What is EXIF data?
EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format. It is a standard for storing information inside image files, mainly JPEG and TIFF, and the same idea is used in many other formats including HEIC and camera RAW files. When you take a photo with a phone or camera, the device writes EXIF data alongside the picture.
The standard was first published in the 1990s by the Japan Electronic Industry Development Association (JEIDA) and is now maintained jointly by JEITA and CIPA, the Camera and Imaging Products Association.
What EXIF contains
A typical photo's EXIF data may include:
- Date and time the photo was taken, sometimes with time zone offset.
- Device details: camera or phone make and model, lens, and sometimes a serial number.
- Exposure settings: shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length, flash.
- Orientation: tells software which way to rotate the image for display.
- GPS location: latitude, longitude and sometimes altitude and direction, if location tagging is on.
- Thumbnail: a small preview image embedded in the file.
- Software: the app or editor that last saved the file.
How it is stored
In a JPEG, EXIF lives in an APP1 segment near the start of the file and uses a TIFF-style structure of tagged fields. Editing software can read, change or remove these fields without touching the actual pixels. Note that if EXIF is removed, the orientation tag goes with it, so some tools rotate the pixels first to keep the image looking right.
Why EXIF matters when sending files
EXIF is useful for organizing photos, and it is essential to photographers who review settings later. But GPS data in particular can reveal where you live, work or travel. Many people do not realize that sharing an original photo shares its location too.
Different sharing methods treat EXIF differently. Many social networks and some messaging apps strip or reduce metadata when you upload, often as a side effect of recompressing the image. Sending the original file, through email attachments, cloud links or direct transfers, usually preserves EXIF exactly.
| Situation | Keep EXIF? |
|---|---|
| Delivering photos to a client or editor | Usually yes |
| Archiving your own photos | Yes |
| Sending to a stranger or posting publicly | Consider removing GPS |
Example
A parent sends a photo of their child's birthday party to a group that includes people they barely know. The original iPhone photo includes GPS coordinates accurate to a few meters, pointing to their home. Stripping EXIF before sending keeps the picture and removes the location.
EXIF and Sendryo
Sendryo sends photos in original quality, unchanged, so EXIF data, including GPS if present, arrives with the file. That is ideal when you want full-quality originals. If you prefer to remove location and camera details first, use the free remove EXIF tool, which works locally in your browser without uploading your photos. Learn more about file metadata and lossless vs lossy compression.