Upload any JPEG photo to read its hidden metadata. View GPS location, camera model, exposure settings, timestamps, and more — entirely in your browser. Your photo is never uploaded to any server.
Upload a JPEG photo to view its EXIF data, GPS location, and camera details
Every JPEG photo you take contains a hidden layer of information that most people never see. This data — stored in the EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) standard — is written by the camera or smartphone at the exact moment of capture. It records not just what the image looks like, but how, when, and where it was taken.
This free online EXIF viewer reads all of that embedded metadata and presents it in organized, readable tables — instantly, without uploading your photo anywhere. Everything runs locally in your browser.
The metadata is organized into four groups to make it easy to find what you need:
The Copy and Download features make this tool useful beyond just casual browsing — you can pipe the raw EXIF output directly into a report, a database, or a script.
A few fields come up often in practical use and are worth understanding properly:
DateTimeOriginal vs. DateTime: EXIF stores multiple date fields. DateTimeOriginal is written at capture and is the most reliable for verification purposes. DateTime can change when a file is copied, renamed, or transferred between devices — it reflects the file's last modification, not when the photo was taken. When checking the capture date and time of a photo, always look at DateTimeOriginal.
GPS Altitude: Where present, this field records elevation above sea level at the time of capture. It's stored separately from latitude/longitude and is expressed in metres. Not all devices record altitude even when they record horizontal GPS coordinates.
Orientation: This flag tells image viewers how to rotate the photo for correct display. A value of 1 means no rotation needed; values 3, 6, and 8 represent 180°, 90° clockwise, and 90° counter-clockwise rotations respectively. Some apps ignore this flag, which is why photos sometimes appear rotated when opened in certain software.
FNumber (Aperture): Stored as a rational number (e.g., 28/10 representing f/2.8). A lower f-number means a wider aperture and shallower depth of field. This is one of the most useful fields for photographers learning from their own shots.
ExposureTime (Shutter Speed): Displayed as a fraction (e.g., 1/500s). Fast shutter speeds freeze motion; slow ones introduce motion blur. Combined with ISO and aperture, this gives a complete picture of the exposure triangle for any shot.
If the GPS Location section shows no data, one of these is almost certainly why:
None of these mean the tool has an error — "No GPS metadata found" is an accurate result when the data genuinely isn't there.
This tool is fully browser-side. When you select a file, JavaScript reads it from your local storage directly — the image bytes never travel across the internet to a server. The only optional network interaction is the GPS reverse geocoding on the Photo Location Finder page; this viewer does not make that call — it displays the raw coordinates only.
Once you close or reload the tab, all data is cleared. Nothing is cached, stored, or logged on our end. This makes the tool appropriate for sensitive imagery: legal documents, medical photos, confidential site inspections, or personal family photos.
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a metadata standard built into JPEG files. It was established by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA) and is now universally supported by cameras and smartphones. A typical EXIF block contains the camera make and model, capture date and time, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length, flash status, GPS coordinates (if location services were on), image dimensions, and color space. Professional cameras may also embed lens profile data, copyright, and artist information.
Look for the DateTimeOriginal field in the "Image Properties & Timestamps" group. This is written at capture by the camera and is independent of when the file was last saved or modified. It's the most reliable field for confirming when a photo was actually taken, and it's what courts and insurance assessors look for when validating photographic evidence.
This happens when EXIF has been stripped from the file. The most common causes: the photo was shared via a messaging app or social media platform (which removes metadata automatically), it was exported from a photo editor that doesn't preserve EXIF, or it was converted to a different format. Screenshots and images saved from websites typically contain no EXIF data. This tool will display a clear "No EXIF metadata found" message in these cases.
Yes. After uploading a photo, use the Download JSON button to save all extracted EXIF tags as a structured JSON file. You can also use Copy Data to copy the JSON to your clipboard. This is particularly useful for developers who want to process metadata programmatically, or for professionals who need to include raw metadata in a report.
Yes, though they're complementary. The Photo Location Finder is focused specifically on extracting GPS coordinates and displaying them on a map with a reverse-geocoded address. This EXIF Viewer shows the complete metadata picture — all camera settings, timestamps, image properties, and GPS data together — and lets you export everything as JSON. If you only need the map location, use the Location Finder. If you need the full metadata breakdown or want to export the data, use this tool.
Priyanshu built GPS Map Camera Online after running into privacy issues and slow performance with traditional mobile GPS camera apps. He specialises in browser-based tools for field documentation and photo geotagging — keeping everything fast, private, and free.
View all posts →