EXIF viewer: read a photo's hidden data
Read a photo's EXIF data: date, device, settings and GPS location
Your files stay with you. Conversion happens inside the browser; no file is ever uploaded to a server.
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How it works
Tap or click the box, choose a photo and press "Read data". The tool finds and reads the EXIF block inside the file, and the result line shows the device, the date taken and the exposure. If the photo contains a location, the line starts with a capital-letter warning and gives the coordinates. A full report of every tag downloads as a text file, grouped into device and software, date, exposure settings, image, location and other tags. Example: a phone photo gives a summary such as "Apple iPhone 15 · March 12, 2024 at 2:22:05 PM · f/1.8 1/120 s ISO 64" with a location warning, and the report holds the latitude, longitude and a link that opens the spot on a map. JPG, PNG, WEBP and TIFF are read; convert HEIC to JPG first. The file is read in your browser and never uploaded.
This tool is also known as exif viewer, exif data viewer, view photo metadata, find where a photo was taken, photo location finder, check exif online, when was a photo taken.
What is EXIF?
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is the block of information a camera or phone writes into the file when it takes a picture. You cannot see it in the image, but it travels with the file: make and model, date and time, aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focal length, orientation and, when location services are on, the GPS position. Editing apps may add their own name to it.
What is GPS coordinates?
GPS coordinates pin down where the shutter was pressed, as a pair of numbers: latitude and longitude. EXIF stores them in degrees, minutes and seconds; the tool converts them to decimal degrees (40° 44′ 54″ N = 40.748). North and east are positive, south and west negative. With the camera's location permission on, this is written into every photo and can point to your home within a few metres.
Viewing EXIF vs. removing EXIF: what is the difference?
Viewing EXIF does not touch the file: it only reads it and shows you what is written inside, and what you download is a text report. Removing EXIF takes that information out of the file and gives you a clean copy without harming the picture. Check here first whether a photo carries a location or a serial number; if something should not be shared, move on to the EXIF removal tool.
Why the location matters, and when it disappears
When the camera's location permission is on, every photo gets GPS coordinates. A photo taken at home and posted on a marketplace or forum can show your address within a few metres. That is why the result line starts with a clear warning whenever a location is found; you can clean the file with the EXIF removal tool before sharing.
No location here does not always mean the photo never had one. WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook usually strip EXIF from uploads, iPhone lets you switch location off under Options in the share sheet, and some browsers remove it from photos picked from the gallery. What you see is the content of the exact file you gave the tool.
Why the date and time can look wrong
The EXIF date comes from the device clock at that moment, and older EXIF versions store no time zone. A camera whose clock was never set can write a date from 2010, and a photo taken abroad may be off by the time difference. The tool shows the date exactly as written in the file and does not shift it.
"Date taken" is when the shutter was pressed; "File modified" changes whenever an app edits and saves the photo again. If they differ, the photo was edited later. GPS time is satellite time and always UTC, so in New York it is 4 or 5 hours ahead of local time.
Frequently asked questions
How can I find out where a photo was taken?
Choose the photo on this page and press "Read data". If the file has a GPS record, the result line starts with a location warning and gives the coordinates, and the downloaded report includes an OpenStreetMap link that opens the spot on a map.
How do I see when a photo was taken?
The "Date taken" in EXIF is the moment the shutter was pressed, and it appears in the summary in the result line. If the device clock was wrong, this date is wrong too; the tool shows what the file says.
Why is there no EXIF in a photo I got on WhatsApp?
Apps such as WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook recompress photos and usually strip EXIF. The tool then says there is no EXIF data; the original information only exists in the file first saved by the camera.
Can I read EXIF from a HEIC photo?
This tool does not read HEIC. On an iPhone, choose Settings > Camera > Formats > Most Compatible to shoot JPG, or convert the HEIC file to JPG first; most converters keep the EXIF.