>

View and Edit Photo Metadata with exiftool

Read every metadata tag inside a photo, then delete sensitive fields like GPS coordinates before you share the file.

LinuxmetadataexifprivacyexiftoolMedium risk
Run exiftool photo.jpg to list all metadata, and exiftool -gps:all= -overwrite_original photo.jpg to wipe GPS location data.

01Command

Command
$ exiftool photo.jpg            # view all metadata
exiftool -gps:all= -overwrite_original photo.jpg   # remove GPS data

02What it does

exiftool reads and writes EXIF, IPTC, and XMP metadata across hundreds of file formats, printing every tag with its group prefix. The trailing equals sign in -gps:all= means 'assign empty value', which removes all GPS tags in place. -overwrite_original skips the _original backup file that exiftool creates by default, so add it only once you trust the operation.

03Risk

RiskMedium risk
Requirementslibimage-exiftool-perl (sudo apt install libimage-exiftool-perl / sudo dnf install perl-Image-ExifTool)
!Warning: By default exiftool saves an _original backup next to every edited file; remember to delete those copies, or they leak the metadata you just removed.

04Undo

✓No undo needed — this command does not change persistent state.

05Sources

  • exiftool(1) — Linux man page
    Ubuntu Manpages · technical · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Full exiftool man page: 'Read and write meta information in files' including tag-assignment syntax like -GPS:all= for deletion.
  • ExifTool by Phil Harvey
    ExifTool · vendor-doc · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Official project home documenting supported metadata formats and example commands.

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: Media

06Related solutions

Inspect File Metadata with stat
Linuxmetadatastattimestamps

stat shows the full file status: the three timestamps (atime/mtime/ctime), inode number, and permission bits in both octal and rwx form.

Low risk ✓ 2026-09-17