How to Find Where a Photo Was Taken (and Hide It)
Most phone cameras quietly write the exact spot where you pressed the shutter into every photo. That is great for organising holiday albums on a map, and less great when you post a picture of your new sofa and the file carries your home coordinates.
This guide shows how to check where a photo was taken on Android and iPhone, why the location is sometimes missing, and how to remove it before sharing. We will use ExifTool, which is available for both Android and iOS, for the detailed part.
Where the location lives
Photos store extra information called metadata. The best known kind is EXIF, and inside it is a GPS section with tags such as latitude, longitude, altitude and sometimes the direction the camera faced. If you want the full background, read what EXIF data is.
A photo only has GPS tags if:
- the camera app was allowed to use location when the photo was taken, and
- nothing removed the tags afterwards.
Quick check in your gallery
On Android (Google Photos)
- Open the photo.
- Swipe up, or tap the menu, to show the details panel.
- If location was recorded, you see a place name or a small map.
Other gallery apps, such as Samsung Gallery, have a similar details or info option. Labels vary by brand and version.
On iPhone (Photos app)
- Open the photo.
- Swipe up or tap the info button.
- A map appears if the photo has location data.
Gallery apps can also show a location you added manually, or an estimated place, so treat this as a quick look rather than proof of the raw tags.
Detailed check with ExifTool
To see exactly what is stored in the file, including the raw coordinates:
- Install ExifTool from Google Play or the App Store.
- Open the app and choose a photo.
- Find the GPS group in the list of tags.
- Read GPS Latitude and GPS Longitude. You may also see altitude, timestamp and image direction.
- Copy the coordinates into any map app to see the spot.
ExifTool reads EXIF, GPS, IPTC, XMP and more, across JPG, HEIC, WEBP, RAW, video and audio files. For a comparison with other viewers, see best EXIF viewer apps for Android. On iPhone, our ExifTool for iPhone guide covers the iOS flow.
Why the location might be missing
If you find no GPS tags, the likely reasons are:
- Location was off for the camera. The phone never recorded it.
- The photo came through a social network or messaging app. Many services strip metadata when you upload or send a picture.
- It was edited or exported. Some editors drop metadata when saving a copy.
- It is a screenshot or a downloaded image. These rarely carry GPS.
Without GPS tags, a file cannot tell you where it was taken. Anything beyond that is guesswork from what is visible in the picture.
How to remove location before sharing
Remove GPS from one photo
- Open the photo in ExifTool.
- Choose to remove the GPS tags only, if you want to keep other details like camera model and date.
- Or use the one-tap wipe to remove EXIF, XMP and GPS together.
- Save, then share the cleaned file.
Remove GPS from many photos
ExifTool supports batch editing, so you can select a whole set of photos and strip location in one go. Our step-by-step guide to batch removing GPS location walks through it.
Use the share sheet on iPhone
When sharing from the iPhone Photos app, the share sheet has an Options menu with a Location toggle. Turning it off removes location from that shared copy only.
Stop recording location in the first place
If you rarely need location in your photos, turn it off at the source:
- iPhone: Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera, then choose Never.
- Android: open the camera app’s settings and turn off the option usually called Save location or Location tags. You can also deny the Location permission for the camera app in Settings > Apps.
Menu names vary between versions and brands. The trade-off is that your gallery’s map and place search stop working for new photos.
Hidden location beyond GPS
Removing the tags is only half of privacy. A photo can still reveal where you are through:
- house numbers, street signs or a view from your window
- reflections in windows, mirrors or sunglasses
- delivery labels and documents on a desk
Our article on 7 hidden details phone photos leak covers these in depth.
When you do want a provable location
Sometimes location is the point, for example in site inspections or delivery proof. In that case, raw EXIF is weak evidence because anyone with an editor can change it. A verification camera such as SnapID Mark stamps time, GPS and a code that recipients can verify. See how to verify a photo with a SnapID code.
Summary
- Swipe up in your gallery for a quick look at a photo’s location.
- Open it in ExifTool to see the exact GPS tags.
- Remove GPS, or wipe all metadata, before you share.
- Turn off location in the camera if you never need it.
Get ExifTool for Android or iPhone and check your next photo before it leaves your phone.
FAQ
Can I find where any photo was taken?
Only if the photo still contains GPS metadata. Many social networks and messaging apps strip it on upload, and phones only record it when location access is allowed for the camera. If the tags are gone, the file itself cannot tell you the place.
Does removing GPS data change how the photo looks?
No. Location is stored as metadata next to the image data. Removing it does not change the pixels, resolution or quality of the picture.
Do screenshots contain location?
Screenshots usually do not include GPS coordinates, but they can still reveal location through what is visible on screen, such as a map, an address or a weather widget.
Quickly view, modify or remove EXIF, GPS, IPTC and XMP data from photos, video and audio on Android. Free and offline-capable.