How to Remove Location from Photos - Strip GPS from EXIF
A short, practical guide to removing GPS coordinates from a JPEG before you post it. If you've been wondering how to remove metadata from photos, you're in the right place. You can use the in-browser tool below, or follow the platform-specific tips further down for iPhone, Android, Windows, and macOS to effortlessly remove metadata from pictures.
Drag & drop your JPEG images here to remove location (up to 20)
or click to browse
Current Photo Metadata
Location Data Removed Successfully
Your photo is now private with all GPS location data stripped. Download your protected image.
Remove Location from a Photo on Each Platform
If you don't want to use the in-browser tool above, every major operating system has a built-in way to strip GPS coordinates from a JPEG. Pick the one that matches the device the photo lives on.
iPhone (iOS 15 and later)
- Open Photos and tap the photo you want to share.
- Tap the Share button (the square with an upward arrow), then tap Options at the top of the share sheet.
- Toggle Location off. The summary changes to "No Location".
- Tap Done, then choose how you want to share the photo. The shared copy has no GPS; the original in your library still does.
To remove the location from the original itself, open the photo, tap the i (info) button, then tap Adjust next to the location and choose No Location.
Android (Google Photos and stock gallery)
- Open Google Photos and tap the photo.
- Tap the Share button. At the bottom of the share sheet, tap "Remove location" if it appears (this option shows up when the photo has GPS data).
- If your gallery app doesn't offer this, open the photo's details (swipe up or tap the i icon), tap the location pin, and choose "Remove location".
- For Samsung Gallery: open the photo → tap the three-dot menu → Details → tap the pencil icon next to the location → Remove.
Note that on Android the change is usually applied to the file itself, not just the share copy - back up the original first if you want to preserve the GPS for your own records.
Windows 10 / 11
- Right-click the JPEG in File Explorer and choose Properties.
- Open the Details tab.
- At the bottom, click "Remove Properties and Personal Information".
- Choose "Create a copy with all possible properties removed" for a clean copy, or "Remove the following properties from this file" and tick the GPS-related fields (Latitude, Longitude, Altitude) to edit in place.
- Click OK. A new copy with the suffix -Copy appears in the same folder if you chose option A.
macOS (Preview)
- Open the JPEG in Preview.
- From the menu bar, choose Tools → Show Inspector (or press ⌘ I).
- Click the (i) tab, then the GPS sub-tab.
- Click "Remove Location Info" at the bottom.
- Save the file (File → Save). The GPS metadata is removed from the file in place.
Preview only shows the GPS tab when the photo actually contains GPS data - if the tab is missing, the photo is already clean.
Online (the tool on this page)
If you'd rather not use the device's built-in tools - for example, when the photo is on a different machine, or you want to clean a small batch at once - the editor at the top of this page does the same thing in a browser tab. Removing metadata from pictures and removing metadata from images has never been easier or more secure. The file never leaves your device. For the dedicated single-purpose page, see remove geotag from a photo.
Which Method Should You Use?
- Sharing from your phone: use the iOS/Android share-sheet option - it's the fastest and the original stays untouched.
- Cleaning a folder of files on a computer: Windows "Remove Properties" or the in-browser tool, depending on which is more convenient.
- You only have a JPEG, not the device that took it: the in-browser tool above is the simplest path.
- RAW files (.CR2, .NEF, .ARW, etc.): none of the methods above are designed for RAW. Use a desktop tool like ExifTool or your RAW converter's metadata panel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does removing the location actually delete it from the file?
It depends on the method. The iOS share-sheet toggle creates a clean copy and leaves the original alone. Windows offers both options. macOS Preview removes it in place when you save. The browser tool produces a new download, leaving your original on disk untouched.
If I post a photo to Instagram or Facebook, do I still need to do this?
For those two specific platforms, no - they re-encode uploads and discard EXIF as a side effect. But the same is not true of email, Messenger, WhatsApp's "send as document" option, Slack, Discord file uploads, AirDrop, or your own website. If the photo might leave your control through any of those channels, strip the location first.
Will any of these methods change the image quality?
No. They all edit the metadata header in the file; the JPEG pixel data is not re-encoded. Resolution, sharpness and colour are identical to the original.
What about altitude, direction, or the timestamp - are those removed too?
The dedicated location-removal options on iOS, Android and macOS strip the entire GPS sub-block, which includes latitude, longitude, altitude and direction. The timestamp lives in a different EXIF section and is preserved.
How do I check that the GPS is actually gone afterwards?
On Windows, right-click → Properties → Details and look for the GPS section (it should be empty). On macOS, open in Preview → Tools → Show Inspector - the GPS tab disappears when the data is removed. On the browser tool, re-upload the cleaned file: the metadata table will show no GPS rows.