What is EXIF data and where does it come from?

EXIF is metadata that cameras and phones embed inside image files at the moment a photo is taken: make and model, exposure settings, capture date, software, and — when location services are on — GPS coordinates. Editing apps often add or modify entries too. It rides along invisibly whenever the full file is copied or sent.

Which fields does the viewer show?

It parses the main image block, the EXIF block, and the GPS block — the fields people actually look for: Make, Model, Orientation, ExposureTime, FNumber, ISO, and GPS data, with coordinates converted to decimal latitude and longitude rows. Values are translated to readable form, so an orientation code of 6 shows as “Rotate 90 CW”. Fields that decode into complex structures — including dates, which parse as date objects, and raw degree-minute-second arrays — are omitted from the simple table.

Which file types can it read?

JPEG, TIFF, PNG, HEIC, and AVIF. Because the parser reads the metadata bytes directly instead of decoding the picture, it can inspect HEIC photos from iPhones even in browsers that can’t display HEIC images at all.

Why does it say no EXIF metadata was found?

Plenty of images genuinely have none: screenshots, graphics exported from design tools, images produced by canvas-based editors, and photos passed through services that strip metadata. Most large social platforms remove EXIF — including GPS — on upload, so a photo re-downloaded from social media usually comes back clean.

Does viewing the metadata change my file?

No — this is a read-only inspection. The tool parses the file’s bytes in memory and displays what it finds; it never rewrites, re-saves, or modifies the original. To actually strip metadata out of a file, use the EXIF Remover tool instead.

Does it show maker notes and every possible tag?

No. Maker notes and user comments — large, camera-proprietary binary blobs — are sanitized out of the output, and optional blocks such as XMP, IPTC, and ICC color profiles aren’t parsed in this configuration. What remains covers the standard photographic and GPS fields, which is where the interesting (and privacy-relevant) information lives.

Is my photo uploaded to read its EXIF?

No — parsing happens entirely on your device, and the tool reads only the small header chunks where metadata lives (the first 64 KB, plus a few more chunks if needed) rather than your whole photo. Nothing is transmitted or stored. Remember the flip side: anyone you send the original photo to can run the same check, so inspect before you share.

EXIF Viewer

Inspect the EXIF metadata (camera, date, GPS) stored in a photo — read entirely on your device.

Runs in your browser — files never leave your device

Drop a photo, or click to chooseMetadata is read on your device

How it works

Drop a photo and the tool reads its metadata directly from the file’s bytes using the exifr parsing library — no upload, and no need to decode the image itself. It reads in small chunks starting with the first 64 KB, which is where EXIF lives in practice, so even very large files are inspected almost instantly. JPEG, TIFF, PNG, HEIC, and AVIF files are all supported, including iPhone HEIC photos in browsers that can’t even display them.

The table lists the standard fields from the image, EXIF, and GPS sections with names and values translated into readable form: Make and Model identify the camera or phone, ExposureTime, FNumber, and ISO describe the shot, and Orientation appears as text such as “Rotate 90 CW” rather than a numeric code. The viewer shows the plain text and numeric values; entries that decode into complex structures — dates and raw degree-minute-second coordinate arrays — are left out of the table.

GPS is the headline item. Cameras store position as degrees, minutes, and seconds; the tool converts that to the decimal form you can paste straight into a map. A photo tagged 48°51′29.79″ N appears as a latitude row reading 48.858275 — precise enough to identify a street address, which is exactly why this field matters.

Everything runs in your browser, so checking a sensitive image doesn’t itself leak it. The realistic risk is in sharing: photos sent as files — email, cloud drives, some messengers — usually carry their EXIF with them, GPS included, while most social platforms strip it on upload. If a photo you’re about to share shows latitude and longitude rows here, strip them first with the EXIF Remover.

Frequently asked questions

What is EXIF data and where does it come from?: EXIF is metadata that cameras and phones embed inside image files at the moment a photo is taken: make and model, exposure settings, capture date, software, and — when location services are on — GPS coordinates. Editing apps often add or modify entries too. It rides along invisibly whenever the full file is copied or sent.
Which fields does the viewer show?: It parses the main image block, the EXIF block, and the GPS block — the fields people actually look for: Make, Model, Orientation, ExposureTime, FNumber, ISO, and GPS data, with coordinates converted to decimal latitude and longitude rows. Values are translated to readable form, so an orientation code of 6 shows as “Rotate 90 CW”. Fields that decode into complex structures — including dates, which parse as date objects, and raw degree-minute-second arrays — are omitted from the simple table.
Which file types can it read?: JPEG, TIFF, PNG, HEIC, and AVIF. Because the parser reads the metadata bytes directly instead of decoding the picture, it can inspect HEIC photos from iPhones even in browsers that can’t display HEIC images at all.
Why does it say no EXIF metadata was found?: Plenty of images genuinely have none: screenshots, graphics exported from design tools, images produced by canvas-based editors, and photos passed through services that strip metadata. Most large social platforms remove EXIF — including GPS — on upload, so a photo re-downloaded from social media usually comes back clean.
Does viewing the metadata change my file?: No — this is a read-only inspection. The tool parses the file’s bytes in memory and displays what it finds; it never rewrites, re-saves, or modifies the original. To actually strip metadata out of a file, use the EXIF Remover tool instead.
Does it show maker notes and every possible tag?: No. Maker notes and user comments — large, camera-proprietary binary blobs — are sanitized out of the output, and optional blocks such as XMP, IPTC, and ICC color profiles aren’t parsed in this configuration. What remains covers the standard photographic and GPS fields, which is where the interesting (and privacy-relevant) information lives.
Is my photo uploaded to read its EXIF?: No — parsing happens entirely on your device, and the tool reads only the small header chunks where metadata lives (the first 64 KB, plus a few more chunks if needed) rather than your whole photo. Nothing is transmitted or stored. Remember the flip side: anyone you send the original photo to can run the same check, so inspect before you share.

EXIF Viewer

How it works

Frequently asked questions

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