Video Metadata Viewer & Remover

Free Online Video Metadata Viewer and Remover

Every video file you record carries hidden metadata that most people never see. This video metadata includes GPS coordinates pinpointing where the footage was captured, the exact device make and model used for recording, creation timestamps, codec parameters, and sometimes even custom tags added by editing software. When you share a video on social media, send it through messaging apps, or upload it to cloud storage, all of that embedded information travels with the file. Our free video metadata viewer lets you inspect every hidden field inside your video so you know exactly what data you are exposing before you hit share. Understanding your video metadata is the critical first step toward protecting your digital privacy in an increasingly connected world.

Why You Should Remove Video Metadata Before Sharing

Leaving video metadata intact can create serious privacy and security risks. GPS data removal is one of the most urgent reasons to strip metadata from video files. If a video recorded at your home still contains geolocation coordinates, anyone who downloads the file can pinpoint your address on a map. Device information such as camera make and model can be used to fingerprint your equipment across multiple uploads, linking anonymous videos back to you. Creation dates reveal your activity timeline, and EXIF data can expose software versions that hint at operating system vulnerabilities. By using a metadata remover before sharing, you eliminate these digital breadcrumbs and maintain control over your personal information. Privacy-conscious creators, journalists, and everyday users all benefit from stripping metadata routinely.

How to View and Strip Metadata from Video Files

Using our video metadata viewer is straightforward. Drag and drop your video file into the upload area or click to browse your device. The tool instantly analyzes the file using FFmpeg WebAssembly running entirely inside your browser. Within seconds you will see organized sections for file information, video codec details, audio parameters, GPS location data, device information, and any custom metadata tags. If sensitive data is detected, the tool highlights it with a clear warning. To remove metadata, simply click Remove All Metadata to strip every embedded field, or choose Remove Location Only if you want to keep technical details but erase GPS coordinates. Your cleaned video is ready to download immediately with no quality loss.

What Video Metadata Contains and Why It Matters

Video metadata is structured information stored alongside the actual audio and video streams inside a container format such as MP4, MOV, or MKV. At the basic level, every video file stores codec type, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, and duration. Beyond these technical fields, many cameras and smartphones embed EXIF data that includes the device manufacturer, model name, firmware version, and lens profile. Location-aware devices write GPS latitude, longitude, and altitude directly into the file header. Some editing applications append their own custom tags with project names, render settings, and user account identifiers. All of this video metadata persists through file transfers unless it is explicitly removed. A dedicated metadata viewer reveals these hidden fields so you can make informed decisions about what to share.

Video Privacy Best Practices for Content Creators

Content creators who publish across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms should adopt a consistent metadata hygiene workflow. Before uploading any footage, run it through a video metadata remover to strip GPS data, device info, and creation dates. This prevents doxxing attempts where bad actors extract location coordinates from downloaded videos. It also stops device fingerprinting that links your anonymous uploads to your known accounts. For journalists and activists, removing video metadata can be a matter of personal safety. Even casual users benefit because metadata accumulates across shared files and can paint a detailed profile of your habits, locations, and equipment. Making metadata removal a standard step in your export pipeline is the simplest way to safeguard your privacy without affecting video quality.

Supported Formats and Technical Details

Our video metadata viewer and remover supports all major container formats including MP4, MOV, AVI, WebM, and MKV with a maximum file size of 500 megabytes. The tool reads metadata using FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly, which means it runs natively in your browser at near-native speed without any server round trips. When you remove metadata, the tool copies the video and audio streams without re-encoding, preserving the original quality bitstream. GPS coordinates stored in ISO 14496-12 location atoms and Matroska tags are detected and removed. Device information from QuickTime metadata atoms and AVI INFO chunks is also stripped. The resulting clean file retains its original codec, resolution, and bitrate while all privacy-sensitive fields are zeroed out or deleted entirely.

Common Sources of Hidden Video Metadata

Smartphones are the most prolific source of embedded video metadata. Both iOS and Android devices record GPS coordinates, altitude, device model, operating system version, and capture settings into every video by default. Action cameras like GoPro embed accelerometer and gyroscope telemetry alongside GPS tracks. Drones record flight altitude, gimbal angle, and home-point coordinates. Professional cinema cameras store lens data, color science profiles, and timecode. Screen recording software may embed the hostname of your computer and your user account name. Even after transferring a video to a different device or editing it in post-production software, much of this original metadata survives. Running the file through a metadata remover ensures all of these hidden fields are cleaned before distribution.

Video Metadata Removal vs. Re-Encoding: What Is the Difference?

A common misconception is that you need to re-encode a video to remove its metadata. Re-encoding decompresses every frame, applies new compression, and writes a fresh file. This process is slow, degrades quality, and changes the file size unpredictably. In contrast, our metadata remover uses stream copying, which transfers the original compressed video and audio data into a new container while omitting the metadata atoms. The result is a byte-identical video and audio stream wrapped in a clean container. This approach is dramatically faster, produces zero quality loss, and keeps the output file size virtually identical to the original. Whether you need to strip EXIF data from a phone recording or remove GPS coordinates from drone footage, stream-copy metadata removal is the professional and efficient method.

Frequently Asked Questions About Video Metadata