EXIF
A metadata format commonly used by cameras and phones. EXIF can store camera settings, timestamps, orientation, thumbnails, software, and sometimes GPS coordinates.
Glossary
Metadata glossary
Short definitions for the file metadata terms you are most likely to see when checking photos, screenshots, videos, PDFs, and documents.
GPS metadata
Location information stored with a file, usually latitude, longitude, altitude, and capture direction. GPS metadata is one of the most privacy-sensitive fields in photos.
IPTC
A metadata standard often used by publishers and photographers for captions, creator names, credit, copyright, location labels, and editorial information.
XMP
An extensible metadata format created by Adobe and used by many creative tools. XMP can store titles, descriptions, keywords, rights, edit history, and custom fields.
Document properties
Metadata fields inside documents and PDFs, such as title, author, company, subject, keywords, producer software, creation date, and modification date.
Embedded thumbnail
A small preview image stored inside some image files. In rare cases it can show an older crop or version of a photo, so sensitive files should be checked carefully.
Creation date
The date stored by the file, camera, application, or operating system. It may reveal when a file was captured, exported, edited, or last saved.
Software tag
A field that identifies the application or device that created or edited a file. This can reveal workflow details such as camera apps, design tools, or PDF exporters.
Noindex
A robots directive telling search engines not to show a page in search results. Temporary file pages should usually be noindex, while public guides should be indexable.
Metadata verification
The process of checking a cleaned file after metadata removal to confirm that sensitive fields are gone from the copy you plan to share.