Extract and view hidden metadata from photos, PDFs, and files — including EXIF camera data, GPS location, timestamps, image dimensions, and document properties. 100% private, browser-based.
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Images (JPG, PNG, WebP, HEIC), PDFs, JSON, text files · Max 50MB
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Full EXIF Viewer
Camera, GPS, settings
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Multi-Format
Images, PDFs, JSON
A metadata viewer (also called an EXIF viewer, metadata reader, or metadata extractor) is a tool that reads and displays the hidden information embedded inside digital files. While the visible content of a file is what you see — an image, a document, a photo — metadata is the invisible layer of descriptive data that travels alongside it, recording everything from camera settings and GPS coordinates to author names and edit history.
Our free online metadata viewer extracts this hidden data from images (JPEG, PNG, WebP, HEIC, GIF), PDF documents, JSON files, and text files — all processed locally in your browser with zero server uploads. Uploaded files never leave your device, making this the most private way to inspect file metadata.
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a standard specification for storing metadata in image files created by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA). First standardized in 1995, EXIF has become the universal metadata format embedded in virtually every digital photo taken with a smartphone, DSLR, mirrorless camera, or action camera.
Check what sensitive data is embedded in your photos before sharing online, via email, or on social media. Viewing the metadata first lets you decide whether to share the original or strip metadata first using our Metadata Remover tool.
Photographers review EXIF data to analyze which camera settings produced their best shots — learning from aperture, ISO, and shutter speed combinations to improve future photography.
Journalists, researchers, and fact-checkers use metadata viewers to verify photo authenticity — checking timestamps, GPS coordinates, and camera model consistency to detect manipulated or misattributed images.
Recover the location where a photo was taken by reading GPS coordinates from EXIF data. Useful for cataloging travel photos, mapping photography locations, or geotagging images for digital asset management.
Read PDF metadata to find author names, creation software, document title, and page count. Useful for verifying document provenance, checking publication dates, or auditing documents before legal or corporate submission.
Investigators and researchers use metadata extraction to establish timelines, identify device ownership, verify file creation dates, and analyze image provenance in digital forensics investigations.
Digital asset managers use metadata viewers to audit large photo libraries — identifying missing metadata, verifying copyright information, and ensuring consistent IPTC tagging across image collections.
Copyright professionals and stock photo agencies use metadata viewers to verify that images contain correct author, copyright, and licensing information embedded in IPTC and XMP fields before licensing or publication.
Web developers inspect image metadata to verify dimensions, color profiles, and format information when debugging display issues. Reading actual image dimensions helps identify responsive image problems and layout shifts.
No. All metadata extraction happens entirely within your browser using JavaScript file APIs. Your files are never transmitted over the internet, never stored on any server, and never accessible to anyone but you. This browser-based approach is fundamentally more private than cloud-based metadata tools.
GPS data is only present in EXIF metadata if location services were enabled on your camera or smartphone at the time the photo was taken. Many devices allow you to disable GPS tagging in camera settings. Additionally, some platforms (Instagram, Facebook) strip GPS data from publicly shared photos, so photos downloaded from social media often lack GPS metadata.
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) stores technical camera data and GPS coordinates, embedded by the camera at capture time. IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) stores editorial metadata like captions, keywords, credits, and rights — typically added by photographers or photo editors. XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) is Adobe's XML-based metadata standard, storing edit history, ratings, color labels, and workflow data embedded by Lightroom, Photoshop, and other creative tools.
Yes. iPhone photos saved in HEIC format contain EXIF metadata including GPS coordinates, timestamp, iPhone model, and camera settings. Upload your HEIC file to our viewer to see all available metadata. Note that iOS sometimes removes GPS data from photos sent via iMessage or shared through AirDrop, depending on settings.
GPS accuracy in smartphone photos is typically within 3–10 meters under open sky conditions, and 10–50 meters in urban environments or indoors where GPS signal is obstructed. The EXIF GPS field often includes an accuracy estimate (GPSHPositioningError on iPhones) that indicates the reliability of the coordinates.
Yes. Click the 'Export JSON' button to download all extracted metadata as a structured JSON file. This is useful for documentation, archiving, forensic analysis, or importing metadata into other tools. The exported file includes all metadata fields organized by category, plus file information and an export timestamp.
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