How to Extract EXIF Data from a Photo

Every photo taken with a digital camera or smartphone contains hidden metadata called EXIF data. It records the camera model, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focal length, the exact time the photo was taken, and — if location services were on — GPS coordinates accurate to within a few meters.

Here's how to read it.

What EXIF data looks like

A typical JPEG from a smartphone contains fields like:

The GPS coordinates in this example point to Lower Manhattan. If you post a photo taken at home, that EXIF data goes with it unless you strip it first.

Reading EXIF in the browser (no software needed)

Browser-based EXIF viewers parse the image locally without uploading it. Drag in a photo, and the tool displays all the embedded metadata. No account, no install, no data sent anywhere.

This is the fastest option for one-off lookups — checking the coordinates of a photo, confirming a timestamp, or verifying camera settings.

Reading EXIF in Python with Pillow

The Pillow library reads EXIF data from JPEG and TIFF files.

from PIL import Image
from PIL.ExifTags import TAGS

def read_exif(path: str) -> dict:
    img = Image.open(path)
    raw_exif = img._getexif()
    if not raw_exif:
        return {}
    return {TAGS.get(tag, tag): value for tag, value in raw_exif.items()}

exif = read_exif("photo.jpg")
for key, value in exif.items():
    print(f"{key}: {value}")

Extracting GPS coordinates

GPS data is stored as a nested structure in EXIF. Here's how to decode it into decimal degrees:

from PIL import Image
from PIL.ExifTags import TAGS, GPSTAGS

def get_gps_coordinates(path: str):
    img = Image.open(path)
    raw_exif = img._getexif()
    if not raw_exif:
        return None

    # Find the GPSInfo tag (tag number 34853)
    gps_info = None
    for tag, value in raw_exif.items():
        if TAGS.get(tag) == "GPSInfo":
            gps_info = {GPSTAGS.get(t, t): v for t, v in value.items()}
            break

    if not gps_info:
        return None

    def to_decimal(dms, ref):
        degrees, minutes, seconds = dms
        decimal = float(degrees) + float(minutes) / 60 + float(seconds) / 3600
        if ref in ("S", "W"):
            decimal = -decimal
        return decimal

    lat = to_decimal(gps_info["GPSLatitude"], gps_info["GPSLatitudeRef"])
    lon = to_decimal(gps_info["GPSLongitude"], gps_info["GPSLongitudeRef"])
    return lat, lon

coords = get_gps_coordinates("photo.jpg")
if coords:
    lat, lon = coords
    print(f"https://maps.google.com/?q={lat},{lon}")

ExifTool (command line)

ExifTool by Phil Harvey is the most comprehensive EXIF reader available. It handles hundreds of formats — JPEG, TIFF, RAW formats, video, PDF, and more.

# Install
brew install exiftool          # macOS
sudo apt install libimage-exiftool-perl   # Ubuntu/Debian

# Read all metadata from a file
exiftool photo.jpg

# Read specific fields
exiftool -DateTimeOriginal -GPSLatitude -GPSLongitude photo.jpg

# Extract EXIF from all JPEGs in a folder
exiftool -r /path/to/folder

# Output as JSON
exiftool -json photo.jpg

# Strip ALL metadata (privacy)
exiftool -all= photo.jpg

Stripping EXIF data for privacy

If you're sharing photos publicly and don't want to expose GPS coordinates or device info:

# ExifTool: strip everything
exiftool -all= photo.jpg

# Strip but keep the original (saves photo_original backup)
exiftool -all= -overwrite_original photo.jpg

In Python with Pillow:

from PIL import Image
import io

def strip_exif(input_path: str, output_path: str):
    img = Image.open(input_path)
    # Create new image from pixel data only — no EXIF
    clean = Image.new(img.mode, img.size)
    clean.putdata(list(img.getdata()))
    clean.save(output_path)

Which files contain EXIF?