Remove metadata from an image on Mac or Windows

Windows: the built-in dialog

The route that Windows Central and How-To Geek both describe is File Explorer, then right-click the file, Properties, the Details tab, and the link Remove Properties and Personal Information. It offers two choices: create a copy with all possible properties removed, or remove the properties you tick from the file itself. Windows Central says you can select several files first. Sources: Windows Central, How-To Geek.

How-To Geek also reports that this dialog does not remove all photo metadata even with the “all possible properties” copy, and recommends a dedicated tool. We have not run it ourselves, so treat it as a lead to check, not a measurement: after using it, read the copy with the viewer or ExifTool.

macOS: Preview and Photos

Apple’s Preview guide covers seeing where a photo was taken: open the image, choose Tools, Show Location Info, and the GPS section shows a map. Guides such as 512 Pixels describe the same Inspector having a Remove Location Info button, after which you save the image. These steps address location. They are not described as removing camera, XMP, IPTC, or C2PA fields. We have not run macOS ourselves.

The browser tool, tested in two browsers

The tool is the same code on every computer, so what changes is the browser. We ran the same files through headless Chrome and headless Firefox on Linux. Neither is Safari or Edge, and neither is a Mac or a Windows PC, so this shows that two different engines agree, not that every machine does.

The HEIC is re-encoded as a JPEG by the browser’s own encoder, which is why the size depends on the browser. Both downloads were clean. The HEIC details are on the HEIC page.

ExifTool on either system

ExifTool runs on both. The flags are the same, but the shell quoting is not: use double quotes on Windows. We ran ExifTool 13.25 on Linux only. The commands that keep rotation and colour are on ExifTool remove all metadata.

Which to use

Questions

Does the Windows “Remove Properties and Personal Information” option remove everything?

Not according to the sources we read. Windows Central and How-To Geek describe the steps, and How-To Geek reports that even the option to create a copy with all possible properties removed does not remove all photo metadata. We have not run it on Windows ourselves. Check the copy’s Details tab, or read the file with ExifTool.

How do I remove location from a photo with Preview on a Mac?

Apple’s Preview guide describes viewing the GPS information (Tools, then Show Location Info). Third-party guides such as 512 Pixels describe the Inspector’s GPS pane with a Remove Location Info button, then saving the file. We have not run macOS ourselves, and these steps are about location rather than every field.

Does the browser tool behave the same on Mac and Windows?

We tested it in Chrome and Firefox on Linux, with identical output for JPEG, PNG, and WebP, byte for byte in size. We did not test Safari, Edge, macOS, or Windows. HEIC is converted to JPEG, and the size of that JPEG differs between Chrome and Firefox on the same file.

Do I need to install anything?

No. It runs in the page, and the file is not uploaded. ExifTool is the other no-cost route, and it is a download.

Can I clean a whole folder?

One image is free. Pro is a one-time unlock for unlimited images and one ZIP. Windows’ built-in dialog can also take several selected files, according to Windows Central.

Will it remove the AI watermark from an AI image?

No. It removes metadata such as C2PA and prompt text. Watermarks in the pixels, such as SynthID, stay.

Related guides

• ExifTool remove all metadata, tested
• View image metadata online
• Remove EXIF and GPS
• All metadata-removal guides by file type and device
• Open the Remove AI metadata tool on the homepage if you want the general cleaner.
• Short Instagram upload workflow if you only need the four-step version.