https://imageoptim.com/mac).
    2. Install and run the application.
    3. In the preferences menu, make sure "Lossless optimizations" is enabled, and under "Metadata," select "Remove metadata (Exif, XMP, etc.)."
    4. Drag and drop your images into the ImageOptim window. The application will process the images, removing Exif data without re-compressing them.

    IMPORTANT: Remember to make backups of your original files before removing Exif data, as the process is irreversible.