GPS usually rides in EXIF. Strip the envelope, then check XMP.
Most phone coordinates live in EXIF’s GPS IFD. A tool that truly removes the EXIF block therefore removes that GPS. The catch is duplicate XMP, half-strippers that rewrite only a few tags, and the original you forgot on disk.
Reviewed 18 September 2026
Does removing EXIF remove GPS?
Most phone coordinates live in EXIF’s GPS IFD. A tool that truly removes the EXIF block therefore removes that GPS. The catch is duplicate XMP, half-strippers that rewrite only a few tags, and the original you forgot on disk. XMP may repeat GPS.
Camera roll JPEGs: GPS IFD inside EXIF. Remove EXIF, those tags are gone from that copy. This kit’s still-image sharing copy re-encodes through Canvas, which drops the supported header rather than picking tags one by one.
The copies that surprise people
XMP may repeat GPS. A narrow “EXIF only” checkbox in some desktop tools leaves it.
The Live Photo / Motion Photo companion video is a second file.
Cloud “optimize storage” copies are not always the same object as the original.
Verify the export
Run the output through the inspector. If GPS is gone and you still worry about the house in the window, that is a pixel problem. Related: GPS metadata, stripping.
Common questions
If GPS is gone, am I unlocatable?
From that file’s coordinates, yes. From the scene, captions, and account history, no.