Binary stripping · No recompression · JPEG · PNG · WebP
Remove Image Metadata
Updated: May 2026
Removing metadata from an image doesn't mean re-saving it. For JPEG, it's a surgical binary operation: identify the right bytes and remove them, leaving the compressed image data completely untouched.
Binary stripping · Quality intact · No upload
How JPEG stores metadata — the marker structure
A JPEG file is a sequence of segments delimited by markers. Each marker starts with 0xFF followed by a byte identifying the type:
FF E0 xx xx → APP0 (JFIF header — harmless)
FF E1 xx xx → APP1 (contains EXIF or XMP) ← REMOVE
FF ED xx xx → APP13 (contains IPTC) ← REMOVE
FF DB xx xx → DQT (quantization tables) ← KEEP
FF C0 xx xx → SOF (start of frame) ← KEEP
FF C4 xx xx → DHT (Huffman tables) ← KEEP
FF DA xx xx → SOS (start of scan + data) ← KEEP
FF D9 → EOI (End Of Image)
Metadata removal means reconstructing the file excluding APP1 (containing "Exif\0\0" or XMP) and APP13 (IPTC). The compressed image data (from the SOS marker onwards) stays intact.
Canvas redraw vs binary stripping
Two methods exist to remove metadata:
- Canvas redraw: draw the image on an HTML canvas and re-export. Simple but degrades quality (JPEG recompression) and may strip the ICC color profile.
- Binary stripping (Flowfiles method): parse the JPEG file byte by byte, identify and remove the metadata markers, preserve the compressed data as-is. Zero quality loss.
Flowfiles uses binary stripping for JPEG, guaranteeing bit-identical image quality.
What gets removed
- APP1 containing
Exif\0\0→ all EXIF metadata (GPS, camera, date, exposure). - APP1 containing XMP namespace → XMP metadata (Lightroom, Photoshop history).
- APP13 → IPTC data (caption, keywords, agency, city).
- COM → embedded text comments.
- Other APP segments (APP2–APP15) unless ICC mode is selected.
Frequently asked questions
Does binary stripping preserve the ICC color profile?
By default, no — the APP2 segment containing the ICC profile is also removed. "All except ICC" mode keeps this segment, recommended if you're publishing on professional platforms where color management matters.
Do JPEG and PNG work differently?
Yes. JPEG stores metadata in APP markers at the start of the file — stripping is binary and lossless. PNG uses text chunks (tEXt, iTXt, zTXt) scattered through the file — Flowfiles removes them via a canvas redraw at maximum quality.
Can I remove metadata in bulk?
Yes. Drop multiple files simultaneously into the drop zone. Each is processed independently. Download them individually or as a single ZIP via the "Download all" button.