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Image location finder: where was this photo taken?
Drop a photo to read the GPS coordinates stored in its metadata and open the spot on a map. If the location was removed, the report says so instead of guessing.
- Deleted right after analysis
- Original never modified
- No sign-up
Your original file is never modified. Every action produces a new image.
How do I find where a photo was taken?
- Drop the photo into the tool above, choose a file, or paste an image URL.
- If the file carries a location, the report opens with a GPS found card showing the latitude and longitude.
- Click Show on map to see the spot, or open it in Google Maps or OpenStreetMap.
The finder reads the coordinates the phone or camera saved at the moment of capture. When they are there, the answer is precise, often to a few metres. When they are not, the report says so.
What does the finder read?
A photo’s location lives in the GPS section of its EXIF metadata. The finder reads every tag in it and shows the useful ones first.
| Tag | What it holds |
|---|---|
GPSLatitude, GPSLatitudeRef |
Distance north or south of the equator, and which side |
GPSLongitude, GPSLongitudeRef |
Distance east or west of Greenwich, and which side |
GPSAltitude |
Height above sea level, when the device recorded it |
GPSTimeStamp, GPSDateStamp |
The time of the fix, in UTC |
GPSImgDirection |
The direction the camera was pointing, on some phones |
The full list stays available under All metadata, with every field the file contains. What each GPS tag records, and how to convert it by hand, is explained in EXIF GPS tags.
A worked example
The sample photo in the tool (try it with No image handy? Try a sample photo) stores 48 deg 51' 30.13" N, 2 deg 17' 40.13" E. The finder converts it to 48.85837, 2.29448, the position of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The same report shows that the photo also names its author and its camera serial number, which is often a bigger surprise than the location.
When was this photo taken?
The same report answers the second question people ask about a photo. The date sits in the EXIF metadata next to the location:
DateTimeOriginalis the capture time the camera or phone recorded, in the device’s local clock;OffsetTimeOriginal, when present, gives that clock’s offset from UTC;GPSDateStampandGPSTimeStamprecord the time of the GPS fix, in UTC.
The file modification date shown by your computer is a different thing: it changes whenever the file is copied or saved. A date can also be edited, so read it as what the file claims.
Why does a photo have no location?
Most photos taken with location services on carry GPS coordinates. Many photos you receive do not, for ordinary reasons:
- location saving was turned off in the camera app;
- the image is a screenshot, a download or an export from an editor;
- the service it came through re-saved the file and dropped the metadata on the way.
Services differ, and some keep the location. A missing GPS block tells you the coordinates are not in this copy of the file. It does not tell you where the photo was taken.
How do I remove the location before sharing?
Once you have seen the coordinates, click Remove location on the map card, or turn on Protect my privacy to also clear the serial number and your name. The download is a new file with the rest of the metadata intact. To strip everything at once, use the metadata remover.
How does it work?
The file is read with ExifTool on our server, over an encrypted connection, and deleted right after the analysis. The coordinates are converted from degrees, minutes and seconds to decimal form for the map links. How the report classifies location and other sensitive fields is described in our methodology.