metastrip.app

Use MetaStrip before you send, post, or publish any file whose hidden metadata could reveal more than you intend—location, device identity, authorship, edit history, or AI-generation tags. It is most worth doing when the file leaves your control (sent to a client, posted publicly, submitted anonymously) and when the recipient could act on details you never meant to share. MetaStrip processes files in your browser, so nothing is uploaded to a server.

The four situations that justify it

1. Photos taken at home or in private places

Photos can carry GPS coordinates accurate to within about 5 metres, plus device and serial-number details that fingerprint every shot to one phone. If you post photos to forums, marketplaces, or social platforms, strip the metadata first—especially for images taken at home.

2. Documents with author and revision history

PDFs and Office files can carry author names, tracked changes, and software fingerprints. Before sending a contract to opposing counsel or a Word document with revision history to a client, remove those details so the file shows only what you intend.

3. AI-assisted work where tags affect acceptance

AI-generated images can carry C2PA content credentials identifying the tool that made them (for example DALL·E, Midjourney, ChatGPT, or Firefly). If disclosure would change whether your work is accepted, strip those tags before submitting—but only where removing them is honest and permitted.

4. Anything published anonymously

Devices fingerprint themselves through metadata. If you are posting under a pseudonym or submitting journalism, remove identifying details first so the file does not contradict your anonymity.

How to do it

1. Open metastrip.app and drop a file (or click to browse). Supported types include jpeg, png, webp, gif, heic, avif, pdf, docx, xlsx, pptx, mp4, mov, mp3, m4a, flac, and wav.
2. Review what MetaStrip reports as embedded—GPS, EXIF, AI tags, author names, and similar fields.
3. Strip the metadata and save the clean copy.
4. Verify privacy if you want: open DevTools, go to the Network tab, and process a file—no upload request should appear.

You can batch up to 100 files at once. The tool works on mobile and desktop, online or offline, and is open source under MIT (code on GitHub).

When you can skip it

If the file contains nothing sensitive—a stock image with no location data, a document you wrote and want attributed to you—stripping is optional. The decision rule is simple: if the metadata could identify you, your device, your location, or how the file was made, and that matters to the recipient, strip it first.

You can cut most images to a fraction of their original file size without any visible quality loss by doing three things in the right order: resize the image to the dimensions it will actually display at, pick the right format for the content, then apply compression at a quality level that survives a side-by-side check. The single biggest mistake is skipping step one — an oversized image compressed at maximum quality is still far heavier than a correctly sized one.

Why file size and quality are a trade-off, not a fixed setting

Every compressed image is a negotiation between three variables: how many pixels you keep, how precisely each pixel is described, and how much the format is allowed to guess.

• Dimensions decide how many pixels exist at all. Halving width and height removes 75% of the pixel data before any compression happens.
• Quality level decides how aggressively the encoder discards detail it thinks you won't notice.
• Format decides the kind of discarding allowed — some formats throw away color precision, others only remove redundancy.

Because these interact, "quality 80" means something different on a 4000px photo than on a 600px thumbnail. Tune dimensions first, then quality.

Pick the format before you touch the quality slider

Practical rule: photos → JPEG or lossy WEBP; flat graphics and transparency → PNG or lossless WEBP; anything vector → SVG.

The four levers, in the order you should pull them

1. Resize to display size (biggest win, zero quality cost)

If your layout renders an image at 800px wide, serving a 2400px original wastes roughly 89% of the pixels. Resize to the largest size it will ever be displayed at, and add a 2× version only if you need retina sharpness.

2. Choose the format

Match the format to the content type using the table above. Converting a photographic PNG to JPEG or WEBP alone can shrink it by 80% or more.

3. Set the quality level

For JPEG and lossy WEBP, most photographs hold up well between quality 70 and 85. Below ~60, banding appears in skies and blur around text. Above ~90, file size climbs steeply for gains nobody can see.

4. Strip metadata

EXIF data, camera info, and embedded thumbnails can add tens of kilobytes. Remove them unless you specifically need copyright or orientation data — and note that stripping orientation can rotate an image, so verify after export.

When lossy compression is fine, and when it isn't

Lossy is acceptable when:

• The image is a photograph or has natural texture.
• It's decorative or below the fold.
• Slight softening won't be noticed at final display size.

Use lossless or vector instead when:

• The image contains text, UI elements, or thin lines (lossy creates ringing artifacts).
• It's a logo, icon, or diagram — SVG or PNG keeps edges clean.
• It will be edited again later; repeated lossy saves compound degradation.
• It's a screenshot of code or a chart where color accuracy matters.

Compressing vs. resizing: don't confuse them

Compressing reduces the bytes needed to describe the same pixels. Resizing reduces the number of pixels. They're independent, and resizing usually delivers the larger saving. A 3000×2000 photo at quality 95 might be 2 MB; the same photo resized to 1200×800 at quality 80 might be 180 KB. Doing only the quality reduction gets you maybe 40% off; doing both gets you over 90%.

A repeatable workflow

1. Determine the maximum display width in your layout (inspect the element or check your CSS).
2. Export at that width (plus a 2× variant if needed).
3. Convert to the right format — WEBP as a modern default, JPEG as a fallback, PNG/SVG for graphics.
4. Apply quality 75–85 for lossy formats and compare against the original.
5. Strip metadata and re-check orientation.
6. Verify before publishing (see below).
7. Serve the right file with srcset so small screens don't download the large variant.

