# Anybody know a good program for stripping EXIF data from images? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 18, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-a-good-program-for-stripping-exif-data-from-images/412295 "2007-07-18T18:56:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-a-good-program-for-stripping-exif-data-from-images/412295/1 "2007-07-18T18:56:45Z")
Preferably with a batch function. I only just learned (and so did the [Harry Potter leaker](http://reddit.com/goto?id=27ftp)!) that EXIF data stores the camera’s serial number. Anyone know an easy way to do this? ---
**Author:** ![onedayfishsale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onedayfishsale/32/4398_2.png) [@onedayfishsale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onedayfishsale)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-a-good-program-for-stripping-exif-data-from-images/412295/2 "2007-07-18T19:29:15Z")
[QUOTE=Jayrot] Anyone know an easy way to do this? [/QUOTE] First, grab [ImageMagick](http://www.imagemagick.org/) if you don’t already have it (most Linux distrubutions do, for example; I’m not sure about Mac OS). A Windows version is also available. Now, use **identify** to look at the EXIF data in a JPEG image. ```auto identify -format '%[EXIF:*]' file.jpg ``` Strip the data using **mogrify**. ```auto mogrify -strip file.jpg ``` Now re-run **identify** to verify that the EXIF data are gone. Doing this in batch will depend on which operating system you’re using, but if the files are all in one directory, something as simple as this would work. ```auto mogrify -strip *.jpg ``` ---
**Author:** ![Jayrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Jayrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jayrot)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-a-good-program-for-stripping-exif-data-from-images/412295/3 "2007-07-18T20:06:03Z")
Cool, thanks. A command line operation sounds perfect. ---
**Author:** ![onedayfishsale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onedayfishsale/32/4398_2.png) [@onedayfishsale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onedayfishsale)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2007, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-a-good-program-for-stripping-exif-data-from-images/412295/4 "2007-07-18T20:20:02Z")
[QUOTE=Jayrot] Cool, thanks. A command line operation sounds perfect. [/QUOTE] If you need pointers on doing this over multiple directories, etc., post back. Oh, and I gave the wrong link for the Windows download. This is the correct link; that page includes Unix and Mac OS versions as well. For Windows, you’ll probably want [ImageMagick-6.3.5-2-Q16-windows-dll.exe](http://www.imagemagick.org/download/binaries/ImageMagick-6.3.5-2-Q16-windows-dll.exe). ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-a-good-program-for-stripping-exif-data-from-images/412295/5 "2007-07-19T03:22:29Z")
If one opens the jpg in some photo programme, copies the picture and pastes it in again does that remove the EXIF data? ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-a-good-program-for-stripping-exif-data-from-images/412295/6 "2007-07-19T07:58:53Z")
Unless you registered your camera with the manufacturer to (unnecessarily I may add) get the warranty, the serial number is rather useless… ---
**Author:** ![onedayfishsale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onedayfishsale/32/4398_2.png) [@onedayfishsale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onedayfishsale)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-a-good-program-for-stripping-exif-data-from-images/412295/7 "2007-07-19T13:05:13Z")
[QUOTE=scm1001] If one opens the jpg in some photo programme, copies the picture and pastes it in again does that remove the EXIF data? [/QUOTE] It probably depends on the program, but my guess is that most programs will not preserve EXIF data in the scenario you describe. I just tested this in [The GMIP](http://www.gimp.org/), and it did not preserve the EXIF data. (This is most likely because GIMP doesn’t use the JPEG format internally, and so what you’re copy-pasting isn’t a JPEG until you save it as one.) ---
**Author:** ![onedayfishsale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onedayfishsale/32/4398_2.png) [@onedayfishsale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/onedayfishsale)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2007, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anybody-know-a-good-program-for-stripping-exif-data-from-images/412295/8 "2007-07-19T13:10:28Z")
[QUOTE=BrandonR] Unless you registered your camera with the manufacturer to (unnecessarily I may add) get the warranty, the serial number is rather useless… [/QUOTE] It could, say, be used to find the person who leaked a Harry Potter book, pre-release ;). It’s not something I’d consider to be hidden tracking information, but in light of undisclosed tracking information in other devices (like [these color laser printers](http://www.eff.org/Privacy/printers/docucolor/)), I can’t fault anyone for a little paranoia.