How safe are your photos?

EXIF metadata privacy scanner

Select Photos
Up to 20 / JPEG, PNG, HEIC
Files never leave your device

Why is this dangerous?

Location Tracking

GPS data in photos reveals where you live and work

Route Reconstruction

Multiple photos with timestamps expose your daily movements

Timestamp Exposure

Exact date and time reveal your daily routine and schedule

Device & Software ID

Camera make and model, lens serial number, and editing software version can uniquely identify the photographer across multiple photos posted on different platforms — even anonymously

Copyright & Owner Info

Author name, copyright notices, and creator data embedded in photos can directly reveal your real identity — even when you post photos under a pseudonym or anonymous account

How does it work?

1

Select your photos (up to 20 at once) and the browser instantly parses all EXIF metadata using the open-source ExifReader library

2

PrivaScan automatically analyzes and color-codes risk levels for GPS location data, device identification, timestamps, and copyright information

3

Safely removes selected metadata and downloads clean photos

How your data is processed

PrivaScan uses the open-source ExifReader JavaScript library to perform all metadata analysis and removal entirely within your browser's memory. Files are never sent to any server at any point in the process. All data is completely cleared from browser memory when you close the tab. The only external communication is the optional GPS-to-address conversion: when you click to see a readable address, only the GPS coordinate numbers are sent to the OpenStreetMap Nominatim API — the photo file itself is never transmitted.

What is PrivaScan?

PrivaScan is a free, browser-based photo privacy scanner that detects and removes hidden EXIF metadata from your photos. Every digital photo contains invisible embedded data — GPS coordinates accurate to within meters, device serial numbers, precise capture timestamps, and sometimes your real name — that can be used to track and identify you. This matters most when you post images publicly: selling an item on a marketplace, listing a property, sharing on social media, or matching on a dating app can all silently broadcast your home address through a single picture. PrivaScan analyzes this metadata, displays exactly what is exposed (including an interactive map showing photo locations), assigns a clear risk score, and safely removes it before you share. It supports JPEG, PNG, and HEIC/HEIF files from any phone or camera, processes up to 20 photos at once, and requires no installation, no sign-up, and no upload — the cleaned copy downloads straight back to your device.

How to Use PrivaScan (3 Steps)

  1. 1

    Upload Your Photos

    Drag and drop or click to select up to 20 JPEG, PNG, or HEIC photos. All files are loaded directly into your browser's memory — nothing is uploaded to any server. Processing begins immediately.

  2. 2

    Review Privacy Risks

    PrivaScan analyzes each photo's EXIF metadata and displays a color-coded risk score. It detects and maps GPS location (with an interactive map preview), device make and model, serial numbers, precise timestamps, and copyright/author data.

  3. 3

    Remove & Download

    Choose which metadata to remove — 'Remove All' for maximum privacy or 'Location Only' to strip just GPS coordinates — then download your clean photos. The original files on your device are never modified.

Why Browser-Based Processing Is Safer

Unlike most online metadata removal tools that require you to upload your photos to remote servers — where files may be stored, analyzed, or exposed in a breach — PrivaScan processes everything locally in your browser using the open-source ExifReader JavaScript library. Your photos never leave your device. There is no server to hack, no employee who can access your images, and all data is automatically cleared from browser memory when you close the tab. Because the tool is open-source and runs entirely client-side, you don't have to take this on trust: open your browser's DevTools Network tab while you scan and you will see that no photo upload request is ever made. That is a fundamental difference from server-based 'EXIF remover' websites, where your images — and the precise location data inside them — must pass through and be stored on infrastructure you don't control.

Frequently Asked Questions

EXIF data is hidden information automatically embedded in every digital photo by the camera or smartphone. It can include GPS coordinates revealing exactly where you live and work, camera serial numbers that identify you across photos posted on different sites, precise timestamps showing your daily schedule, lens and software information, and even your name and copyright data in the file header.
Yes. PrivaScan works with JPEG, PNG, and HEIC/HEIF formats from any device including iPhones, Android smartphones, and dedicated digital cameras. It runs in any modern browser on both desktop and mobile without requiring any app installation or account creation.
No. PrivaScan removes only the metadata stored in the file headers — the actual pixel data that makes up the visible image remains completely untouched. Your photo will look absolutely identical to the original, just without the invisible tracking and identification data.
Yes. PrivaScan offers two removal modes: 'Remove All' strips all EXIF metadata for maximum privacy, while 'Location Only' removes exclusively the GPS coordinates while preserving other useful data like camera settings, exposure information, and timestamps if you want to keep those.
Yes. PrivaScan is completely free with no account required, no watermarks, and no usage limits. All metadata scanning and removal happens locally in your browser, so your photos are never uploaded to any server. You can verify this in your browser's DevTools Network tab.
No. PrivaScan creates a brand-new clean copy of your photo with the metadata stripped out — it does not merely hide the data. Once you download the cleaned file and share that version, there is no embedded GPS, device, or timestamp information left for anyone to recover, not even with forensic tools. The original file on your device stays untouched, so you can still keep the full metadata for yourself if you want it.
Yes. After the page has loaded once, all EXIF scanning and removal runs entirely in your browser with no network connection required, so you can use it on a plane or with Wi-Fi switched off. The only feature that touches the internet is the optional 'show address' lookup, which turns GPS coordinates into a readable place name — and even then, only the coordinate numbers are sent, never your photo.

Related reading

What Your Photos Secretly Reveal About You