Guide · 2 min read
How to remove the location from a photo on iPhone, Android or PC
Phone photos store the exact coordinates of where they were taken. Here is how to check whether a photo carries them and how to remove them before sharing.
Last updated:
When you take a photo with your phone, the camera stores the GPS coordinates of the spot inside the file, accurate to a few metres. They are not visible in the picture, but anyone who receives the original file can read them in seconds and drop them on a map. If the photo was taken at home, they point at your front door.
First, check whether your photo has one
Drop the photo into Strip metadata. If it contains coordinates, they are shown along with the rest of the hidden data: the phone model, the serial number on some cameras, and the exact date and time. From there you can download a clean copy without losing quality, because the image is not recompressed.
On iPhone
For one photo, when sharing it: in the share sheet, tap Options at the top and turn off Location. The photo is sent without coordinates.
So new photos do not record it: go to Settings → Privacy & Security → Location Services → Camera and choose Never.
On Android
The names vary by manufacturer, but the setting lives in the camera app itself:
- Google Camera (Pixel): camera settings → turn off Save location.
- Samsung: camera settings → turn off Location tags.
- Other manufacturers: look for “location”, “GPS” or “geotag” in the camera settings.
Google Photos also has an option, in its privacy settings, to remove the location from photos you share by link.
On Windows and Mac
- Windows: right-click the photo → Properties → Details → Remove Properties and Personal Information. It works, but it is easy to miss fields.
- Mac: in the Photos app, select the image and use Image → Location → Hide Location. It only affects how Photos exports it.
The simplest way on any system is the same: drop the photo into Strip metadata and download the clean copy. It works the same on a phone or a computer, and the photo never leaves your device.
What about social media?
Instagram, Facebook, X and WhatsApp remove metadata from the version other people see when you send an ordinary photo. There are three cases where that does not protect you:
- When you send the photo as a document or file to keep the quality.
- When you send it by email, as a file on Telegram, by AirDrop, or put it in a shared cloud folder.
- When you post it on forums, small websites or second-hand marketplaces, which often keep the file as it is.
And a platform removing the location from the public copy does not mean it did not read it first. Cleaning the file before you send it is the only part that is up to you.
When it is worth doing every time
- Photos of your home, your street or your children’s school.
- Photos of items you sell on second-hand sites.
- Screenshots or photos you send to strangers.
- Any photo you are going to post publicly.