To check if a photo has location data, open it in our free EXIF reader and look for rows that start with GPS. If you see GPSLatitude and GPSLongitude, the photo carries the coordinates of where it was taken, and anyone who gets the original file can put that spot on a map. No GPS rows means no embedded location.
The reader runs entirely in your browser: we watched its network traffic while it read a test photo, and the image was never sent anywhere. It's free, and you don't need an account to start. Guests get 5 tool uses a day, and a free My Botsy account (100% free, no spam) removes that daily cap. Every result below comes from tests we ran on October 30, 2026.
What location data in a photo actually is
Phones and many cameras save a block of EXIF metadata inside each JPG or HEIC file. When the camera app has location permission, that block includes a GPS section: latitude, longitude, often altitude, and sometimes the direction the camera was facing. Next to it sit the phone make and model, the lens, and the date and time the photo was taken, often with the time zone offset.
On its own, one photo with GPS shows where you were at one moment. Several photos taken at home, posted to a marketplace listing or sent to a stranger, can show where you live. That's why it's worth checking before you share an original file.
How to check a photo for location data, step by step
- Use the original file. Check the exact file you plan to send, from your camera roll or the folder you'll upload from, not a screenshot of it. A screenshot is a new image and won't carry the original's GPS.
- Open the EXIF reader and choose the photo. The table fills in as soon as the file is read; there's no upload button because nothing is uploaded.
- Look for the GPS rows.
GPSLatitude,GPSLatitudeRef,GPSLongitudeandGPSLongitudeRefare the ones that matter.GPSAltitudeis often there too. - Turn the numbers into a map point (see the worked example below) if you want to see exactly what a recipient would see.
- Check the other identifying rows:
Make,Model,DateTimeOriginalandOffsetTimeOriginalreveal your device and when, and roughly in which time zone, the photo was taken. - If you find GPS you don't want to share, remove it with one of the methods below, then run the cleaned file through the EXIF reader again to confirm.
Worked example: a test photo with GPS
We created a JPG test photo and wrote into it the same kind of tags a phone writes: make Apple, model iPhone 13, a capture date, and the GPS coordinates of the Obelisco in Buenos Aires. (The tags are ours; we didn't use anyone's real photo.) This is the part of the table the EXIF reader showed for it:
Make Apple
Model iPhone 13
DateTimeOriginal 2026:10:30 09:41:00
OffsetTimeOriginal -03:00
GPSLatitudeRef South latitude
GPSLatitude 34.603722222222224
GPSLongitudeRef West longitude
GPSLongitude 58.381591666666665
GPSAltitudeRef Sea level
GPSAltitude 25 mThe full table had 27 rows. The rest were file details such as Image Width 1200px, Image Height 900px and JFIF version fields, which say nothing about where you were.
Reading the coordinates correctly
Notice that the latitude and longitude are shown as positive numbers, with the direction in a separate Ref row. EXIF stores them that way. To use them in a map you have to apply the sign yourself:
- South latitude and West longitude become negative.
- North latitude and East longitude stay positive.
So this photo's position is -34.603722, -58.381592. Pasting that into Google Maps lands on the Obelisco. If you forget the minus signs and paste 34.603722, 58.381592, you end up in a different hemisphere, so a wrong-looking map pin usually means a missing sign, not missing data.
Some apps show the same value in degrees, minutes and seconds: 34° 36′ 13.4″ S. The conversion is degrees + minutes/60 + seconds/3600, so 34 + 36/60 + 13.4/3600 = 34.603722.
How to check location on your phone or computer
Built-in viewers are a good second opinion. Menu names change between versions and phone makers, so treat these as directions rather than exact labels.
- iPhone or iPad: open the photo in Photos and swipe up or tap the info (i) button. A small map means the photo has a location.
- Android: open the photo in Google Photos or your gallery app and swipe up or open Details. A location line or map means GPS is stored.
- Windows: right-click the file, choose Properties, open the Details tab and scroll to the GPS section.
- Mac: open the photo in Preview, choose Tools, then Show Inspector. A GPS tab appears when the file has a location.
The advantage of the EXIF reader is that it shows every tag in one table, the same way on any device, including the date, time zone and device fields that phone viewers tuck away.
