How to remove metadata from pictures, videos and documents
TLDR: use the app FFShare to remove metadata on Android, metadata-cleaner for Linux
In this tutorial we're going to learn what metadata are, how messaging apps deal with it and how to remove them.
Introduction
I'm sure that by now everyone has heard the phrase metadata kills at least once. But what is metadata? What can it even reveal? Is it that dangerous?
Yes, it is. But luckily, in this tutorial, we're also going to showcase how to remove these metadata from any files you share, whether it be photos, videos or documents.
What are metadata?
As mentioned in Why is metadata detrimental to my privacy, metadata is essentially data about data.
Although, in the context of files, it can vary a bit. Not only does it include GPS, timestamps and all that, it can also include camera type, camera settings and all these specific little details. This little yet big chunk of information can later be used to identify you, if they land in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing.
Luckily enough, messaging apps such as SimpleX remove the metadata from files you send over to someone else. But what if that feature malfunctions or you decide not to share it over that app?
Metadata in photos and videos
Here, you can see a photo and a video saved on my gallery.
To view the metadata of both of these files, I just press the three dots button, then press on details.
Please note that this function varies depending on your phone build.
Now, I can see a selection of metadata for both the photo and video:
As you can see, the metadata in this example revealed critical information such as when and where this was taken - this information, if present on a photo or video you took, is enough to compromise your privacy altogether.
Messaging apps remove metadata by default
Most modern day messaging apps, such as WhatsApp or Signal, remove metadata from files automatically upon uploading them. That is exactly because metadata is so dangerous.
I'll send the photo and the video to myself over SimpleX.
Now, I'll download the photo as an example and see if the metadata was actually removed.
Now, as you can see, little to no metadata is left hanging in your files.
But what if I send a file without any of these messaging apps? Will I have to be deanonymized?
Metadata Removal Tool: FFShare
FFShare is an app that let's you compress images and videos using the tool ffmpeg. Along with the image compression comes the metadata removal, making it a win-win situation: smaller file size, no metadata.
Take out your phone and make your way to F-Droid.
There, search for the app FFShare.
Select the first option that comes up and afterwards click on install.
Wait for the app to be installed. Once the installation is done, open the app.
On the bottom, you can see a "select file" button. Press on it and select the image or video you want to remove the metadata from.
Once selected, the app will go ahead and clear all the metadata for you.
This is how you can easily remove metadata from images and videos. But what if you're on your computer and you want to share some Libreoffice documents with someone?
Viewing and removing metadata from Libreoffice documents
Let's say I want to write a text document on Libreoffice. I launch Libreoffice and press on the "Writer Document" button.
I fill out my text document and save it to my device as doc.odt.
To view the metadata of the document, we will be using the tool metadata-cleaner. Metadata-cleaner is a simple GUI tool native to Linux, that gives you the ability to view and remove metadata a file has.
To install metadata-cleaner on your debian-based system, you can do so by running this command:
sudo apt install -y metadata-cleaner
Assuming no errors popped up on your end, the tool should have been installed on your system.
To run the tool, you can do so by either running it from the application menu that comes with your DE/VM, or by running this command in the terminal:
metadata-cleaner
Once you launch the app, you will be greeted with this interface:
To view and eventually remove the metadata from a file, you press the button on the top left of the menu and select the file you wish to process.
Once you've selected your desired file, it should show up in the menu screen of the tool. There, can click the field that represents your file.
Now, you should see a variety of information. Scroll down until it says meta.xml to view the metadata of the file.
As you can see, critical metadata such as time and date and device information are exposed. In the hands of someone well-versed in the field, it can have significant impact on your anonymity.
To remove the metadata, go back to the main menu and click on the red "Clean" button on the bottom right.
It will give you a popup dialog. Press once again on the red "Clean" button.
Congratulations! Now you've successfully removed the metadata from a file!
If you try to clean the file again, the app will say that it has not identified any known metadata, but it will clean it anyway just to be sure.
Conclusion
In this tutorial you learned how to successfully remove metadata on both your Android and Linux devices.
Metadata is a silent killer; the longer you wait, the sooner the time comes where you are defeated.
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petrified
2026-02-11
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