Remove location details from photos before sharing them

By Andri · Reviewed 4 September 2026

A photo can reveal where it was taken in two ways: details you can see, and hidden file information. Covering a face does not automatically remove either one. eSafety explains that photos and videos can include metadata such as location. Read eSafety's explanation.

Visible location versus hidden metadata

Visible clues include school logos, street signs, house numbers, landmarks, and a caption that names a park or a clinic. Hidden metadata can include GPS coordinates written into the file when the camera saved it. Turning off location for future photos does not remove GPS information already stored in older files.

Inspect an original

On many phones you can open the photo, look at info or details, and see whether a map location is attached. Use the current instructions for your device:

Those help pages change with software versions. Open them at the time you need the steps rather than relying on a screenshot from this article.

Remove GPS information on the device you use

Some sharing sheets let you send a photo without location. Some editors export a copy with metadata removed. Some do not. Confirm on the device in your hand. Do not assume a social app strips GPS just because the map is hidden in the on-screen composer.

Inspect the exported copy

After you save an edited file, open that copy and check its info. Do not assume the Baby Acrobatics face-blurring tool removes location metadata. That output has not been documented here as metadata-free. Check the file you actually saved.

Video metadata

Video files can also carry location and device information, and the picture itself can show a street or a school. Review the clip, the export, and any location tag the posting app wants to add.

Captions and location tags

A caption that names a school or a check-in sticker can identify a place after the GPS has been stripped. Remove those separately. Use the before-posting checklist for names, routines, and other people in the frame.

Limits

Removing file location does not hide a house number that is visible in the picture. Blurring a face does not hide a street sign. If the location itself should stay private, choose a different photo or keep the moment off public feeds.