How to remove location data from a photo
Option 1: remove it on the device
- iPhone, one share: tap Share, then Options at the top of the share sheet, and turn Location off. The line above Options changes to say location isn't included. This only applies to that share.
- iPhone, permanently for one photo: swipe up on the photo, tap Adjust next to the map and choose No Location.
- Android: in Google Photos, swipe up, tap the edit (pencil) icon next to the location and remove it. Samsung Gallery offers a remove-location switch in its share panel.
- Windows: Properties, Details, then Remove Properties and Personal Information.
Option 2: re-encode it with our image optimizer
The image optimizer also runs in your browser. It decodes the photo to pixels and encodes a new file, and in our test the new file had no metadata left. We ran the GPS test photo through it with the default settings (keep original format, quality 80). The file went from 25.94 KB to 7.00 KB, and when we opened the result in the EXIF reader, the table had 11 rows: only dimensions, color and JFIF fields. Make, Model, the dates and every GPS row were gone. Converting the same photo to WebP gave a file where the reader found no data at all.
The optimizer applies the photo's rotation before re-encoding, so the cleaned copy still displays upright.
Option 3: stop recording location in the first place
On iPhone, go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, Camera, and choose Never. On Android, turn off the location or geotag setting in your camera app, or remove the camera's location permission. This only affects new photos; photos you already took keep their GPS.
Common pitfalls
- PNG files. PNGs can store EXIF too, in a block called eXIf. Since our October 30, 2026 update, the EXIF reader reads that block, and a test PNG with GPS in it showed its coordinates just like a JPG (before the update it showed only size and color fields). Running a PNG through the image optimizer with "Keep original format" now removes the eXIf block and text comments as well; in our test the output had no metadata left. The reader doesn't list PNG text comments, so if a PNG may carry notes you care about, re-encode it in the optimizer anyway.
- Sending as a file or document. Messaging apps that compress photos generally drop EXIF, but sending the same photo as a document or file usually delivers the original, GPS included. Email attachments, cloud-drive links and AirDrop typically send the original too.
- Trusting that the platform will strip it. Big social networks remove EXIF from the copy other people see, but the platform receives your original upload first. If you don't want the platform to have your location either, remove it before uploading.
- Forgetting the other clues. Removing GPS doesn't hide a street sign, a house number or a view from your window. Look at the picture itself, too.
- Treating EXIF as proof. Metadata can be edited (we wrote our test tags ourselves in seconds), so it supports a claim about where a photo was taken but doesn't prove it.
Related free tools and guides
- Image optimizer: compress photos and drop their metadata in your browser. Our guide how to compress images for a website covers the quality settings.
- File MIME type checker: confirm what kind of file you actually have before you trust its extension.
- QR code reader: see where a QR code leads before you open it.
- More privacy and safety guides: how to check if a website is legit and how to create a strong password.
Before you post that next listing photo or send an original to someone you don't know, run it through the free EXIF reader. It takes a few seconds and the file never leaves your device.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell if a photo has location data?
Open the original file in an EXIF reader and look for GPSLatitude and GPSLongitude rows. On an iPhone you can also swipe up on the photo in Photos; a map means it has a location. On Android, swipe up in Google Photos or open Details.
Can someone find my location from a photo I send them?
Yes, if the file they receive still has GPS metadata. Photos sent as files, documents or email attachments usually keep it. Photos posted on big social networks or sent as compressed photos in messaging apps usually lose it, but check rather than assume.
Why are the GPS numbers positive when the photo was taken in the southern hemisphere?
EXIF stores latitude and longitude as positive numbers with a separate reference: North or South, East or West. Make South latitude and West longitude negative before pasting the coordinates into a map.
Do screenshots have location data?
A screenshot is a new image created by your device, so it doesn't carry the GPS of the photo shown in it. Check it in an EXIF reader if you need to be sure, and remember that what's visible in the picture can still give a location away.
Is the My Botsy EXIF reader free and private?
Yes. It's free and reads the photo inside your browser, so the image isn't uploaded. You can use it without an account; guests get 5 tool uses a day, and a free account with no spam removes that limit.
