EXIF & Metadata Reader
Read every metadata tag, including GPS coordinates and the embedded thumbnail, which often differs from the picture itself.
You can also drag an image here, or press Ctrl+V to paste a screenshot.
Coordinates found in the metadata
- Degrees and decimal minutes
- Decimal degrees
- Altitude
Embedded thumbnail
Cameras store a small preview alongside the picture, and editing software does not always update it. When the two differ, the thumbnail shows what the image looked like before it was changed.
Text found in the metadata
Comment and description fields, where a message is often left in plain sight.
All tags
| Tag | Value |
|---|
No metadata found. Many images have none: it's commonly stripped when a picture is uploaded to a website, and PNGs rarely carry EXIF at all. If the file came from a cache page, try the File Carver to see whether anything is hidden in the bytes instead.
What to look for in a photograph’s metadata
The easiest possible puzzle is a photograph taken at the final location with the GPS left switched on. The coordinates are then simply sitting in the file, needing no decoding at all, only someone to look. This page shows them at the top when they're there.
Failing that, check the comment and description fields, which accept arbitrary text and are almost never displayed anywhere. And compare the embedded thumbnail with the picture itself: if a cache owner painted over something, the thumbnail may still show what was underneath.