🌍 GPS Coordinates Viewer & Editor

💡 Need Professional GPS & Metadata Management?

📱 How do smartphones store GPS data in photos?

iPhone (iOS): When you take a photo with Location Services enabled, the iPhone automatically embeds GPS coordinates into the EXIF metadata of JPEG and HEIC files. The GPS data includes latitude, longitude, altitude, and timestamp. iOS devices use a combination of GPS satellites, Wi-Fi, and cellular towers to determine location.

Android: Similar to iPhone, Android devices embed GPS coordinates into photo EXIF data when location permissions are granted to the camera app. Different Android manufacturers may store slightly different GPS fields, but all follow the EXIF standard for latitude, longitude, and altitude.

📷 Why don't some cameras have GPS data?

No GPS Hardware: Most consumer DSLR and mirrorless cameras don't include built-in GPS modules due to cost, battery consumption, and size constraints. Only high-end professional cameras or specialized models include GPS.

GPS Disabled: Even if a device has GPS capability, the feature may be turned off in camera settings or location services may be disabled at the system level.

Action Cameras & Drones: GoPro cameras, DJI drones, and similar devices typically embed GPS data since they're designed for adventure and travel documentation.

External GPS Loggers: Professional photographers often use external GPS loggers that sync with camera timestamps to add location data later using specialized software.

☁️ Why do I need to download photos from iCloud before uploading here?

iCloud Photo Previews: When you view photos in iCloud on your computer, you're often seeing optimized preview versions, not the original full-resolution files. These previews may have stripped or incomplete EXIF metadata, including GPS data.

How to download originals from iCloud:

• iPhone/iPad: Go to Settings → Photos → Enable "Download and Keep Originals"
• Mac: Open Photos app → Photos → Preferences → Check "Download Originals to this Mac"
• iCloud.com: Select photos → Click download icon → This downloads full originals with complete metadata
• Windows iCloud: Ensure "Download originals to this PC" is enabled in iCloud Photos settings

Google Photos: Similar to iCloud, Google Photos shows compressed versions in the browser. Use "Download" or Google Takeout to get original files with full EXIF data.

✂️ Why do photo editors strip GPS and metadata?

Canva: When you upload and export photos from Canva, it strips most EXIF metadata including GPS data. This is intentional to reduce file size and protect user privacy, but it means location information is permanently removed.

Social Media Platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and most social networks automatically remove GPS data when you upload photos to protect user privacy and prevent location tracking.

Online Photo Editors: Many web-based editors (Pixlr, Photopea, etc.) strip metadata during the compression and export process. Some offer settings to preserve EXIF data, but GPS is often removed by default.

Messaging Apps: WhatsApp, Telegram, and iMessage typically strip GPS data when sending photos to protect sender privacy, unless you explicitly send as "Document" or "File".

Desktop Photo Editors: Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom preserve GPS data by default, but you can choose to strip it on export. GIMP may remove metadata unless you use specific export settings.

🔒 Should I remove GPS data before sharing photos?

Privacy Concerns: GPS data can reveal your home address, workplace, travel patterns, and daily routines. If you share photos publicly (blog, forum, marketplace), consider removing GPS data first.

When to Keep GPS: GPS data is valuable for personal photo organization, travel documentation, professional photography portfolios (showing shooting locations), and insurance/legal documentation.

Use Our Tool: Use the "Remove GPS" mode on this page to strip location data while keeping other important metadata like camera settings, copyright, and keywords.

🗺️ What GPS formats and standards are used?

EXIF GPS Tags: Photos store GPS data in standardized EXIF tags including GPSLatitude, GPSLongitude, GPSAltitude, GPSTimeStamp, GPSDateStamp, and GPSImgDirection.

Coordinate Systems: Most devices use the WGS-84 datum (World Geodetic System 1984), which is the standard for GPS satellites and compatible with Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, and other mapping services.

Coordinate Formats: GPS coordinates can be stored as decimal degrees (40.748817, -73.985428) or degrees/minutes/seconds (40°44'54.36"N, 73°59'7.54"W). Our tool handles both formats automatically.

🔧 Can I add GPS data to photos that don't have it?

Manual Tagging: Yes! Use the "Add/Edit GPS" mode on this page to add location data to photos from cameras without GPS. You can click on the map or enter coordinates from Google Maps.

Use Cases: Add GPS to scanned photos, images from cameras without GPS, or correct inaccurate location data from smartphones in areas with poor GPS reception.

Batch Geotagging: For professional workflows, consider software like Excire Foto, Adobe Lightroom, or GeoSetter to add GPS coordinates to large batches of photos at once.