Google Images can show who made a photo, who owns the copyright and how to license it, and it reads that information from IPTC photo metadata embedded in the file: Creator, Credit Line, Copyright Notice, and two URLs called Web Statement of Rights and Licensor URL. The catch is that “strip all metadata” privacy tools delete those fields along with your GPS location. MetaForge from Automata Labs lets you do both jobs in one offline batch: remove GPS, serial numbers and owner fields, and write author and copyright tags across thousands of photos.
Strip the location, keep the credit, in one batch on your own PC.
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What metadata does Google Images read from a photo?
Google documents this on its Search Central page, Image metadata in Google Images (last updated 10 December 2025). When you provide it, “Google Images can show more details about the image, such as who the creator is, how people can use an image, and credit information.” Licensing information “can make the image eligible for the Licensable badge.”
You can supply the information in two ways, and you only need one:
- Structured data on the web page, added “for every instance an image is used, even if it’s the same image.”
- IPTC photo metadata “embedded into the image itself,” so “the image and metadata can move from page to page while still staying intact.” You only need to embed it once per image.
If both exist and disagree, Google says it “will use the structured data information.”
Which IPTC fields matter for the Licensable badge?
Google lists the IPTC properties it extracts. The IPTC, which maintains the standard, explains how to fill each one in its Quick guide to IPTC Photo Metadata on Google Images.
| IPTC field | What Google uses it for | Needed for the badge? |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Shown as the creator, usually the photographer | Recommended |
| Credit Line | The credit to show when the image is published | Recommended |
| Copyright Notice | Identifies the current copyright owner | Recommended |
| Web Statement of Rights | A URL to the license or terms for the image | Yes, required for the Licensable badge |
| Licensor URL | A URL where someone can get a license | Recommended, enables “Get this image on” |
| Digital Source Type | Says whether the image was made or edited by AI, using IPTC codes such as trainedAlgorithmicMedia | Not for the badge |
Google is explicit about the key one: “You must include the Web Statement of Rights field for your image to be eligible to be shown with the licensable badge.” It also notes that the Licensor URL “must be a property of a Licensor object, not a property of the image object.”
The IPTC guide adds useful detail about where Google looks. For Creator, “Google first reads the ISO XMP dc:creator field, and if that is empty, then the IPTC IIM 2:80 Creator field.” Credit Line and Copyright Notice follow the same pattern with XMP photoshop:Credit and dc:rights. It also warns that some editors label Web Statement of Rights as “Copyright Info” or “Copyright Info URL,” and that this field “should hold a full valid URL.”
Should I strip metadata before publishing photos online?
Strip some of it, not all of it. Google addresses this directly in its FAQ:
“Removing image metadata can reduce image file size, which helps web pages load faster. However, be careful, since removing metadata may be illegal in certain jurisdictions. Image metadata provide image copyright and licensing information online.”
Its recommendation is to “retain critical metadata related to image rights information and identification,” and “whenever possible try to keep the IPTC fields creator, credit line, and copyright notice to provide proper attribution.”
So a sensible publishing rule is to remove what exposes you, and keep what credits you.
| Remove before publishing | Keep or add before publishing |
|---|---|
| GPS latitude, longitude and altitude | Creator |
| Camera and lens serial numbers | Credit Line |
| Camera owner name fields | Copyright Notice |
| Location fields you did not intend to share | Web Statement of Rights URL |
| Editing history you do not want public | Licensor URL, if you sell licenses |
For more on the privacy half, see how to strip EXIF and GPS metadata on Windows. For how EXIF, IPTC and XMP relate, read EXIF vs IPTC vs XMP explained.
How do I strip location but keep copyright on Windows?
This is where one-click cleaners fall short: many of them strip everything, including the fields that credit you. MetaForge is built to remove selectively and then write. According to its Microsoft Store listing and product page:
- Privacy in one pass: strip GPS, altitude, device serial numbers and owner fields before you post or send.
- It removes the XMP location data that the built-in Windows tool leaves behind.
- Batch copyright and metadata: apply author and copyright (EXIF/IPTC) tags across thousands of files at once, and write IPTC keywords in bulk.
- Preview before you commit: a Simulate Run shows every planned change before a single file is touched.
- RAW-safe handling: non-destructive XMP sidecar creation and merging for CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG and more.
- Formats: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP, HEIC and common camera RAW formats.
- 100% offline: no cloud uploads, no telemetry and no account, on Windows 10 and Windows 11.
- Remembers your setup, including your copyright text, so repeat jobs take seconds.
MetaForge’s listing describes author and copyright tags. It does not list the Web Statement of Rights or Licensor URL fields, so plan to add those another way, as shown below.
Clean GPS and serial numbers, then stamp your name and copyright on the whole folder.
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What is a good workflow for licensable images?
- Export your final images from your editor as usual.
- Run a MetaForge batch on the export folder. Strip GPS, serial numbers and owner fields, and write your author and copyright text. Use Simulate Run first to confirm what will change.
- Add the license URLs. Either add
licenseandacquireLicensePagestructured data on your web pages, which Google says is sufficient on its own, or embed Web Statement of Rights in the files. With ExifTool, the Web Statement of Rights tag isXMP-xmpRights:WebStatement:
exiftool -XMP-xmpRights:WebStatement="https://example.com/license" -r "C:\Exports\Web"ExifTool also documents a Licensor structure with a LicensorURL field for the “Get this image on” link.
- Check your site does not strip metadata on upload. Image optimization plugins and CDNs can be set to remove all metadata to save bytes. If yours does, structured data on the page is the safer route.
- Test a page in Google’s Rich Results Test if you use structured data.
- Be patient. Google says it “does not guarantee that structured data or IPTC photo metadata will show up in search results,” and re-crawling can take days.
If you are comparing tools for this kind of work, our MetaForge vs ExifTool comparison covers where each one fits.
What about AI-generated images and C2PA?
Two separate mechanisms are worth knowing. The IPTC Digital Source Type field can declare that an image was “created algorithmically using a model derived from sampled content,” and Google lists the codes it supports. Separately, Google says that if an image contains C2PA metadata, it “can extract those details and may show information in the ‘About this image’ feature.” For that to work, the signer must have adopted C2PA version 2.1 or later, and the manifest must be signed by a certificate on the C2PA Trust List.
If you strip all metadata from an AI-assisted image, you also remove these signals. That is another reason to strip selectively.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need IPTC metadata if I already use structured data?
No. Google says either method is sufficient for the Licensable badge. IPTC has the advantage of travelling with the file when other sites reuse it.
Which field triggers the Licensable badge?
Web Statement of Rights, holding a full URL to your license or terms page. With structured data, the equivalent is the license property.
Is it legal to remove copyright metadata?
Google warns that removing metadata “may be illegal in certain jurisdictions.” Keep creator, credit line and copyright notice unless you have a clear reason not to.
Does MetaForge upload my photos?
No. Its Store listing says it runs entirely on your PC with no cloud uploads, no telemetry and no account.
Can MetaForge add copyright to RAW files?
Its listing describes non-destructive XMP sidecar creation and merging for RAW formats such as CR2, NEF and ARW.
Try MetaForge
Get MetaForge from the Microsoft Store. It is a one-time purchase with no subscription, and the Store listing shows the current price.
Publish photos that protect your privacy and keep your credit.
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Google and Google Images are trademarks of Google LLC. IPTC is a trademark of the International Press Telecommunications Council. MetaForge is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google or the IPTC.
Last updated 21 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.