An image metadata cleaner removes the hidden information stored inside a picture file, such as GPS location, camera details, timestamps, editing history, AI generation prompts and Content Credentials (C2PA), without changing how the image looks. Drop your JPEG, PNG or WebP into the box below and download a clean copy in seconds. No sign-up, and your file is not saved on our server.
Your photo says more than you meant it to
You took the picture to share a moment. A birthday. A new home. A product you are proud of. An artwork that took you an evening and a hundred prompts.
But the file can quietly share more than the picture does: where you were standing, when you pressed the shutter, which device or software you used and, with some AI tools, the exact words you typed to create it. Nobody sees any of this when they look at the image. Anyone with a free viewer can read it in seconds.
Cleaning it takes about ten seconds. That is why this tool exists.
Removes C2PA / Content Credentials, EXIF, XMP, IPTC, embedded prompts and comments. Pixels are not re-encoded. Visible logos and invisible pixel-level watermarks are not affected.
Free · No sign-up · JPEG, PNG and WebP · Not saved on our server
What is image metadata?
Image metadata is information stored inside an image file next to the pixels. It was created to help people organize and edit photos, and it is often useful. The problem is that it travels with the file. Many social networks remove some of it when you post, but email attachments, cloud links, forum uploads and “send as file” options often leave it intact.
What can be hiding inside your image?
| Type | What it may contain | Why it Matters |
|---|---|---|
| EXIF | Camera or phone model, date and time, GPS coordinates, device software | Can reveal where and when a photo was taken |
| XMP | Editing history, software used, ratings, keywords, sometimes generator details | Shows how a file was made or edited |
| IPTC | Captions, creator name, copyright notes, keywords | Can expose names and internal notes |
| C2PA / Content Credentials | A signed record of how a file was created or edited | Marks provenance, including some AI-generated images |
| PNG text chunks | Prompts, seeds, model and workflow settings written by some AI image tools | Can give away your creative process |
| Comments and thumbnails | Free-text comments and small embedded previews | A preview can still show the original, uncropped picture |
Why people clean their images
- Protect your location. A photo taken with location services on can carry exact GPS coordinates. Removing them helps keep your home, your children’s school or your workplace private.
- Keep your prompts and workflow yours. Some AI image tools write generation settings into the file, including prompts. If your prompts are your craft, you may not want to hand them out with every image.
- Share client and company files with care. Remove author names, software tags and internal notes before a file leaves your hands.
- Send tidier files. Less hidden data means a cleaner file, and often a slightly smaller one.
- Know exactly what you are sending. The result shows what was removed, so you are never guessing.
How to remove metadata from an image in 3 steps
- Add your image. Drag and drop, or tap to choose, a JPEG, PNG or WebP. You can add several at once.
- Let the cleaner work. It strips the hidden data and leaves your pixels exactly as they were: no re-compression, no quality loss.
- Download your clean copy. You will see what was removed. Your file is cleaned in memory and is not kept on our server.
What this tool removes, and what it does not
We would rather be honest than impressive.
It removes:
- EXIF data, including GPS location, camera and device details and timestamps
- XMP, IPTC and Photoshop blocks
- C2PA / Content Credentials records
- AI prompts, seeds and settings stored as PNG text or XMP data
- Embedded thumbnails, comments and data hidden after the end of the image
It does not remove:
- Visible logos or watermarks drawn on the image
- Invisible watermarks woven into the pixels (for example, Google’s SynthID)
- Anything shown in the picture itself, such as faces, street signs or documents
- AVIF, HEIC, GIF or SVG files (not supported yet)
It also cannot turn an AI image into a “real” one, or hide how an image was made from detection tools. It is a privacy tool, not a disguise.
Your privacy comes first
Your image is cleaned in memory and sent straight back to you. It is not added to a media library, a database or a backup, and the temporary copy is deleted automatically when the request ends. To prevent abuse we keep a short-lived counter linked to a one-way hash of your IP address, for up to an hour, and never your picture. The full privacy notice is below.
Who is an image metadata cleaner for?
- Parents and families sharing photos online
- Sellers on marketplaces and classified sites
- Photographers, designers and agencies
- AI artists who want to keep their prompts private
- Bloggers and editors tidying up uploads
- Anyone who wants to share a picture, not a data trail
Frequently asked questions
What is image metadata?
Image metadata is hidden information stored inside an image file, such as the camera model, date and time, GPS location, editing history, AI prompts and Content Credentials. It does not change how the picture looks, but it can be read by anyone who opens the file.
Is the image metadata cleaner free?
Yes. There is no account and no sign-up. To keep the service fair for everyone, each visitor can clean a limited number of images per hour.
Does removing metadata reduce image quality?
No. The cleaner removes data around your image and copies the pixels as they are, so there is no re-compression and no quality loss. By default it keeps the colour profile and the rotation flag so colours and orientation still look right.
Does it remove GPS location from a photo?
Yes. If your photo contains GPS coordinates in its EXIF data, the cleaner removes them, along with camera details, timestamps and other hidden fields. The visible image is not changed. Remember that anything you can see in the picture itself, like a street sign or a house number, still shows.
Can it remove AI prompts and AI metadata from an image?
Yes, where they are stored as metadata. Some AI image tools write prompts, seeds and workflow settings into PNG text fields or XMP data, and the cleaner deletes those. It cannot remove anything that is drawn into the picture itself.
Does it remove C2PA Content Credentials?
