HEIC, EXIF and the location data in your photos

What is stored

Every iPhone photo carries an EXIF block: capture time, device model, lens, exposure, orientation, and — if location services were enabled for the camera — latitude and longitude accurate to a few metres.

Why it matters

A photo posted to a marketplace listing can reveal a home address. A passport scan sent to a visa agent carries the same. Most people never look at this data because file explorers hide it.

Does converting remove it?

It depends on the tool. Re-encoding through an HTML canvas — which is what this site does — produces a new JPG with no EXIF block at all. Some desktop converters copy metadata across by default, which preserves the GPS tag.

If you want to keep the date but drop the location, you need a tool with per-field control. That is on our list.

Checking a file yourself

On macOS: open the image in Preview → Tools → Show Inspector → GPS tab. On Windows: right-click → Properties → Details. On the web: any EXIF viewer will show the tags.

If the GPS fields are populated, assume the file identifies where it was taken.

Practical habit

Before sharing photos of your home, documents or children, run them through a converter that strips metadata, or use your phone’s built-in “remove location” option when sharing.