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EnglishWhat is ExifCleaner?
Updated
ExifCleaner is a free, open-source desktop application that strips EXIF metadata from photos, videos, and PDFs. It runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux, works entirely offline, and is aimed at anyone who wants to remove hidden location, device, and timestamp data before sharing files. It is a good fit if you handle batches of files and want a drag-and-drop tool with no account, no network access, and no telemetry; it is not a cloud service or a mobile app.
What it does
The core job is metadata removal. Drop files or folders onto the window and the metadata is stripped instantly, with no upload step. According to the site, it supports JPEG, PNG, WebP, TIFF, GIF, MP4, MOV, M4A, PDF, and more.
The kind of data at stake is easy to underestimate. The site's own example shows a file carrying:
- GPS coordinates (37.7749, -122.4194)
- Camera model (iPhone 15 Pro)
- Date (2024-03-15)
That combination can reveal where and when a photo was taken and what device was used — details most people don't intend to publish.
Key features
| Feature | What it means for you |
|---|---|
| Batch processing | Handles tens, hundreds, or thousands of files in one pass |
| Metadata inspection | Expand any file to see a before-and-after diff of removed fields |
| Privacy controls | Choose what gets removed — preserve orientation, save copies, strip extended attributes |
| Dark mode | Follows your operating system theme automatically |
| 24+ languages | Built in, no downloads or plugins |
| No network access | No telemetry; open source so you can verify the privacy claims yourself |
The privacy controls matter more than they first appear. Orientation data, for example, is technically metadata but is often needed for an image to display correctly — so being able to preserve it while stripping GPS and camera data is a practical distinction, not a cosmetic one.
How to use it
- Get the app. Download it from the site or from GitHub. It is free and open source under the MIT License.
- Drop files. Drag files or folders onto the window.
- Clean. Metadata is stripped instantly.
- Verify (optional). Expand a file to view the before-and-after diff of removed fields before you share it.
The expected result is a file that looks the same but no longer carries the embedded metadata. If you enable "save copies," your originals stay untouched — worth doing until you've confirmed the output behaves as you expect in your own workflow.
Who it's for
ExifCleaner suits journalists, photographers, privacy-conscious users, and anyone distributing files publicly who doesn't want location or device data riding along. It's also a reasonable choice on Windows specifically — one quoted user notes it's "the only simple and modern exif cleaner we got on Windows," and another mentions making an exception to their usual avoidance of Electron apps because it looked so useful.
If you need metadata editing rather than removal, or a service that processes files on a server, this isn't that tool. If you want a local, verifiable, no-account way to strip metadata in bulk, it fits.