How to remove EXIF data on a Mac.
Your photos know where you live. Here's how to make them forget — properly.
Every phone photo embeds the GPS coordinates of the shutter press. macOS gives you a partial answer; the complete scrub needs one of the two methods below.
1Preview (partial — location only)
- Open the photo, Tools → Show Inspector → the (i) tab.
- Open the GPS tab and click Remove Location Info.
- Save. Camera model, timestamps and the rest remain.
Removes the most dangerous field, leaves the rest of the dossier intact. One photo at a time.
2Export via Photos app (partial)
- Import to Photos, then File → Export.
- Untick 'Include location information'.
- Export copies without GPS — other EXIF survives.
Batch-capable but roundabout, and again: GPS only.
3Rename with RenameTo (complete scrub)
- Rename photo.jpg to photo.nometa.jpg, press Return.
- EXIF, GPS, XMP and IPTC are all stripped in place — pixels untouched.
- Works in batches; originals backed up.
A one-step complete scrub with local file processing.
nometa removes the entire provenance layer, not just GPS — camera, lens, software, timestamps, keywords. What leaves your Mac is pixels and nothing else.
Questions? Answers.
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