How to remove the location from your photos before you share them

Guides · Updated 12 October 2026 · By Tiago Santos

Most phones save the exact place a photo was taken inside the photo file, as GPS coordinates, along with the date, time and phone model. This hidden data is called EXIF. Send that file to someone, and they can see where you were, often down to a few metres. For a photo taken at home, that’s your address.

Do social networks remove it?

The big social networks generally strip location data from photos when you post them. The risk is everywhere else: photos sent by email, shared as a document or “original quality” file in a chat app, uploaded to a marketplace or a forum, or put in a shared folder usually keep it. If you’re not sure, remove it yourself before you send.

Check if a photo has a location

• iPhone: open the photo in Photos and swipe up. A map means it has a location.
• Android (Google Photos): open the photo and swipe up to see details and a map.
• Windows: right-click the file, choose Properties, then the Details tab, and look for GPS.
• Mac: open it in Preview, choose Tools, Show Inspector, and look for a GPS tab.
• Any device: open Photo metadata; it shows the location on its own line, without uploading the photo.

Remove it on iPhone

When you share from Photos, tap Options at the top of the share sheet and turn off Location. That copy is sent without it. To stop saving locations for new photos, go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, Camera, and choose Never.

Remove it on Android

In Google Photos, open the photo, swipe up, and use the edit (pencil) button next to the location to remove it. To stop saving locations, open the Camera app’s settings and turn off the location tag option (its name varies by phone maker).

Remove it on Windows

Right-click the photo, choose Properties, Details, then Remove Properties and Personal Information. Pick “Create a copy with all possible properties removed” to keep your original untouched.

Remove it on Mac

Open the photo in Preview, choose Tools, Show Inspector, open the GPS tab and click Remove Location Info. In the Photos app you can also choose Image, Location, Hide Location before you share.

Remove it from many photos at once, in your browser

Remove photo location strips GPS and the rest of the hidden details from as many photos as you like, including iPhone HEIC photos, and gives you clean copies. It runs in your browser: the photos are never uploaded, which matters when the whole point is not to share where you live.

Don’t forget what’s in the picture

Removing the data doesn’t hide a house number, a street sign or a car plate in the picture itself. Blur image covers those with a solid block or pixelation before you post.