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        <ol class="crumbs"><li><a href="/">Untrace</a></li><li><a href="/guides/">Guides</a></li><li aria-current="page">How to remove EXIF data from photos on Windows and Mac</li></ol>
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          <h1>How to remove EXIF data from photos on Windows and Mac</h1>
          <p class="lead">Both Windows and macOS can remove some photo metadata without extra software. Here is what each built-in tool does, where it falls short, and a method that works the same on either system.</p>
          <p class="meta">Updated 2026-10-20 · Written by the Untrace team</p>
<h2>Windows: remove properties from a file</h2>
<ol>
<li>Right-click the photo and choose Properties.</li>
<li>Open the Details tab and select Remove Properties and Personal Information.</li>
<li>Choose Create a copy with all possible properties removed, or pick the properties to remove from the original, then select OK.</li>
</ol>
<p>Windows removes the properties it knows about. It can leave behind blocks it does not display, so check the result if the photo is sensitive.</p>
<h2>Mac: remove location in Preview</h2>
<ol>
<li>Open the photo in Preview.</li>
<li>Choose Tools, then Show Inspector, and open the Info tab.</li>
<li>Select the GPS tab and choose Remove Location Info.</li>
<li>Save the file.</li>
</ol>
<p>This removes GPS coordinates only. Camera and timestamp details stay in the file.</p>
<h2>Mac: leave location out when you export from Photos</h2>
<p>In Photos, choose File, Export, then Export Photo, and clear the Location Information option before exporting. The exported copy has no coordinates, and the original in your library is unchanged.</p>
<h2>Any computer: clean everything in your browser</h2>
<ol>
<li>Open <a href="/#tool">Untrace</a> and drop in one photo or up to 50.</li>
<li>Review what each file hides.</li>
<li>Choose Clean image, then download the files or one ZIP.</li>
</ol>
<p>Untrace re-encodes the picture to pixels, so every metadata block is left behind, not just the ones the operating system lists. The files stay on your computer.</p>
<div class="callout"><p><strong>Command line.</strong> If you already use ExifTool, <code>exiftool -all= photo.jpg</code> removes all metadata from a file. It keeps a backup copy named photo.jpg_original unless you add <code>-overwrite_original</code>.</p></div>
<div class="cta"><p><strong>See what your own photo is hiding.</strong> Untrace lists every metadata block, then removes it, all inside your browser.</p><a class="btn btn-primary" href="/#tool">Scan a photo</a></div>
          <h2>Common questions</h2>
          <h3>Does renaming or compressing a photo remove EXIF data?</h3><p>Renaming does not. Compressing or re-saving can, but it depends on the app, so confirm by checking the result.</p><h3>Is removing EXIF data reversible?</h3><p>No. Once the metadata is gone from the copy, it cannot be rebuilt from that copy. Keep the original if you want the details for yourself.</p>
          <nav class="related" aria-label="Related guides"><h2>Keep reading</h2><ul><li><a href="/guides/remove-gps-from-photo/">How to remove GPS location from a photo</a></li><li><a href="/guides/remove-exif-data-iphone/">How to remove EXIF data from photos on iPhone</a></li><li><a href="/guides/remove-exif-data-android/">How to remove EXIF and location data from photos on Android</a></li><li><a href="/guides/how-to-view-exif-data/">How to view the EXIF data of a photo</a></li><li><a href="/guides/do-social-media-sites-remove-exif-data/">Do social media sites remove EXIF data from photos?</a></li><li><a href="/guides/photo-metadata-privacy-checklist/">Photo metadata privacy checklist</a></li><li><a href="/guides/what-is-exif-data/">What is EXIF data?</a></li><li><a href="/guides/what-is-c2pa/">What is C2PA and how do Content Credentials work?</a></li></ul></nav>
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