How to verify quality before you publish

• View at 100% at final display size, not zoomed in — artifacts you can't see at real size don't matter.
• Toggle between original and compressed in a viewer or an online compressor's before/after preview.
• Check the worst-case areas: skies, smooth gradients, sharp edges, and any text.
• Compare file sizes and ask whether the extra kilobytes buy visible improvement. If not, go smaller.
• Test on a mid-range phone, where banding and blur are often more obvious than on a desktop monitor.

Common mistakes

• Compressing a full-resolution image and calling it optimized.
• Using PNG for photographs.
• Setting quality to 100 "to be safe" — it inflates size with no visible benefit.
• Re-saving a JPEG repeatedly, stacking artifacts each time.
• Forgetting that GIF animations are usually better as WEBP or video.
• Ignoring metadata, which can silently add weight.

Quick reference

The order matters more than any single setting: resize, then choose format, then tune quality, then strip metadata, then verify at real display size. Follow that sequence and you'll routinely land at 10–20% of the original file size with no quality your visitors can detect.

MetaStrip is a browser-based tool that removes hidden metadata from files before you share them. It strips GPS coordinates, camera and device details, author names, edit history, and AI-generation tags (including C2PA Content Credentials) from photos, videos, PDFs, and Office documents. All processing happens locally in your browser — files are never uploaded to a server. It's useful whenever a file leaves your device and you don't want its embedded details to travel with it.

What kinds of metadata does it remove?

MetaStrip targets the details that files carry silently. According to the site, these include:

The GPS and device details are the most consequential for everyday sharing: a photo taken at home can reveal where you live, and a device serial number can link every photo to one phone.

How does it work?

The workflow is three steps:

1. Drop a file into the browser window (or click to browse).
2. Review what's exposed — MetaStrip reads the metadata locally with its own parsers and libraries such as pdf-lib, then shows you exactly what's embedded.
3. Strip it — the tool writes a clean copy back out for you to download.

Because everything runs in JavaScript in your browser, there is no upload, no server, and no temporary cache. The site says you can verify this yourself: open DevTools, switch to the Network tab, and process a file — no request carrying your file should appear.

Other practical details from the site:

• Batch processing of up to 100 files at once.
• Open source under the MIT licence, with code on GitHub.
• Works on mobile and desktop, online or offline.

When should you use it?

MetaStrip is worth running before any file leaves your device in a context where the embedded details matter. Concrete cases the site lists:

• Sending a contract to opposing counsel.
• Posting photos to forums or marketplaces (especially photos taken at home).
• Delivering AI-generated work to clients, where generation tags could change whether the work is accepted.
• Submitting journalism under sensitive circumstances.
• Publishing anything anonymously, since devices fingerprint themselves through metadata.
• Sending a Word document with revision history to a client.

What to check before relying on it

• Confirm the output. After stripping, open the clean copy and re-check its properties (or drop it back into MetaStrip) to confirm the fields you cared about are gone.
• Keep an original. Stripping writes a new copy; retain the original if you may need its metadata later (e.g., for provenance or archiving).
• Check format support. The listed formats cover the common cases, but if you work with an unusual format, test one file first.
• Pricing and account requirements are not specified in the available site information, so check the Pricing page directly if cost or login matters to you.

In short: if you share files and want to control what they reveal about you, MetaStrip is a local, no-upload way to see and remove that hidden layer before sending.

Yes. MetaStrip processes every file entirely in your browser using JavaScript. There is no upload, no server, and no temporary cache, so the file you drop in stays on your device from start to finish. This applies to all supported formats — photos, videos, PDFs, and Office documents — and to batch runs of up to 100 files at once.

What "in your browser" actually means

When you drop a file onto the page, MetaStrip reads its metadata locally using its own parsers and libraries such as pdf-lib. It shows you exactly what is embedded, then writes a clean copy back out to your device. The original file is never transmitted anywhere.

The practical consequence: privacy does not depend on trusting a company's promise about its servers. There is no server in the path to trust.

How to verify it yourself

The site invites you to check the claim directly rather than take it on faith:

1. Open your browser's DevTools (usually F12, or right-click → Inspect).
2. Switch to the Network tab.
3. Process a file in MetaStrip as you normally would.
4. Watch the request list. No request carrying your file should appear.

If the tool were uploading your files, you would see outbound requests during processing. Seeing none is the confirmation.

A second check: the source code

MetaStrip is open source under the MIT license, with the code published on GitHub. If you want to go beyond network observation, you can read the parsing and stripping logic itself to confirm what runs on your machine.

Where the privacy claim matters most

The in-browser design is most relevant in situations where a file leaving your device is itself the risk:

• Contracts and documents sent to opposing counsel — author names and tracked changes stay off someone else's server.
• Photos posted to forums or marketplaces — GPS coordinates and device serial numbers are removed before the file is shared.
• AI-assisted work submitted to clients — C2PA content credentials and AI generation tags are stripped locally.
• Journalism submissions and anonymous publishing — nothing about the file passes through a third party on the way to being cleaned.

Limits worth knowing

• Privacy of processing is not the same as anonymity of use. The tool keeps your files off its servers; it does not control what you do with the cleaned file afterward.
• Offline use is supported, which is consistent with local processing — but confirm the page has loaded fully before going offline.
• Pricing and account requirements are listed on the site's Pricing page; check there for current terms rather than assuming the tool is free or login-free for your use case.

For a quick decision: if your concern is "does this file get uploaded somewhere," the answer is no, and you can confirm it in under a minute with DevTools.

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

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.