Free · no upload

EXIF viewer for photo and video metadata

See every detail hidden in a file: where and when it was taken, the camera and lens, the settings, the apps that edited it and any AI tags. It’s read right here in your browser, so your photo never leaves your device.

No file handy? Try a sample:

What is EXIF data?

EXIF data (Exchangeable Image File Format, a CIPA standard) is the record a camera or phone writes into every photo it takes: when and where, with which device, and with what settings. Editing apps add more on top: XMP and IPTC fields for captions, copyright and edit history, and now C2PA Content Credentials that can record AI edits.

What the EXIF viewer shows

The viewer reads all of it and sorts it into plain groups:

Location37.8324° N, 122.4795° WGPS coordinates, altitude, the direction the camera faced
Date and timeJun 14, 2026, 8:41 PMWhen it was taken, edited and digitised, with time zone
Camera and lensiPhone 16 Pro · 24 mmMake, model, lens, serial number and owner name
Exposure1/640 s · f/1.8 · ISO 64Shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length, flash
Software and editsPhotoshop 26.0 · 3 editsThe apps that touched it and its XMP edit history
AI and credentialsC2PA · Generative FillContent Credentials, IPTC AI tags, AI prompts

Personal details, such as the location, serial number and owner name, are marked with a red dot, and Copy as text puts the whole report on your clipboard. Everything else it finds, down to rare camera tags, is listed under All XMP fields and Other tags.

How to find where a photo was taken

The viewer reads the GPS position the camera saved, the pin your phone wrote itself. When location is on, a phone stores GPS coordinates in each photo: latitude and longitude precise to a few metres, the altitude, and on iPhones the compass direction the camera was facing. Drop the photo into the viewer and the Location card shows the coordinates, with a link that opens the exact spot on a map.

No location in the result? The photo was most likely shared through an app that strips GPS, such as Instagram, Facebook or WhatsApp, or taken with location switched off. On iPhone and iPad, iOS also removes the location from photos you pick from the photo library in a browser. The original in your library still has it, so AirDrop it to a computer and check it there.

One photo from your gardenis a pin on your house.

That’s the first thing to check before you post a picture taken at home.

How to tell when a photo was really taken

A photo can carry several dates, and the one your computer shows is usually the wrong one:

  1. TakenDateTimeOriginal, written by the camera at the moment of capture. It stays the same when the file is copied or renamed, so it’s the date to trust over the one your computer shows.
  2. Time zoneOffsetTimeOriginal tells you whether 8:41 PM was local time in New York or in Tokyo.
  3. GPS timePhones also save the satellite time in UTC, a second clock to compare with the camera’s.
  4. ModifiedUpdated whenever an app saves the photo again. A gap between Taken and Modified means the file was re-saved, often after an edit.

The date in File Explorer or Finder is only when the file landed on that computer.

Check a photo for AI tags and edit history

Metadata is often the quickest way to tell how an image was made. The viewer’s AI and Content Credentials card shows:

  • C2PA Content Credentials: the app that made them (Photoshop, Firefly, ChatGPT and others) and the recorded actions, such as opened, edited or placed.
  • IPTC digital source type: the tag that marks an image as made or edited with generative AI (trainedAlgorithmicMedia or compositeWithTrainedAlgorithmicMedia). Google writes it into AI-edited photos and Meta reads it to show its “AI info” label.
  • AI prompts in PNG files: Stable Diffusion web UIs such as AUTOMATIC1111 and Forge save the full prompt and settings in a parameters field, and ComfyUI saves its whole workflow. Both show up as Generation data.
  • Edit history: Photoshop and Lightroom record each save in the XMP history, with the app and the time.

Try the AI-edited photo sample above to see all of these at once. Worried a real photo will get an “AI info” label? Our guide shows how to remove AI metadata from a photo.

How to view photo metadata on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac

Every system has a basic photo metadata viewer built in, so you can check EXIF data without extra apps:

On iPhone

  1. Open the photo in Photos.
  2. Swipe up, or tap ⓘ: camera, lens, settings and a map of the location.

On Android

  1. Open the photo in Google Photos or Gallery.
  2. Swipe up, or tap ⋮ → Details, for the date, camera and location.

On Windows

  1. Right-click the photo → Properties.
  2. Open the Details tab for the camera, dates and GPS.

On Mac

  1. Open the photo in Preview → Tools → Show Inspector.
  2. The ⓘ tab has EXIF and GPS sections.

Google Photos and iPhone Photos now flag some AI edits, but none of these show the XMP edit history, the full Content Credentials or AI prompts, so use the viewer above for the full picture. It works best on a computer, where a photo keeps everything it was saved with.

