To check whether a photo has location data on Windows, right-click it, choose Properties, open the Details tab and scroll down. If you see a GPS section with latitude and longitude, the photo records where it was taken. That check takes ten seconds, but it only covers the fields File Explorer knows how to show, and it works one file at a time. To check and clean a whole folder before you share it, MetaForge from Automata Labs scans the metadata offline, strips GPS and device serial numbers in bulk, and removes XMP location data that the built-in Windows tool leaves behind.
Strip GPS, serial numbers and XMP location from a whole folder before you share it, with nothing uploaded.
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Why do photos contain location data?
Most phones, and many cameras, write the place a photo was taken into the file itself. The coordinates sit in the photo’s metadata, next to the date, the camera model and the exposure settings. On phones this is usually controlled by the camera app’s location permission.
The data travels with the file. If you email the original, upload it to a marketplace, drop it in a shared folder or send it as a document in a chat app, the location can go with it. Some services remove metadata when you upload, and some do not, and the rules change. Checking the file yourself is the only way to be sure what you are sending.
How do I check a photo for GPS data in File Explorer?
The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s guide to viewing geotagged image data gives the Windows steps:
- Find the photo in File Explorer.
- Right-click it and select Properties.
- Open the Details tab.
- Scroll down to the GPS section.
If the section shows Latitude and Longitude values, the photo has location data. If there is no GPS section, or it is empty, File Explorer did not find GPS fields it recognizes.
Can the Windows Photos app show where a photo was taken?
Yes, in a way. Microsoft’s Photos search help page explains that Photos can search by location, such as a city or country. You enable it with Enable Location Based Features under Personalization in the app’s Settings. Microsoft says your photos “include latitude and longitude as part of their embedded data,” and it uses that information to work out where each photo was taken.
That gives you a handy reverse check. Search Photos for your own town. Any photo that shows up has location data that someone else could read too.
Why is the Details tab not the full answer?
Photo metadata comes in more than one family. EXIF is where cameras put GPS coordinates. XMP is a flexible format that can carry GPS coordinates and location names too, and many editing apps write it. IPTC fields can hold a city, region and country as text. Our explainer on EXIF vs IPTC vs XMP covers what each holds.
That has two consequences:
- An empty GPS section is a good sign, not proof. A city name in an IPTC or XMP field is still location data, and it is not in the GPS section.
- Removing GPS in Windows may not remove everything. The built-in Remove Properties and Personal Information option only clears fields it knows about. We cover what it removes, and what it can miss, in our guide to the limits of Windows Remove Properties.
How do I see every location field with ExifTool?
ExifTool is a free command-line metadata tool. To list every GPS field and every XMP field in a photo, with the group each one came from:
exiftool -a -G1 -gps:all photo.jpg
exiftool -a -G1 -xmp:all photo.jpg-a shows duplicate tags, and -G1 shows which group each tag belongs to. Read the XMP output for coordinates and for fields with names like City, State, Country or Location. ExifTool’s documentation also notes that XMP can hold GPS tags of its own, separate from the EXIF GPS block.
ExifTool is accurate and thorough. It is also a command line, and it is easy to strip more or less than you meant to.
What does MetaForge do with the location data it finds?
MetaForge is an offline EXIF editor, metadata remover and photo organizer for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Its Microsoft Store listing describes:
- GPS and EXIF scrubbing in bulk. Remove location data, device identifiers and hidden metadata across a batch.
- Privacy in one pass. Strip GPS, altitude, device serial numbers and owner fields before you post or send.
- XMP location removal. It removes the XMP location data the built-in Windows tool leaves behind, with a real interface instead of a command line.
- Simulate Run. A Simulation Report previews every move, rename and metadata change before a single file is touched.
- Format support for JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP, HEIC and common camera RAW formats, with non-destructive XMP sidecars for RAW files.
- No cloud uploads, no telemetry and no account.
Its product page describes the workflow as: review the fields, run a Simulation Report, then apply the batch.
Preview what will be stripped, then clean the whole batch in one pass, on your own PC.
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How do the checking methods compare?
| Properties, Details tab | Photos location search | ExifTool | MetaForge | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shows EXIF GPS coordinates | Yes | Indirectly, by place | Yes | Scans metadata before stripping |
| Shows XMP location fields | Only fields Explorer recognizes | No | Yes | Removes XMP location data |
| Works on a whole folder | No, one file | Yes, by search | Yes, with options | Yes, in bulk |
| Removes location data | Basic, via Remove Properties | No | Yes, by command | Yes, with a Simulate Run preview |
| Needs the command line | No | No | Yes | No |
| Uploads your photos | No | No | No | No |
| Price | Free | Free | Free | One-time purchase |
A simple checklist before you share photos
- Check one sample. Open Properties, then Details, on one photo from the batch. If there is a GPS section, assume the rest have one too.
- Decide what should stay. Keep the date if it matters. Remove coordinates, altitude and device serial numbers for anything public.
- Strip the whole batch. Use MetaForge, or ExifTool if you are comfortable with it, on a copy of the folder.
- Preview first. In MetaForge, run Simulate Run and read the Simulation Report before you apply.
- Check again. Open Properties on a cleaned copy, and for important files list the XMP fields with ExifTool.
- Share the cleaned copy, not the original.
If you sell on marketplaces or post to social media often, our guide to removing location data for social media covers that workflow, and bulk removing GPS metadata on Windows covers big batches.
Common mistakes
- Trusting a screenshot of a photo. A screenshot is a new image without the original’s GPS, but it also loses quality. Clean the original instead.
- Checking the edited copy, then sharing the original. Make sure you share the file you checked.
- Stopping at the GPS section. City and location names can live in other fields.
- Forgetting sidecar files. RAW photos often come with
.xmpsidecar files that can carry location too. - Cleaning the only copy. Keep your originals with location for your own archive if you want it, and share cleaned copies.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a picture has location data?
Right-click the photo in File Explorer, choose Properties, open Details and scroll to GPS. Latitude and longitude values mean it has location data.
Can someone find my location from a photo?
If the photo still has GPS coordinates when they receive it, yes. Anyone with the file can read them with free tools. Remove the data before you share.
Does taking a screenshot remove location data?
A screenshot is a new image and generally does not carry the original photo’s GPS coordinates. It does reduce quality and may include other things on your screen, so stripping the original is usually better.
Does Windows Remove Properties remove all location data?
It removes many common fields, but it only clears what it recognizes. XMP location data can be left behind, which is the gap MetaForge targets.
Does MetaForge upload my photos?
No. It runs entirely on your PC, with no cloud uploads, no telemetry and no account.
Try MetaForge
Get MetaForge from the Microsoft Store. It is a one-time purchase, and the Store listing shows the current price.
Check, preview and strip location data locally, then share with confidence.
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Microsoft and Windows are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies. ExifTool is the work of Phil Harvey. MetaForge is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Last updated 19 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.