How to Check If a Photo Has GPS Data

The fastest way to check if a photo has GPS data is to drop it on metastrip.ai — if coordinates are present, they appear on an interactive map within seconds, showing you the exact location where the photo was taken.

Here are four methods, from fastest to most technical.

Method 1: MetaStrip (Browser, Instant, No Install)

Go to metastrip.ai and drop your image file onto the tool. MetaStrip reads the EXIF data entirely in your browser — the file never leaves your device.

If GPS coordinates are present, you will see:

• GPSLatitude and GPSLongitude — the exact position in decimal degrees
• GPSAltitude — elevation above sea level
• GPSTimeStamp — UTC time from the GPS signal
• An interactive map pinpointing the exact location

If no GPS data is present, those fields simply will not appear. MetaStrip also shows every other metadata field in the file — device model, timestamps, editing software, and more.

This method works on any device with a browser — no install, no account, no upload to a server.

Method 2: ExifTool (Command Line)

ExifTool is the gold-standard CLI tool for reading metadata. If you have it installed, run:

exiftool -GPS* yourphoto.jpg

The -GPS* flag filters for all GPS-related fields. Output looks like this if coordinates are present:

GPS Latitude Ref                : North
GPS Longitude Ref               : West
GPS Latitude                    : 37 deg 46' 27.60" N
GPS Longitude                   : 122 deg 25' 58.79" W
GPS Altitude                    : 16.4 m Above Sea Level
GPS Time Stamp                  : 18:32:44
GPS Date Stamp                  : 2026:01:15

To convert to decimal degrees (easier to paste into a map):

exiftool -c "%.6f" -GPSPosition yourphoto.jpg

Install ExifTool on macOS with brew install exiftool, or download the Windows executable from the ExifTool website.

Method 3: macOS Preview

macOS has GPS reading built into the Preview app — no install required.

1. Open your image in Preview
2. Go to Tools → Show Inspector (or press Cmd+I)
3. Click the GPS tab

If the tab is grayed out or missing, no GPS data is present. If coordinates exist, you will see them displayed, and clicking "Show in Maps" opens the location in Apple Maps.

This method only works on macOS and only reads data — it does not let you remove it.

Method 4: Windows File Properties

On Windows 10 and 11:

1. Right-click the image file
2. Select Properties
3. Click the Details tab
4. Scroll down to the GPS section

If GPS latitude and longitude appear, the file contains location data. Windows also shows a "Remove Properties and Personal Information" link at the bottom of the Details tab — but this method is less thorough than dedicated tools, and it modifies the original file without creating a copy.

Converting Coordinates to a Real Address

If you find GPS coordinates and want to see the actual address, paste the decimal degree format into Google Maps or use a reverse geocoding tool. For example, 37.774300, -122.432997 resolves to a specific address in San Francisco.

This is exactly what a stranger could do with the coordinates embedded in a photo you share.

After You Check — Remove It

Once you know a photo has GPS data, MetaStrip removes it with one click. Or use the MetaStrip CLI for bulk cleanup:

metastrip clean ./photos/ --strip-gps --output ./clean/

See also: /docs for full documentation on supported formats and CLI options.