Every photo you take can carry the GPS coordinates of where you took it, usually accurate to a few metres. Removing that is three separate jobs: stop tagging new photos, share a photo without its location, and clean photos you already have. The steps below cover each device. Menu names move around between versions, so if a label differs slightly, search the settings for "location".
iPhone and iPad
These steps follow Apple's own documentation on managing location metadata in Photos.
Stop new photos from being tagged
- Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
- Scroll to Camera and choose Never.
Photos taken afterwards carry no coordinates. The trade-off is that the Photos Map and "Places" view will not know where new pictures were taken.
Share one photo without its location
- Select the photo or photos in Photos.
- Tap Share, then Options, and turn Location off. "Location Not Included" appears above the button.
- Pick how to share as usual.
This applies to that share only; your original keeps its location.
Remove the location from an existing photo
Open the photo, tap the info (i) button, then Adjust Info > Adjust Location > No Location. This edits the photo in your library, so it is the right choice only if you no longer want the place recorded.
Mac (Photos and Preview)
- In Photos: select the photos, then choose Image > Location > Hide Location (or Revert to Original Location to undo).
- In Preview, for a file you are about to send: open the image, choose Tools > Show Inspector, click the (i) tab, open the GPS tab and click Remove Location Info. This removes GPS only; the camera model and times remain.
Windows 11
- In File Explorer, right-click the photo and choose Properties.
- Open the Details tab and click Remove Properties and Personal Information at the bottom.
- Choose Create a copy with all possible properties removed to make a clean duplicate, or Remove the following properties from this file and tick GPS and anything else you want gone.
Making a copy is the safer option, because the original stays untouched and you share the copy.
Android
Android phones use different camera apps, so the exact path varies. The pattern is the same.
- Stop tagging: open the Camera app, go into its settings and look for Location tags (Samsung) or Save location (Google Pixel Camera, under More settings). Turn it off.
- Existing photos on Samsung: in Gallery, open the photo, swipe up for Details, choose Edit next to the location and remove it, then save.
- Pixel and Google Photos: Gallery apps may let you edit a location label, but that is not necessarily the same as deleting the GPS coordinates the camera wrote into the file. For a file you are going to send, use a metadata cleaner on the file itself and check the result.
The method that works everywhere: clean the file
Settings differ by device, apps change, and mistakes happen at the moment you hit Send. Cleaning the file itself works the same everywhere and has a nice property: you can see the result.
- Open the metadata remover in any browser, on a phone or a computer.
- Choose the photo (or drop a batch). The tool reads it on your device and lists everything it finds, with the GPS position highlighted if there is one.
- Download the clean copy or a zip of all of them.
- Check that the After list says nothing is left, and share that file.
Nothing is uploaded: the tool runs in your browser, and our verification guide shows how to confirm that in the Network tab yourself.
What none of these methods remove
- What is visible in the picture. A shop sign, a licence plate, a distinctive view or a street name still reveals the location.
- Your own library. Cleaning a copy does not touch the original in your photo library or cloud backup, which still hold the full data.
- Timestamps and device details if you only remove GPS. Time and phone model can also be revealing; the metadata remover drops them along with the location.
- Thumbnails. Some editors leave an embedded thumbnail of the original when you crop or blur, which is one more reason to re-save through a cleaner and re-check.
Quick decision guide
| Situation | Best option |
|---|---|
| You never want locations on photos | Turn off location for the camera |
| Sharing one photo from your phone | iPhone: Share > Options > Location off |
| Posting to a forum, marketplace or blog | Clean the file first |
| Sending the original by email or cloud link | Clean the file first |
| A whole album from past trips | Batch-clean with the metadata remover and download a zip |
Check before you post
If a photo shows your home, your children's school or your workplace, remove the location and check what is visible in the frame. Both can give the place away.
Sources
- Apple Support: Manage location metadata in Photos
- Google Pixel Camera Help: Change your Camera app settings
- UK Safer Internet Centre: Guide to removing EXIF metadata
Try it yourself
Use the Image & PDF Metadata Remover. It runs in your browser and your files stay on your device.