Is it safe to use an online EXIF viewer?

With most online viewers, your photo is uploaded to their server first, and with it your location, device and everything else you wanted to check. Read their privacy policy before you drop in anything personal.

This viewer works differently: the file is read by your own browser and never sent anywhere. You can test it yourself. Load this page, switch off your Wi-Fi and drop in a photo: it still works. The viewer is a single script, /js/viewer.js, that you can read yourself.

Found something you’d rather not share?

MetaClean removes it from the file itself, on your Mac or Windows PC. Pick Privacy clean for location, camera, dates, software and AI tags, or All removable for everything. It saves a clean copy next to the original, leaves the image itself untouched, and handles whole folders at once.

People are asking

Viewing photo metadata

Where was this photo taken?When was it really taken?Is it made with AI?Which camera took it?Is my photo uploaded?Does it read HEIC?Can I see video metadata?

EXIF viewer: your questions

What can metadata on a photo tell you?

Where it was taken (GPS coordinates, altitude and direction), when (date, time and time zone), with what (camera or phone model, lens and often a serial number), how (shutter speed, aperture, ISO), which apps edited it, who owns the rights, and whether AI was used to make or edit it.

How can I view EXIF data?

Drop the photo into the EXIF viewer at the top of this page and every field is listed in seconds: location, date taken, camera, lens, exposure settings, software, author and AI tags. You can also use Properties → Details on Windows, Preview → Tools → Show Inspector on a Mac, or swipe up on a photo in the iPhone Photos app.

Can I view EXIF data online without uploading my photo?

Yes. This viewer runs in your browser: the file is read on your own device and never sent anywhere. Once the page has loaded you can switch off your Wi-Fi and it keeps working.

Can you find the location of a photo from its metadata?

If the photo has GPS data, yes: the viewer shows the latitude and longitude, altitude and often the direction the camera was facing, with a link to open the spot on a map. Photos shared through most social apps and messengers arrive without GPS, because those apps remove it.

How do I find the actual date a photo was taken?

Look at the Taken field (EXIF DateTimeOriginal). It is written by the camera at the moment of capture and stays the same when the file is copied, unlike the file date your computer shows. The viewer also lists the time zone offset and the GPS time in UTC when the photo has them.

Why does my photo show almost no metadata?

Most likely the copy you checked was cleaned along the way. Screenshots, photos saved from social media or messengers, and many cloud downloads carry little or no EXIF. On iPhone and iPad, iOS also removes the location from photos you pick from the photo library in a browser, so check the original file on a computer to see everything.

Does the viewer work with HEIC photos and videos?

Yes. It reads JPG, PNG, HEIC and WebP photos, and MP4 and MOV videos, including the recording date, device and location that phones store in video files.

Can metadata show if an image was made or edited with AI?

Often, yes. The viewer shows C2PA Content Credentials and the app that signed them, the IPTC digital source type that marks generative AI, AI tool names in the metadata, and the prompt and settings that Stable Diffusion and ComfyUI save inside PNG files.

What is the best tool to view EXIF data?

For a quick check, a browser viewer that doesn't upload your photo, like this one. For scripting across thousands of files, ExifTool on the command line. To view and then remove the metadata, MetaClean on Mac or Windows.

Can anyone see my photo's metadata?

Anyone who gets the original file can, with any EXIF viewer, in a few seconds. That includes your location if GPS was on when you took the photo. To share a photo without it, remove the metadata first.

How do I remove EXIF data after viewing it?

Open the photo in MetaClean on your Mac or Windows PC and choose Privacy clean or All removable. It saves a clean copy, keeps the image itself untouched, and works on whole folders of photos and videos at once.

Seen what it says?
Now make it say nothing.

Remove location, camera details and AI tags from your photos and videos on your own Mac or PC. Free for 3 days, then $5 once.

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