Does Converting an Image Remove Its Metadata?
Photos from a phone or camera usually carry hidden metadata — and, if location is switched on for the camera, the GPS coordinates where they were taken. Converting an image can quietly strip that away.
What’s hidden in your photos
Photos straight from a phone or camera usually contain EXIF metadata: the camera or phone model, the date and time, exposure settings and, when location is on for the camera, the GPS location where the photo was taken. Share the original file and you may be sharing where you live along with it. Whether it travels depends on how you share: on an iPhone you can switch Location off under Options in the share sheet, and Google Photos leaves location out of shared links and albums by default.
How conversion affects metadata
When you convert an image through a canvas-based tool, the output is freshly drawn from the pixels alone — the original EXIF block is not carried over. In practice that means converting a photo here produces a clean file without the embedded GPS and device data — unless you tick Keep photo details in the HEIC converter, which writes the date, camera and location back.
Because the conversion also happens entirely in your browser, your photo is never uploaded to read its metadata in the first place. The location data is dropped locally, on your device.
When you want to keep metadata
Photographers sometimes rely on EXIF for cataloguing and copyright. If you need it preserved, keep an untouched original alongside your converted, metadata-free copy — convert for sharing, archive the original for your records.
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