Why ExifCleaner?

ExifCleaner is a batch Windows utility that enables to remove Exif, as well as to erase other types of photographic metadata like Adobe XMP, IPTC, JPEG comments, geotags and so on. With its help you may preview Exif data before removing, and then you can choose specific tags you want to get rid of. The Windows Explorer integration and portable edition are designed and very-very handy for frequent use of ExifCleaner.

When It Is Recommended to Remove Exif

Here is the list of cases when it is recommended to remove Exif and/or other metadata from photos:

• For privacy reasons, selectively remove Exif and other metadata if you want to post a photo on the Web, and do not want to disclosure your personal information. To learn more about possible issues and threats, watch the following video:
• If you have edited the photo: when you crop, retouch, or alter photo in some other way, keep in mind that some editors do not update an internal Exif thumbnail. So if you do not want to fall into a trouble like Cat Schwartz, it may be a good idea to delete only that ineffective thumbnail from a file.
• When you do photomontage, you often combine several pictures into one. It is necessary to remove metadata that is left of the very first photo.
• Removing all metadata gives up to 100 kilobytes off a size per each file. It is advised to apply ExifCleaner to save server bandwidth and disk space when publishing low-resolution, or large number of photos on the Internet.

When It Is Not Recommended to Remove Metadata from Photos

We do not recommend to remove metadata in these cases:

• Do not use ExifCleaner to violate someone’s copyright and authors’ rights — it may result in prosecution in a court of law, penalties, and it can even bring you to jail.
• If you want to share some technical details of a snap with your colleagues, or with curious site visitors, it is a good idea to not remove Exif.

Why Is ExifCleaner Better Than the Built-in Windows Vista/7 Feature “Remove Properties and Personal Information”?

If you are a user of the modern Windows version like Vista or 7, you most probably know, that the operating system now includes a feature for removing unwanted metadata from a file. In order to take advantage of it, follow these steps:

1. Open the photo in Windows Explorer.
2. Right-click the file icon and select Properties.
3. On the Details tab, click Remove Properties and Personal Information. This opens the Remove Properties window:
   

   Screenshot of the Windows Vista Remove Properties window

4. Comply with the instructions and click OK to apply.

Unfortunately, that feature has a few issues. First of all, it deals only with Exif, while ExifCleaner handles Exif and many other types of metadata. In the second place, the feature removes only very limited number of all possible tags, even if you choose “Create a copy with all possible properties removed”. And perhaps the main reason to not use it — the Windows feature leaves actual data intact, but only corrupts metadata headers in a some special way, thus not changing result file size not for a single byte:

Binary comparison of two JPEG photos: the original one is to the left, and the cleaned by the Windows facilities is to the right

On Friday, September 10, 2010 the batch utility that removes Exif from photos, ExifCleaner was updated to the version 1.4.6. Here are the changes in the current revision:

• Fixed bug when loading the column widths of the image list, if the main window was previously maximized.
• Enhanced UX of the dialog for browsing for the result folder.
• A lot of enhancements in the program code.
• Corrected a few typos in the readme document.

This is a maintenance release, so the is no dire necessity for the current users to upgrade.

Discuss this announcement on the support forums.

Today our Exif tag remover, ExifCleaner was updated to the version 1.4. Here is the changelog:

• An option to remove Adobe Photoshop APP12 Ducky (it includes when you use the Save for Web feature).
• Now our Exif cleaner is able to remove JFIF along with JFIF Extension.
• Ability to add all supported image files from a certain directory.
• Enhanced the readme documentation.
• Some internal improvements.

This is a minor release, but it’s highly recommended to upgrade for taking advantage of the newest additional features.

Discuss this version and announcement here.

Our image utility that strips Exif was slightly updated on June 1st, 2010. Here are the changes of ExifCleaner v1.3.4:

• The internal graphics library was updated.
• Fixed default sizes of the main form and all its elements.

Discuss this version and announcement here.

On Tuesday, May 18, 2010 our image optimizer for erasing Exif and Adobe XMP, ExifCleaner was updated to the version 1.3. Here is the list of changes:

• Added definition of the Gamma Exif tag.
• Now Exif cleaner opens an image with an associated program on double-clicking a single item in the list.
• A configurable option of opening an image on double clicking the image thumbnail.
• A new extra option of removing all JPEG comment (COM) markers, if there are any.
• Finding and removing the ICC profile.
• A new option of removing the Adobe APP14 segment.
• Buttons for quick selecting of all and of none additional metadata to remove.
• A new file option: Opening the destination folder when processing is finished.
• Fixed an error when specifying bad output directory and a tab other than File Options is selected.
• Saving and restoring dimensions of form, panes and columns.
• Now you cannot close the Progress window when erasing of Exif and of other metadata is in progress.

Discuss this version and announcement here.

Today our tool for deletion Exif metadata, ExifCleaner was updated to the version 1.2. The changes for the current release are:

• Added an option for deletion the Adobe XMP metadata.
• An option for removing IPTC (including the whole Photoshop IRB section), if it presents in the file.
• Now you can copy selected Exif strings to the clipboard via the context menu or using the Ctrl+C command.
• Fixed detection of the shell extension on x64 systems.
• Fixed displaying the image icons on some Windows versions.
• Some minor enhancements.

Discuss this announcement on the support forums.