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szTheory/exifcleaner

Desktop app for removing metadata from images, videos and PDFs, with batch processing via ExifTool on macOS, Windows and Linux.

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What is it?

ExifCleaner is a desktop application that strips metadata such as EXIF, GPS location and camera details from supported image, video and PDF files before you share them. It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and uses ExifTool's stay-open protocol to process large batches quickly. You can drag in files or whole folders, with optional recursion into subfolders.

Beyond basic removal, it offers privacy controls such as preserving image orientation, saving cleaned output as a copy, removing macOS extended attributes, and keeping original timestamps. Expanding a processed file shows a before-and-after comparison of its metadata. The app ships with 25 interface languages and dark mode.

The project is built with Electron, React and TypeScript. It makes no automatic updates or network requests, and the README notes that ExifTool's limitations still apply: some formats such as PDF and certain TIFF or AVIF files may not be fully cleaned, and RAW files are not recommended for full metadata removal.

Key features

  • 01Batch processing of files via ExifTool's stay-open protocol
  • 02Drag-and-drop support for files and folders, with recursion
  • 03Before-and-after metadata inspection for each processed file
  • 04Options to preserve orientation and timestamps, or save as a copy
  • 05No automatic updates or network traffic

Use cases

  • Removing GPS location and camera data from photos before posting them online
  • Cleaning metadata from a batch of images or videos before sharing with clients
  • Stripping identifying information from PDFs or media files prior to publication

Quick start

  1. 1

    Install on Arch Linux from the AUR

    paru -S exifcleaner-bin
  2. 2

    Download the app for your OS from the GitHub releases page

  3. 3

    Clone the repository and install dependencies for development

    git clone https://github.com/szTheory/exifcleaner.git && cd exifcleaner && yarn install
  4. 4

    Launch the app in dev mode

    yarn dev

Things to know

  • The app is not code-signed, so macOS and Windows will show a warning on first launch.
  • Some formats are only partially cleaned, such as PDF, TIFF and AVIF, and RAF and MKV are refused.

In collections

Privacy & local-first toolsComputer vision libraries & toolsDesktop GUI apps & toolkits

Topics

#privacy#exif#metadata#electron#image-processing#exiftool#desktop-app#concurrency#dark-mode#gui

FAQ

What is exifcleaner?
Desktop app for removing metadata from images, videos and PDFs, with batch processing via ExifTool on macOS, Windows and Linux. ExifCleaner is a desktop application that strips metadata such as EXIF, GPS location and camera details from supported image, video and PDF files before you share them. It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, and uses ExifTool's stay-open protocol to process large batches quickly. You can drag in files or whole folders, with optional recursion into subfolders.
Is exifcleaner free to use? What license does it have?
exifcleaner is open source under the MIT license. Check the license terms before using it in commercial products.
Is exifcleaner still maintained?
Actively maintained. The last commit to exifcleaner was on Oct 20, 2026.
What can I use exifcleaner for?
Removing GPS location and camera data from photos before posting them online Cleaning metadata from a batch of images or videos before sharing with clients Stripping identifying information from PDFs or media files prior to publication
How do I install exifcleaner?
Install on Arch Linux from the AUR: paru -S exifcleaner-bin Download the app for your OS from the GitHub releases page Clone the repository and install dependencies for development: git clone https://github.com/szTheory/exifcleaner.git && cd exifcleaner && yarn install Launch the app in dev mode: yarn dev
Where can I get exifcleaner?
The source code and installation instructions are on GitHub: https://github.com/szTheory/exifcleaner

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