What does the metadata viewer show?
A single photo can carry hundreds of hidden fields: the camera make and model, exposure settings (aperture, shutter speed, ISO), the exact date and time of capture, the GPS coordinates where it was taken, the editing software used, the owner's name and even the camera's serial number. AI-generated images add their own layer: C2PA Content Credentials, Stable Diffusion parameters or an IPTC digitalSourceType marker. This viewer shows all of it, organised so you don't need to know a single tag name.
How do I read EXIF data from a URL?
No need to download an image first: switch to the From URL tab and paste a direct link. The image is fetched server-side and read the same way, handy as an online EXIF reader to check a picture before you ever save it to your device.
Can I export the metadata?
Yes. Once analysed, export the complete metadata listing to TXT, CSV or JSON for your records, an investigation or a support ticket.
How do I remove what the viewer finds?
If the photo reveals more than you'd like, clean it on the spot, or jump to the dedicated remove metadata & EXIF tool. To change fields instead, use the metadata editor. To check whether an image was AI-generated, use the AI image checker.
What the built-in viewers do not show you
Windows Properties, macOS Preview and the Photos app on your phone all show a curated summary. They display the fields they have a name for and skip the rest, which sounds reasonable until you notice what falls in the gap.
The main omission is the manufacturer's private block. Camera makers reserve a section for whatever they like, in a format they do not publish, and it is often the largest group in the file. On one iPhone photo we measured, 54 of the 177 fields were undocumented Apple entries. It is also where some cameras write a body serial number, which links every photo from that camera to the same owner. No built-in panel will show it to you. A device-by-device comparison is in how to view photo metadata.
Does it read RAW and HEIC files?
Yes, and they are usually the richest files you can open here. A RAW file exists to preserve everything the sensor and the body recorded, so it carries more EXIF than a JPEG of the same shot. HEIC, the default on recent iPhones, carries a full set too, which is why an iPhone photo has as many fields as it does.
The formats that disappoint are the converted ones. WebP supports EXIF and XMP, but many tools that write WebP simply do not bother, so a converted file often arrives empty. A screenshot is the extreme case: it is a new image created by the operating system and carries almost nothing about whatever was on screen.