Did you know that cameras embed hidden and potentially risky information into every picture you snap? As it turns out, mindlessly uploading your pictures on the Web can ultimately make you unnecessarily vulnerable. You need to know that every photo you take comes with EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) data. While it’s generally practical and harmless, the information it bears could be used by malicious individuals to annoy or stalk you. Below, we’ll teach you how to remove GPS from your photos.
What Information Does the EXIF Data Divulge?
At the most basic level, the EXIF data embeds technical details into the image. It makes it easy to see how each photo was taken so you can study and recreate the snapshot. The technical information may include some or all of the following: camera model, camera serial number, time, compression type, ISO settings, flash mode, pixel resolution, even GPS coordinates.
Overall, the EXIF data is innocent and well-intentioned. The GPS detail, however, could easily compromise your personal security and privacy, especially when such information ends up in the hands of wrongdoers. In case you don’t want anyone to know where you work or live exactly, you might want to know how to remove the GPS from your photos.
Here are the ways to do it:
Remove GPS from your photos on Windows
The OS actually has a straightforward, built-in method for clearing/editing the EXIF. The good thing about this method is that you can use it to remove metadata off multiple snaps simultaneously.
- Open File Explorer (press Windows key + E ) and look for the image you want to work on.
- Right-click on the photo. Select Properties > Details tab.
- At the bottom click the “Remove Properties and Personal Information” option. This will open the EXIF removal tool.
- Choose whether to create a copy of the photo with all metadata deleted or select what individual details to erase.
You may also use Photoshop or GIMP to remove EXIF data. They’re your best option if you already use such software extensively for post-production photo editing. However, we don’t recommend downloading or buying these programs if you’re not seriously pursuing photography as a hobby/profession.
Remove GPS from your photos on Mac
When you’re using Mac OS X and newer versions, the good news is that the new Preview app is capable of removing EXIF.
- Open your photo in Preview.
- Go to Tools in the menu bar.
- Select Show Inspector and hit the (i) icon to access the info panel.
- Select the GPS sub-tab to see “Remove Location Info” button. Click on that option.
- Save the photo.
You can also use separate, free apps like IMT Exif Remover to scrub sensitive details off the EXIF metadata.
Removing GPS from your photos in the future
If you want, you can exclude the location data of your photos entirely. On iOS, go to Settings > Privacy > then Location Services. From there, toggle the Camera option to off. As for the latest stock Android camera app, swipe from the left then tap the cog icon (Settings). Afterward, turn off the “Save location” option.
A Sigh of Relief for Social Media Aficionados
There may be no need to remove GPS from your photos for each your pictures, especially when you plan to share them on any of the most popular social media platforms. Based on the tests we’ve done so far, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter automatically remove EXIF data. Flickr, meanwhile, gives you the option to keep or discard GPS data during the upload process. Such sites often delete EXIF by default. The only two we know that don’t follow this trend are Tumblr and Google+.
Scrub off the geotagging data baked into the images you share online when you’re not comfortable with the thought of divulging your exact whereabouts. Although there are a handful of apps/methods to do the job, you now know how to remove GPS from your photos easily.
