How to Geotag Photos Natively on Windows 10 & 11
Windows operating systems offer native tools to view and modify metadata, including geographic coordinates, directly from File Explorer. This guide provides a step-by-step walkthrough to geotag photos on Windows without installing any third-party programs.
Step 1: Open Photo Properties
Navigate to the folder containing your JPEG images. Right-click the photo you wish to geotag and select Properties from the context menu (or press Alt + Enter).
Step 2: Access the Details Tab
In the Properties window, click on the Details tab. This tab displays all EXIF, IPTC, and XMP metadata fields currently embedded in the file, such as camera details, capture date, and location coordinates.
Step 3: Modify GPS Coordinates
Scroll down to the GPS section. You will see fields for Latitude and Longitude. Click on the text box next to these fields and type the coordinates in Decimal Degrees (e.g., 40.7128 for New York Latitude) or DMS format. If coordinates already exist, you can edit them or clear them completely.
Step 4: Save Changes
Click Apply and then OK to write the new GPS data directly into the JPEG file header. Your photo is now permanently geotagged!
Need to edit your photo locations instantly?
Try our free browser-based GPS Photo Editor. Add coordinates, pick a spot on the map, or strip metadata right in your browser without uploading anything.
Limitations of Windows Native Geotagging
While native Windows tools are helpful for quick edits to single images, they have several major limitations:
- No Interactive Map: You must manually find and copy the exact latitude and longitude coordinates from Google Maps or another service. Windows does not provide a visual map picker.
- Limited Format Support: Windows native metadata editor works reliably only on JPEGs. Editing coordinates for PNG, WebP, or HEIC files natively often fails or strips other metadata segments.
- No Bulk Processing: You cannot easily apply custom coordinates to a batch of 50 photos with individual adjustments without repeating the manual process for each file.
For more advanced or batch tasks, using a client-side tool like our Free Online GPS Editor is recommended as it runs entirely in your browser with 0% server uploads.