Yes. The tool removes the embedded Content Credentials (C2PA) record from supported files. Removing it deletes the record from your file, but it does not change the fact that an image was AI-generated or edited. Where the law or a platform’s rules require you to disclose AI-generated content, that duty stays with you.
Will it make an AI image undetectable?
No. The cleaner only deletes hidden file metadata. It does not touch the pixels, so visible logos, invisible watermarks embedded in the image and AI-detection tools are unaffected. It is a privacy tool, not a way to disguise where an image came from.
Are my images stored on your server?
No. Your image is cleaned in memory and sent straight back to you; it is not saved to our server or media library. Like any website, our hosting may keep standard technical logs, and we keep a short-lived, hashed visit counter to prevent abuse. See the privacy notice below.
Which image formats and sizes are supported?
JPEG, PNG and WebP, up to [X] MB each. AVIF, HEIC, GIF and SVG files are not supported yet, so they are rejected rather than half-cleaned.
Is it legal to remove image metadata?
Removing metadata from your own images is a common, lawful privacy practice in most places. What matters is what you do next. Laws and platform rules may require you to disclose AI-generated or manipulated content (for example, the EU AI Act’s transparency rules, which apply from 2 August 2026), and removing copyright information to hide infringement can be unlawful (in the US, for example, under DMCA section 1202). Only clean files you own or have permission to edit, and follow the rules that apply to you. This is general information, not legal advice.
Use it responsibly
Cleaning metadata is a privacy tool, not a disguise. If you publish AI-generated or manipulated content, rules such as the EU AI Act’s transparency obligations and many platforms’ own policies may require you to label it, and removing hidden data does not remove that duty. Please use only images you own or have permission to edit, and read the acceptable use policy below.
Share the picture. Keep the rest to yourself
Your memories, your art and your work deserve to travel without leaving a trail. Scroll back up, drop in your image and send it out knowing exactly what is, and is not, inside it.
4.Policy, disclaimer and privacy text
Replace the bracketed placeholders. Publish these on the same page under a “Policy and disclaimer” heading, or as separate pages linked from the footer. Have them reviewed by a lawyer for your country.
4.1 Notice shown under the tool
Use only images you own or have permission to edit. This tool removes file metadata. It does not remove visible or invisible watermarks and does not change any legal duty you have to disclose AI-generated content. Files are processed in memory and are not saved.
4.2 Terms of use and acceptable use
By using this tool you agree to these terms.
You may clean images that you created or have the right to edit.
You must not:
- use the tool to deceive people about where an image came from, or to avoid a disclosure or labelling duty that applies to you (for example under the EU AI Act or a platform’s AI-content rules);
- remove copyright, attribution or licence information to hide infringement or to misuse someone else’s work;
- upload content that is illegal, that sexually exploits minors, or that is a deepfake or manipulated image of a real person made to mislead, harass or defraud;
- upload malware or files that are not images, or try to overload, scrape or bypass the limits of the service;
- use the output in breach of any law or any third-party rules.
Your content stays yours. You confirm that you have the rights to the images you upload, and we claim no rights in them. We may limit or block access at any time, including for suspected abuse.
4.3 Privacy notice
- Who we are: Softenkik, https://softenkik.com, contact@softenkik.com.
- What we process: the image you upload, only to clean it and return it to you.
- What we keep from your image: nothing. The image is cleaned in server memory and the temporary upload file is deleted automatically at the end of the request. We do not save it to a media library, database or backup.
- Hidden data inside your image: it may include personal data such as a location. We read it only to remove it and we do not keep it.
- Abuse prevention: we store a short-lived counter linked to a one-way hash of your IP address, which expires within an hour. It contains no image data and no file name.
- Server logs: our hosting provider and any CDN or firewall may log standard technical data (IP address, date and time, page address, file size, browser type). These logs do not contain your image. They are kept for [X days] under the provider’s policy.
- Cookies and analytics: the tool itself sets no cookies.
- Children: this service is not directed at children under [13 / 16].
- Your rights: depending on where you live (for example under the GDPR, UK GDPR or CCPA), you may have rights to access, correct or delete personal data we hold about you. Because we do not keep uploaded images, there is nothing to retrieve from them. Contact contact@softenkik.com with any request.
- Changes: we may update this notice. The date at the top of the page shows the latest version.
4.4 Disclaimer and limitation of liability
- As is. The tool is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy and non-infringement.
- No guarantee of complete removal. File formats vary, and some information can sit in non-standard places or in the pixels themselves. We cannot promise that every piece of hidden data is removed from every file. If the stakes are high, check the result yourself.
- Not an anonymity, watermark or detection tool. The tool does not remove visible or invisible watermarks, and we make no promise that an image cannot be identified as AI-generated by other means.
- Not legal advice. Laws on AI-generated content, copyright and privacy differ by country and change often. You are responsible for complying with them, including any duty to disclose or label AI-generated or manipulated content.
- Third-party rules. Websites and platforms have their own policies. Using this tool does not exempt you from them, and your account or posts may be affected if you break them.
- Limitation of liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Softenkik is not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, or for loss of data, profits or reputation, arising from your use of, or inability to use, the tool. Our total liability for a free service. Nothing here excludes liability that cannot be excluded by law.
- Indemnity. You agree to cover Softenkik against claims that arise from your misuse of the tool or your breach of these terms.
- Governing law. These terms are governed by the laws of India.
- Effective date: 24/10/2026.