Before diving into removing Exif data. it makes sense to first understand what it is. Essentially this stands for Exchangeable Image File Format and is the metadata of an image. Every image captured with a camera usually has this data and it can include everything from the camera settings at that given time to the location information. It can also include serial numbers and copyright information.
This data can be helpful for people looking to improve their photography skills given that most of the camera settings are recorded. While this might be useful, it isn’t always ideal to have this information in the file.
While it isn’t possible to prevent EXIF data from getting added to an image, it is possible to remove it. Here are the best 5 Exif editors that can be used to edit the metadata of an image either individually or in bulk.
Remove Exif Data with 5 Best Exif Editors
1. AnyExif for Mac
AnyExif is an all-in-one popular metadata editor for all the Mac users out there. It lets you edit, view, modify, and remove EXIF data with ease. This desktop software supports fast, stable, and convenient Exif editing and modifying service for free. It supports viewing and changing nearly all Exif information formats, such as General, EXIF, IPTC, XMP, TimeStamp, Camera, Lens, Flash, and GPS. AnyExif is an easy-to-following and beginner-friendly Exif editing program available on Mac computers. And the developer team is continuously working towards expanding AnyExif’s new features.
Key Features
- View metadata of multiple formats, such as EXIF, TIFF, and XMP.
- Add flags to photos to help find them later.
- Seamless management of photos allows users to pin folders.
- Utilizes a user-friendly interface.
- Remove and edit EXIF information with ease.
- Includes a single workspace for managing and editing your photos.
- 100% completely free. No free trial or a premium subscription is required.
- Supports batch image editing. Faster speed and smoother workflow are guaranteed.
2. Photos Exif Editor
A popular tool for metadata editing, Photos Exif Editor supports multiple data formats making it super flexible. After installing, drag and drop batches of photos into the workspace to edit its metadata. Create presets to speed up workflow.
Key Features
- Supports multiple metadata formats such as EXIF, XMP, IPTC
- Batch metadata deletion for Images
- Add GPS coordinates for images
- Save presets for quick editing
3. EXIF Data Changer Lite
This Exif Editor is for Windows users and supports multiple data formats. The software does come with an upgradable Pro version offering tons more functionality. One of the distinguishing features of EXIF Data Changer Lite is that it is available in Polish, German, Russian, and French. For those who aren’t English speaking, this software is a life saver.
Key Features
- Extensive language support.
- Create watermarks for images
- Edit metadata of the images
- Simple UI without any distractions
4. ExifTool GUI
This EXIF remover is a little different from the rest given that it doesn’t have a user interface. All the editing is done via the Command Prompt. While there is a learning curve to begin using this application, it is extremely flexible for users familiar with working through the command line.
Key Features
- Completely via Command Line
- Extremely flexible once understood
- Super secure
- Continuously updated
5. ImageOptim
Here is another EXIF editor for all the Mac users out there. This software is best used for editing metadata and publishing images onto the Web. It helps make applications for Mac and iPhones smaller.
Key Features
- Mac support
- Drag and Drop Functionality
- Available in multiple languages
- Reduces Image size
How to View Image’s Exif Data?
Every digital image usually contains some amount of metadata in it. Photos taken via a camera will have even location data embedded in them. If you have installed Exif viewer or checker tools on your computer, you can view Exif via them. If you are using a Mac, AnyExif could be a better Exif Viewer because it supports viewing a lot of metadata information.
Of course, Exif data can be viewed in multiple different ways :
- From the camera monitor right after taking an image
- Using an imaging software that can specifically show Exif data
- Using Windows built-in File Explorer. Right-click on the image, choose Properties, and then choose Details to view the metadata of the image.
- On Mac, open the image with Preview. Hit on Tools and then Show Inspector. There should be an Exif Tab that has all the metadata for that image.
Why Should You Remove EXIF Data?
Given that it contains tons of information about the picture, it’s obvious why someone might want to remove or edit EXIF data. These are probably the main reasons why you might want to remove EXIF data from images :
- Other photographers might use the Exif data from images to create similar-looking images. This can be extremely damaging for photographers.
- GPS information is also captured when taking images and is stored in the EXIF data. Given that this could reveal your location to strangers, it is a potential threat to your safety.
- Metadata stored in images increases file size and this in turn can increase the loading times of websites that have these images.
Conclusion
Any of the above tools should help you with managing the Exif data. Which tool you use lies in your particular use case. For Mac users, AnyExif is a great tool that allows them to remove Exif data from photos. There is also much software for Exif viewing and changing on Windows. Besides the fact that some of these are only available for a particular platform, every choice mentioned here has been picked for a reason. It’s hard to go wrong here. Never worry about information being leaked via EXIF data again.