How to remove GPS location from a phone photo
A photo taken with a phone usually carries the coordinates of exactly where you were, accurate to a few metres.
Where that information lives
It sits in a block called EXIF, inside the file itself. You will not see it when you open the photo, but anyone who receives it can read it with free tools — and plenty of services do so automatically.
Alongside the coordinates you will usually find your phone model, the exact date and time, and sometimes the camera serial number.
Why it matters more than it seems
One photo reveals a place. Several reveal a routine: where you live, when you leave, where you work, which school your children go to.
The big social networks usually strip EXIF on upload, but a file sent by email, shared uncompressed over a messaging app, or posted to a forum arrives intact.
How to check
Drop the photo onto this page. If it carries coordinates they will appear on a map, along with everything else the file reveals. It all happens in your browser — the photo is not uploaded anywhere.
How to remove it without ruining the photo
Almost every tool decodes the image and re-encodes it, quietly degrading the quality. KillEXIF removes only the metadata blocks and leaves the image data untouched, byte for byte.
One thing worth knowing: EXIF also stores the orientation. Removing it can leave a photo taken sideways appearing rotated, because it reverts to its true physical orientation. That is expected, not a fault.
Stopping it being recorded at all
You can turn it off on the phone itself, which is the easiest fix if you do not need the location.
- iPhone: Settings › Privacy & Security › Location Services › Camera › Never.
- Android: open Camera › Settings › turn off "Location tags" or "Save location".