What Hidden Metadata Can MetaStrip Find and Remove?

Updated

MetaStrip inspects and strips hidden metadata from photos, videos, PDFs, Office documents, and audio files, all inside your browser. It surfaces GPS coordinates, device and serial numbers, camera details, timestamps, author names, edit history, tracked changes, software fingerprints, and AI generation tags such as C2PA Content Credentials. You see what is embedded before anything is removed, and the cleaned copy is written back to your device. Use it before a file leaves your control — sharing photos publicly, sending contracts, delivering AI-assisted work, or publishing under a pseudonym.

What MetaStrip finds, by file type

File type Metadata MetaStrip surfaces
Photos (JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, HEIC, AVIF) GPS coordinates (to within about 5 metres), device and serial number, camera info, timestamps
Documents (PDF, DOCX, XLSX, PPTX) Author names, edit history, tracked changes, software fingerprints
AI-generated images C2PA Content Credentials and generation tags from tools such as DALL·E, Midjourney, ChatGPT, and Firefly
Video and audio (MP4, MOV, MP3, M4A, FLAC, WAV) Embedded file metadata handled by the same local processing flow

The pattern is consistent: anything the file carries beyond its visible content is a candidate for removal.

How the inspection and removal work

  1. Drop or select a file. Supported formats are listed on the page; drag-and-drop and click-to-browse both work.
  2. Review what is exposed. MetaStrip reads the metadata locally with its own parsers and libraries (for example, pdf-lib for PDFs) and shows you exactly what is embedded.
  3. Strip and save. The tool writes a clean copy back out. Batch processing handles up to 100 files at once.

Processing runs entirely in JavaScript in your browser. There is no upload, no server, and no temporary cache, so files never leave your device. You can confirm this yourself: open DevTools, switch to the Network tab, and process a file — no request carries the file out. The tool is open source under MIT, with the code on GitHub, and works on mobile and desktop, online or offline.

When stripping matters most

  • Photos taken at home — GPS coordinates can pinpoint where you stood, and device serial numbers can fingerprint every photo to one phone.
  • Documents sent to clients or opposing counsel — Word, Excel, and PDF files can carry author names, revision history, and tracked changes.
  • AI-assisted work — C2PA credentials identify which tool generated an image, which can change whether a client or platform accepts it.
  • Anonymous publishing — devices fingerprint themselves through metadata, so pseudonymous posts can be traced back.

Limits to keep in mind

MetaStrip removes metadata; it does not alter the visible content of a file. If the concern is what the image or document shows, stripping tags will not address it. The site describes the tool as free and states that files are processed locally, but check the Pricing page for current terms before relying on it for high-volume or commercial use.