How to Remove Metadata From a Video
Videos carry hidden metadata just like photos do — most importantly your GPS location, the exact date and time the clip was recorded, and the make and model of the device. A phone video shot at home can hand someone your address. Below are the fastest ways to strip it on Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android, plus the exact commands that do it without re-encoding.
The fastest clean strip (any computer)
If you have ffmpeg installed, this removes all container-level metadata and copies the video and audio untouched — no quality loss, runs in seconds:
ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map_metadata -1 -c copy clean.mp4No software to install? Jump to the Windows, Mac, iPhone, or Android steps below.
What Metadata Is Stored in MP4, MOV, and AVI Files
Video files don't use EXIF the way JPEGs do. MP4 and MOV store metadata in container atoms (also called boxes) inside the moov section of the file; AVI uses RIFF INFO chunks. Different recorders write different fields, but the ones that matter for privacy are consistent:
| What's stored | Why it matters | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| GPS coordinates | Pinpoints exactly where you filmed — often your home. | ©xyz location atom (MOV/MP4, common on iPhone) |
| Creation date & time | Reveals when you were somewhere, down to the second. | creation_time / media header |
| Device make & model | Identifies your phone or camera; helps link clips together. | com.apple.quicktime.make, model, software |
| Encoder / software | Shows the app or OS version used to record or edit. | encoder / handler tags |
| Orientation & codec details | Low privacy risk, but part of the device fingerprint. | Track headers (kept when you copy streams) |
The big one is the GPS atom. iPhone videos (.mov and .mp4) embed precise coordinates by default, and most Android cameras do too when location is enabled. Stripping it is the single most useful thing you can do before posting a clip.
Windows: Remove Video Metadata in File Explorer
Windows can strip a video's properties without any extra software, straight from the right-click menu:
- Right-click the video file in File Explorer and choose Properties.
- Open the Details tab. Scroll to see fields like date taken, GPS latitude/longitude, and camera info.
- Click Remove Properties and Personal Information at the bottom.
- Choose Create a copy with all possible properties removed (safest), or select Remove the following properties from this file and tick only the ones you want gone — then click OK.
Mac: Strip Video Metadata in Terminal or QuickTime
macOS has no built-in "remove metadata" button for video, but two reliable routes:
Terminal (cleanest, no quality loss)
Install ffmpeg with brew install ffmpeg, then run:
ffmpeg -i input.mov -map_metadata -1 -c copy clean.mov-map_metadata -1 drops every metadata tag and -c copypasses the audio and video through untouched, so there's no re-encoding and no loss of quality. Prefer ExifTool? exiftool -all= input.mov wipes the tags it can write for QuickTime/MP4 files in place.
QuickTime (no Terminal)
Open the clip in QuickTime Player, choose File → Export As, and save a new copy. Re-exporting rebuilds the file and drops the original location and device tags. It's less surgical than ffmpeg and re-encodes the video, but it works with zero setup.
iPhone: Remove Location From a Video
iPhone videos embed GPS by default, so this is the platform where it matters most. Two easy ways:
When sharing (fastest)
- Open the video in the Photos app and tap the Share button.
- Tap Options at the top of the share sheet.
- Turn Location off, then tap Done and share. The sent copy has no GPS.
Using iMovie (saves a clean file)
- Open iMovie, start a new Movie project, and add your clip.
- Tap Done, then the Share button, and choose Save Video.
- iMovie exports a freshly encoded file with no original location or device metadata, saved back to your library.
Android: Strip Metadata From a Video
Android handles this differently across phones, but the most dependable options are:
- Share without location in Google Photos. Open the video, tap Share, and look for Remove location datain the sharing options (also under Settings → "Remove geo location"). This strips GPS from the shared copy.
- Stop the leak at the source.In your Camera app's settings, turn off Location tags/ "Save location" so new videos never record coordinates in the first place.
- Use a metadata-removal app. Apps such as Photo Exif Editor and similar tools can remove tags from video files. Check that the app supports your format (MP4/MOV) before relying on it.
For a guaranteed clean strip, copy the file to a computer and run the ffmpeg command above — it's the only method that removes the whole metadata block regardless of phone or format.
Tools for Removing Video Metadata
| Tool | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ffmpeg | A complete, lossless strip | Free, cross-platform. -map_metadata -1 -c copy removes everything without re-encoding. |
| ExifTool | Inspecting and editing specific tags | exiftool -all= file.mov. Great for MOV/MP4; support varies by format. |
| Windows File Explorer | Quick removal, no install | Built in, but only removes properties Windows recognizes. |
| iMovie / QuickTime | iPhone & Mac, no Terminal | Re-exports a clean file; re-encodes the video. |
Checking a Photo Instead?
The methods above are for video files. If you also want to clean the photos you share, our remove photo metadata tool strips EXIF in your browser — nothing is uploaded — and the EXIF viewer shows you exactly what a photo is carrying before you post it.
Related Guides
View Video Metadata
Check what a clip is carrying before you strip it — and confirm it worked afterward.
Remove Photo Metadata
Strip EXIF from a photo in your browser and download a clean copy.
Strip Metadata Before Sharing
Which platforms strip metadata, which leak it, and the workflow to clean files first.
GPS Data in Photos
How location data gets embedded and how to disable geotagging.
Photo Privacy Guide
What your photos and videos reveal, and a checklist for sharing safely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does video have EXIF data?
Not EXIF itself — EXIF is a still-image standard used by JPEG and TIFF. Video files store the equivalent information somewhere else: MP4 and MOV keep it in container atoms inside the moov section, and AVI uses RIFF INFO chunks. The privacy impact is the same, because those fields hold GPS coordinates, the recording date, and the device make and model. Tools like ExifTool read them and report them alongside photo EXIF, which is why the two get used interchangeably.
Do videos contain GPS location data?
Yes. Most phone videos embed precise GPS coordinates when location is enabled — iPhone .mov files store them in a QuickTime location atom, and many Android cameras do the same. Anyone with the original file can read where it was filmed unless you strip the metadata first.
How do I remove metadata from an MP4 file?
The cleanest way is ffmpeg: ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map_metadata -1 -c copy clean.mp4. It removes all container metadata and copies the streams without re-encoding, so there's no quality loss. On Windows you can also use File Explorer → Properties → Details → Remove Properties, though it may not reach embedded GPS in every file.
Does removing metadata reduce video quality?
Not if you do it right. The ffmpeg -c copy method and ExifTool only edit the metadata and leave the actual video and audio streams untouched, so quality is identical. Re-export methods like QuickTime or iMovie do re-encode the video, which can slightly reduce quality.
Will posting to YouTube or Instagram remove the metadata?
Most large platforms re-encode uploaded video and strip metadata from the public copy, but they still receive your original file — GPS and all — on upload. The only way to keep a field out of their hands is to remove it before you upload. See our strip metadata before sharing guide.
How do I remove location from an iPhone video?
In the Photos app, tap Share, then Options at the top, and turn Location off before sharing. For a saved clean file, run the clip through iMovie and export it — the new file carries no original location data.