What is EXIF data?

Updated 3 November 2026 · 2 min read

EXIF is the hidden information a camera or phone saves inside every photo: the device, the settings, the date and often the location.

What EXIF stands for

EXIF stands for Exchangeable Image File Format. It’s a standard first published in the mid-1990s by Japanese electronics and camera makers, and almost every camera and phone still uses it. The information sits inside JPG, HEIC, PNG and WebP files, invisible in the picture itself.

What it contains

EXIF’s relatives

• XMP is added by editing apps such as Photoshop and Lightroom. It can hold editing history, document IDs and your name.
• IPTC holds captions, keywords and credits. News agencies and stock libraries use it.
• Maker notes are private data from the camera maker, in formats that aren’t public.
• Content Credentials are a newer, digitally signed record of how an image was made.

How to see it

• Any device: drop the photo into the ScrubPic metadata viewer.
• Windows: right-click the file, then Properties › Details.
• Mac: open it in Preview, then Tools › Show Inspector.
• iPhone: open it in Photos and swipe up.

Should you remove it?

For your own archive, EXIF is useful. Before sending a photo to people you don’t know, or posting it anywhere the original can be downloaded, removing it is a sensible habit, especially the location. With ScrubPic you can remove everything, or keep only what you choose, such as the date.