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How to strip EXIF on every platform

Each OS exposes a different metadata-strip path; results vary in completeness Windows 11 Right-click → Properties → Details tab → "Remove Properties and Personal Info" → remove from this file strips most EXIF/IPTC/XMP leaves ICC profile single file at a time macOS Photos → Export → Export → "Include: None" for IPTC/keywords/location Preview → Tools → Show Inspector → GPS tab → "Remove location info" Photos strips most Preview only strips GPS iOS 13+ Photos → select photo → Share button → "Options" at top → "Location: Off" → also "All Photos Data" toggle for full strip strips EXIF, GPS, and Live Photo metadata Android (varies) Google Photos: share → Remove location Files app: long-press → Details → Edit → clear fields Per-app behavior: Samsung Gallery / Pixel Photos / OnePlus differ

Every modern OS has a built-in way to strip image metadata, but the mechanics differ by vendor and version. None of the built-ins strip everything — they're aimed at the obvious privacy risk (GPS) and leave technical EXIF, IPTC keywords, or XMP edit history behind. Below: the actual menu paths.

Windows 10 / 11

Right-click the image file in File Explorer, choose Properties, switch to the Details tab. At the bottom: Remove Properties and Personal Information. The dialog offers two options — "Create a copy with all possible properties removed" or "Remove the following properties from this file" with checkboxes per field group.

Windows strips EXIF, IPTC IIM, and XMP fields it recognises, but leaves ICC color profiles intact (they're not metadata in the privacy sense). Works one file at a time; no native batch mode.

macOS — three paths, three results

The most thorough is the Photos app: select a photo, File → Export → Export n Photos…, set Include to None for IPTC, keywords, and location. The exported copy is fully stripped.

The Preview app can only strip GPS: open the file, Tools → Show Inspector → click the GPS tab if present → "Remove location info" button. Other EXIF fields stay.

The Finder doesn't expose a strip command. Right-click → Get Info shows metadata but doesn't edit it.

iOS 13 and newer

Apple added a critical setting in iOS 13: when you tap Share, an Options control appears at the top of the share sheet. Open it, toggle Location: Off. The shared copy goes out without GPS. The All Photos Data toggle, when off, additionally suppresses Live Photo motion + audio and some EXIF fields.

iOS 15+ exposes a deeper option in Photos → select photo → ⓘ → Adjust: you can change or clear the captured location and the date/time stored in the file itself, not just for the share. Useful for photos already in the library.

Android — depends on your phone

Google Photos: open photo → Share → before sending, tap the menu and choose Remove location. Strips GPS but leaves other EXIF.

The system Files app (Android 11+) supports a metadata strip: long-press the image → Details → pencil icon → clear the fields you don't want. Coverage depends on the phone's OEM.

Samsung Gallery, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and other vendor apps each have their own variants. The one universal advice: strip before sharing rather than relying on the receiving app to strip on upload — that's not always done.

Batch jobs and paranoid mode

The OS-built-in tools strip one file at a time and leave a few fields behind. For batch processing or full strip:

Verify after stripping

Run the stripped file through our viewer. The expected result: no GPS, no Make/Model, no DateTimeOriginal, no Software field, no XMP packet. If any of those still appear, the strip step missed them — common after using only the GPS-only options on macOS Preview or some Android share sheets.