EXIF GPS tags: how a photo stores where it was taken
The EXIF GPS tags hold a photo's coordinates, altitude, speed and direction. What each one records, what an iPhone writes, and how to read or remove them.
What are the EXIF GPS tags?
GPS tags
The EXIF GPS tags are the fields stored in the GPS directory of a photo, a sub-directory the main image directory points to with tag 0x8825 (GPSInfo). Each field has its own tag number, starting with GPSVersionID at 0x0000.
The position takes two pairs of fields. GPSLatitude holds a distance from the equator as degrees, minutes and seconds, and GPSLatitudeRef says which side, N or S. GPSLongitude and GPSLongitudeRef do the same for east and west of Greenwich.
What does a real photo store?
Our sample photo keeps it minimal:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
GPSVersionID |
2.3.0.0 |
GPSLatitudeRef |
North |
GPSLatitude |
48 deg 51' 30.13" |
GPSLongitudeRef |
East |
GPSLongitude |
2 deg 17' 40.13" |
A phone writes much more. The iPhone 16 photo we tested carried 20 GPS fields: the coordinates, the altitude, the GPS timestamp, the speed of travel and the camera’s bearing. A location is more than a point on a map; it also says how fast you were moving and which way you were facing.
The Galaxy S24 photo we tested carried none, not one GPS field out of 209. It still named a country, in a Samsung-only field described under MakerNotes.
How do you turn the values into a map position?
Convert each coordinate to decimal degrees: degrees + minutes ÷ 60 + seconds ÷ 3,600, negative for S or W.
For the sample photo: 48 + 51 ÷ 60 + 30.13 ÷ 3,600 = 48.85837, and 2 + 17 ÷ 60 + 40.13 ÷ 3,600 = 2.29448. That is the Eiffel Tower. Our image location finder does the conversion and links to the map.
Why does ExifTool call them EXIF:GPS…?
A detail that trips up scripts. ExifTool can group tags by family. In the family it shows by default, -G, the GPS fields belong to the EXIF group, so a coordinate arrives as EXIF:GPSLatitude. In the more precise family -G1, the same field is GPS:GPSLatitude. Code that looks for a GPS: prefix in the default output finds nothing and concludes, wrongly, that the photo has no location.
How do you remove them?
The location option on a phone removes the GPS directory. On the iPhone it deleted exactly these 20 fields and left the other 157. The Remove location button in our tools does the same. To also clear the serial number and your name, use Protect my privacy in the metadata remover.