EXIF metadata — photos and audio
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is the most common metadata type. It is automatically generated by cameras and smartphones when you take a photo or record audio.
What EXIF data includes
- GPS coordinates — your exact location when the photo was taken
- Date and time — when the photo was created
- Camera make and model — specific device identifier
- Shutter speed, aperture, ISO settings
- Focal length and flash settings
- Image dimensions and resolution
XMP metadata — creative files
XMP (Extensible Metadata Platform) is a standard created by Adobe. It is commonly used in Photoshop, Lightroom, Illustrator, and other creative applications.
What XMP data includes
- Edit history and adjustment records from photo editing software
- Copyright and creator information
- Keywords and tags used for organization
- Color profiles and editing instructions
- Version history of the file
IPTC metadata — press and media
IPTC (International Press Telecommunications Council) metadata is used by journalists, photographers, and news organizations to describe and attribute media.
What IPTC data includes
- Creator contact information — name, email, address
- Copyright notices and usage rights
- Headlines, captions, and descriptions
- Categories and subject codes
- Location information beyond GPS coordinates
Document metadata — Word, PDF, Excel
Office documents contain their own metadata that can expose the author's identity and the document's full editing history — even deleted content.
Microsoft Office
Author name, company, edit history, tracked changes, comments, hidden text, template paths.
PDF files
Creation date, modification dates, author, producer software, and potentially embedded files.
Audio and video metadata
What audio and video metadata includes
- Duration and codec information
- Creation date and time
- Device information for recordings
- GPS coordinates for videos shot on mobile devices
- Artist, album, and track information (ID3 tags) for audio files
Email metadata
Email headers contain sender/recipient addresses, IP addresses of mail servers, timestamps for each processing step, authentication details, and spam scores. This is metadata you do not normally see in your inbox.
Why metadata matters for privacy
See what your files contain
Free metadata analyzer — images, PDFs, audio, video.