Metadata Viewer
Read everything a file is carrying: capture data, timestamps, the software that touched it, location if it is there. Free, instant, and nothing you upload is kept.
What image metadata contains
Metadata is written at capture and rewritten by every program that opens the file. Read in order, it is a rough history of where a picture has been.
Device and settings
Camera, lens, shutter, aperture, ISO, focal length.
Timestamps
Capture time and last modification, stored separately — a gap between them means the file was rewritten.
Software trail
Which editor last saved it; some AI tools name themselves here.
Location
GPS coordinates, if the device recorded them.
Authorship
Artist and copyright fields, when filled in.
Colour and orientation
Profile, colour space and rotation flags.
How to read what you get
A full capture block
Camera, lens and coherent exposure settings point to a real photograph. Forgeable, so treat as supporting evidence.
Editor or generator named
Photoshop, Lightroom or an AI tool in the Software field. Tells you the file was processed, not necessarily that anything is wrong.
Nothing at all
The most common result. Every messenger and social platform strips metadata on upload. It means the evidence is gone, not that the image is fake.
Metadata tells you where a file has been, not whether the pixels are real. For that, Start with our AI image detector — it covers any image type and runs the same twelve methods.
What it is used for
- Checking provenance — Where and when a photo was actually taken.
- Privacy — Seeing what you would publish about yourself before posting.
- Verification — Testing a claimed date against the recorded one.
- Photography — Reading the settings behind someone's shot.
Frequently asked questions
Related tools
Check your first image now
Create a free account and get 3 checks. Full breakdown across all 12 methods, no card required.