Are my images uploaded anywhere when I view EXIF data?

No, the viewer reads only the first 64 KB of the file as a local ArrayBuffer and parses it inline. Nothing is uploaded to a server.

Why does my image show no EXIF data?

Many platforms strip metadata on upload (Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook), and screenshots never have EXIF. Photos shared via Apple AirDrop or saved directly from a camera will usually retain the full metadata.

Can it read EXIF from PNG or HEIC files?

Not in this version — the parser only handles JPEG’s APP1 segment. HEIC stores metadata in a different container and PNG uses tEXt and eXIf chunks. Future versions may extend support.

Will the viewer show GPS coordinates?

If the photo includes a GPS sub-IFD and the standard rational tags, yes. Many cameras and phones strip GPS data before sharing for privacy, so the field may be absent.

Does removing EXIF make a photo smaller?

Slightly — typically a few kilobytes per JPEG. The main reason to strip EXIF is privacy: removing GPS, camera serial number, and software fingerprints before sharing publicly.

EXIF Viewer

View JPEG EXIF metadata locally in your browser using an inline parser.

Written by Golam Rabbani, Founder & Lead Engineer

This interactive tool requires JavaScript. Read the formula and worked example below; you can compute the result by hand.

How to use this exif viewer

Choose a JPEG file from your device — phones, DSLRs, and mirrorless cameras all embed EXIF.
The tool reads only the first 64 KB of the file to find the APP1 segment.
Browse the EXIF table: camera model, lens, exposure, ISO, GPS, and dozens of other tags.
Use "Reset" to clear the result and inspect another file.
If no EXIF is found, the tool says so explicitly — many edited or screenshot images strip metadata.

About this exif viewer

An EXIF viewer parses the camera metadata embedded in a JPEG file: shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length, lens model, capture date, software, and (when permitted) GPS coordinates. The data lives in the APP1 segment near the start of the file, which is why this tool only needs to read the first 64 KB to extract every standard tag.

The parsing is fully inline. The first 64 KB of the file are read as an ArrayBuffer via the File.slice + arrayBuffer API, then a tiny custom walker steps through the JPEG markers looking for FFE1 (APP1) and the "Exif\0\0" signature. From there it parses the TIFF header, the IFD0 directory, and the Exif sub-IFD using DataView reads — no npm package, no heavy dependency, just a few hundred bytes of typed code.

Everything runs locally in your browser. Your JPEG is sliced in memory and parsed inline — nothing is uploaded to a server, nothing is logged. That makes the viewer safe for sensitive photos: you can see exactly what camera metadata is exposed before sharing the file with anyone else.

As a worked example, an iPhone 15 portrait taken in good light returns roughly 30 EXIF fields including DateTimeOriginal, Make ("Apple"), Model ("iPhone 15"), LensModel, ExposureTime ("1/120"), FNumber ("f/1.78"), ISO ("64"), and PixelXDimension. PNG and HEIC files are not currently supported — the parser is JPEG-specific.

FAQ

Are my images uploaded anywhere when I view EXIF data?: No, the viewer reads only the first 64 KB of the file as a local ArrayBuffer and parses it inline. Nothing is uploaded to a server.
Why does my image show no EXIF data?: Many platforms strip metadata on upload (Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook), and screenshots never have EXIF. Photos shared via Apple AirDrop or saved directly from a camera will usually retain the full metadata.
Can it read EXIF from PNG or HEIC files?: Not in this version — the parser only handles JPEG’s APP1 segment. HEIC stores metadata in a different container and PNG uses tEXt and eXIf chunks. Future versions may extend support.
Will the viewer show GPS coordinates?: If the photo includes a GPS sub-IFD and the standard rational tags, yes. Many cameras and phones strip GPS data before sharing for privacy, so the field may be absent.
Does removing EXIF make a photo smaller?: Slightly — typically a few kilobytes per JPEG. The main reason to strip EXIF is privacy: removing GPS, camera serial number, and software fingerprints before sharing publicly.