What it does
Photos from phones and cameras store details you can’t see in the picture. This viewer reads them and lists them in plain words: the GPS coordinates where the photo was taken, the altitude and the direction the camera faced, the date and time with its time zone, the phone or camera, the lens, and settings such as shutter speed, aperture and ISO. It reads iPhone HEIC photos directly, in any browser, without converting them first, as well as JPG, PNG, WebP and AVIF. If there’s a location, you get links to open it on OpenStreetMap or Google Maps; the map only receives the coordinates if you click. Nothing in the file is changed. Raw camera files (CR2, NEF, ARW) aren’t supported, and XMP data from editing apps isn’t shown.
How to use it
- Click “Choose a photo”, drop a JPG, PNG, WebP or HEIC photo onto the box, or paste with Ctrl+V (⌘+V on a Mac).
- Read the details, grouped by location, date and time, camera, camera settings and image. If the photo has a GPS location, it’s shown first with links to open it on a map.
- Click “Copy all” to paste the details elsewhere. To share the photo without them, use “Remove the location and other details”.
Common uses
- Finding out where and when an old family photo was taken, from the original file
- Learning how a shot was made by checking its shutter speed, aperture, ISO and lens
- Making sure a photo has no location in it before you post it or attach it to a listing
- Checking the date a photo was really taken when it matters for a claim or a dispute
Tips
- You need the original file. Photos downloaded from social networks, and pictures sent as photos rather than documents in chat apps, usually have their EXIF removed.
- The “Taken” time comes from the device’s clock. Phones set it automatically; a camera whose clock was never set will show a wrong date.
- “Camera facing” is the compass direction the lens pointed. Together with the coordinates, it tells you what the photo is looking at.