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[ tool · 02 ] Image forensics

EXIF Metadata
Scrubber

Drop a JPEG.
The tool shows what's embedded (GPS coordinates, camera info, timestamps) and lets you download a clean copy with the metadata stripped.
The image is read and rewritten in your browser.

Runs in your browser Image stays on your device
[ 01 ]

Drop Image

Drop a JPEG here, or click to choose

JPEG only for now. PNG, HEIC, and TIFF are on the list.

Stays on your device · never uploaded

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About removing image metadata

JPEGs are made of marker segments. The picture itself lives in one of them; the rest carry metadata. EXIF (camera and GPS tags) lives in an APP1 segment. XMP (Adobe's XML metadata) often lives in another APP1 segment. Photoshop and IPTC data live in APP13. Adobe colour info lives in APP14. Free-form comments live in COM. None of these affect how the image renders — they're parallel data the viewer can read but doesn't have to display.

This tool strips all five of those metadata-carrying segments and writes a clean JPEG with the same pixels. The JFIF segment (which describes the image's basic dimensions and pixel layout) and any embedded ICC colour profile are kept, because removing those can change how the image renders in browsers and image editors. The result is a smaller file that looks identical and reveals nothing about how it was made.

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Common questions

Will the image look the same after scrubbing?

Yes. The scrub only touches metadata segments. The pixel data is untouched, so the image renders identically in any viewer. The JFIF header and ICC colour profile are kept so colours stay accurate across browsers.

Why is the file smaller after scrubbing?

Because all the metadata bytes are gone. A phone photo's EXIF alone is usually 4–20 KB; an XMP packet can be another few KB; thumbnails embedded in the EXIF can run higher. The size drop is the metadata size — the picture itself doesn't change.

Is JPEG the only supported format?

For now, yes. The parser is hand-rolled for the JPEG segment format. PNG, HEIC, and TIFF use different containers and would need their own scrubbers — they're on the list. For inspection (not stripping), the Metadata Viewer already reads all five.

Does the image leave my browser?

No. The file is read with FileReader, parsed in memory, rewritten without the metadata segments, and offered as a download — all in the page's JavaScript. The network panel in your browser's dev tools will show no outbound request after the page itself loads.