How do I view the EXIF data of a photo?
Drop the photo onto this page. A summary shows the camera, lens, date taken, software and GPS location, and a full list of every field opens underneath. Nothing is uploaded.
EXIF viewer: see what a photo reveals
Check the camera, date and location inside any photo.
Your files never leave this device.
An EXIF viewer shows the data a camera or phone hides inside a photo: the device and lens, the date and time, the editing software and often the exact GPS location. Drop a photo here to read all of it. The file is read in your browser and never uploaded, and nothing changes unless you choose to clean it.
How to use
- Drop a photo or PDF onto the box, or paste an image.
- Read the summary: location, camera, date taken, software.
- Open the full list of fields to see everything that was found.
- Leave the file as it is, or clean it if you plan to share it.
Frequently asked questions
How can I find out where a photo was taken?
If the photo contains GPS data, the viewer shows its latitude and longitude and a link to see the point on a map. Opening that link contacts a public map service. Photos without GPS data show no location.
How do I find out when a photo was taken?
Check the date taken field in the summary. It is the time the camera recorded, which can differ from the date the file was saved or sent. If the camera clock was wrong, the date will be wrong too.
Which camera or phone took this picture?
The camera field shows the make and model the device wrote into the file, and the lens when it was recorded. Pictures that have been edited, converted or sent through some apps may no longer contain it.
Why does my photo show no EXIF data?
The metadata was probably removed. Many apps, screenshots, converters and compressors write new files without it, and some messaging apps strip it. A message saying nothing was found simply means the file carries no metadata.
Does viewing EXIF data change the photo?
No. The page only reads the file. It stays exactly as it was unless you press the button to remove the metadata and download a cleaned copy.
Can I check metadata in a PDF or an AI-generated image?
Yes. PDF author, title and dates are shown, as are text fields stored in PNG files, which some AI image tools use for the prompt. Whether anything is there depends on the program that made the file.
What does the EXIF data in a photo contain?
EXIF is a block of information that cameras and phones write into a picture file. It usually names the make and model of the device, the lens, the exposure settings, the orientation and the date and time. Phones with location turned on also record GPS coordinates, and sometimes altitude. You cannot see any of this when you look at the photo, but it travels with the file.
Other kinds of metadata can sit alongside it. XMP and IPTC blocks are written by editing and publishing programs and may include an author or a caption. PNG files can carry text fields, and PDFs have document properties such as the author and the producing program.
Why check a photo before sharing it?
A photo of your living room can show where you live, and a picture of an item for sale can show your home address. The viewer highlights the sensitive fields so that you see them at a glance. Photos sent as files by email, through cloud links or posted to a website often keep this data, so look before you send.
A quick check is also useful the other way around. When someone sends you a picture, the date taken and the camera can help you judge where it came from, though they are never proof, because the data can be missing or edited.
What can I tell from the date and camera fields?
The date taken is the moment the camera recorded, using the clock set on that device, so a camera with the wrong time gives the wrong date. The software field names the program that last saved the file: a phone model or camera firmware points to a photo straight from the device, while an editing program points to changes. Treat both as clues, not verdicts, because metadata is easy to remove and can be edited.
When the date or location is missing from a photo that should have it, the usual causes are a messaging app that strips metadata, a screenshot, or location access switched off in the camera settings.
What do I do if I find location data I do not want to share?
If the viewer shows GPS coordinates, you can clean the file right here and download a copy with the metadata removed. The dedicated remove GPS from photo page explains the process step by step, and the full metadata remover covers batches and PDFs. If the picture still shows faces or street signs, the blur and redact tool can hide them too.
How it compares
| This tool | Upload-based services | |
|---|---|---|
| Do files leave your device? | No | Yes |
| Account required | No | Often |
| Daily limit | None | Often |
| Watermark | None | Sometimes |
Limits and privacy
- Missing data does not prove a photo is untouched or fake; many tools remove metadata, and some data can be edited.
- The date and location are only what the device wrote, so a wrong camera clock or a turned-off GPS gives wrong or empty values.
- HEIC and AVIF files can be viewed and cleaned by converting them to JPEG; TIFF files can be viewed here but not cleaned, so save them as JPEG in another app first.
Standards and sources
Use it in your AI assistant
Assistants cannot read the hidden data in an image. With the local MCP server, the file_metadata tool lets an assistant report when and where a photo was taken and which camera made it, for files on your computer.