EXIF Data Viewer
View hidden EXIF metadata in JPEG photos - camera, lens, exposure, GPS. Open GPS on map. Free, offline, client-side, instant, secure.
Read every Exchangeable Image File Format (EXIF) tag in a JPEG: camera make and model, lens, exposure (ISO, shutter, aperture), date taken, GPS coordinates. Opens GPS data directly in OpenStreetMap. Pure client-side parser - no upload, no library.
Drag & drop a JPEG photo here or click to browse
How to Use EXIF Data Viewer
- Upload a JPEG. Drag and drop or click the drop zone. The tool reads the file locally via the File API - nothing is uploaded. Max 20 MB.
- The parser walks JPEG markers until it finds
APP1(0xFFE1) with the "Exif" signature (two zero bytes follow it). From there it reads the TIFF byte-order mark, walks IFD0, then follows theExifIFDPointer(tag 0x8769) into the EXIF sub-IFD and theGPSInfoIFDPointer(tag 0x8825) into the GPS sub-IFD. - Read the table. Each row is one tag with its decoded value. Rationals are shown with four decimal places; arrays are comma-joined; integers stay integer.
- Check the stats line. Total fields parsed, count from IFD0/EXIF vs count from GPS sub-IFD.
- If GPS is present, the "Open in OpenStreetMap" link shows the decoded decimal latitude/longitude. Click it to see exactly where the photo was taken.
- Copy or download. "Copy as text" writes a key-value dump to your clipboard. "Download .json" saves the full
{file, tags, gps}object as JSON for further processing. Ctrl/Cmd + Enter copies.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is EXIF data and what’s in it?
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is a metadata block that cameras and phones embed in photos. It includes camera make and model, lens, exposure settings (ISO, shutter speed, aperture, focal length), capture date / time, flash status, white balance, software identifier, and sometimes GPS coordinates (latitude, longitude, altitude, direction). It does not include the image’s bitmap data – that’s separate.
How does the parser work?
JPEG files are a sequence of “markers”. The parser walks them looking for APP1 (0xFFE1), which contains EXIF. From there it reads the 8-byte TIFF header (byte order + 0x002A magic + IFD0 offset), then iterates IFD0 entries – each is 12 bytes: 2-byte tag ID, 2-byte data type, 4-byte count, 4-byte value-or-offset. Two specific tags (0x8769 ExifIFD, 0x8825 GPSInfoIFD) are pointers to sub-IFDs that get walked the same way. The full read happens in your browser; no library, no upload.
Why JPEG only?
EXIF originated as a JPEG/TIFF spec, and JPEG APP1 is where 99% of camera EXIF data lives. PNG can carry EXIF in newer eXIf chunks but the parser pipeline is different; HEIC uses an entirely different container (ISO BMFF + EXIF metabox). Both are out of scope for this tool – we’d need a different parser per format. If you need to view EXIF in a non-JPEG, convert to JPEG first or use a desktop tool.
Can I see the GPS location on a map?
Yes. When GPS coordinates are present, the tool converts the EXIF DMS (degrees-minutes-seconds) representation to decimal degrees, applying the hemisphere reference (N/S/E/W) for sign, and provides a one-click OpenStreetMap link. Coordinates display to 6 decimal places (about 11 cm precision).
What if my photo has no EXIF?
The tool shows a clear “No EXIF data found in this image” message. Common reasons: the image is a screenshot (no camera); the photo was uploaded to a service that strips EXIF (Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, Facebook); the photo was deliberately stripped using a tool like our EXIF Data Remover; or the EXIF segment exists but is too short or malformed for the parser.
Are the values accurate?
Yes – the parser reads bytes directly from the file. ASCII strings, SHORT (uint16), LONG (uint32), and RATIONAL (uint32/uint32) data types are decoded. Some uncommon types (UNDEFINED, SLONG, SRATIONAL, FLOAT, DOUBLE) are skipped to avoid showing wrong values. Rational values display to 4 decimal places, which is plenty for camera-typical values like ExposureTime = 1/250 → 0.0040 or FNumber = 5.6.
How do I remove EXIF data?
This tool is read-only. To strip metadata before sharing a photo, use our EXIF Data Remover – it removes APP1/APP2/APP13/APP14 segments losslessly for JPEG (no quality loss) and via canvas re-encode for PNG/WebP.
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. The page loads three static files (HTML, CSS, JS) and then everything runs in your browser via the File API and DataView. Your photo bytes never leave the device – no fetch, no XHR, no analytics, no cookies. You can disconnect from the internet after the page loads and the tool still works.
Is this tool free?
Yes – free, unlimited, no signup, no watermark. The parsed EXIF data is yours to use anywhere. Attribution to is appreciated but not required.