Remove hidden metadata from PNG images — lossless
PNG looks clean, but its text chunks can name your software, your authorship and your edit times — and modern PNGs can even carry EXIF. Strip every metadata chunk right in your browser.
ScrubExif runs entirely in your browser — no upload, no server, works offline.
What's inside a typical PNG
Removed from your PNG
- tEXt / iTXt / zTXt — software, author, title, copyright (zTXt is compressed, often overlooked)
- eXIf — camera and GPS data, same as JPEG
- tIME — file's last-modification timestamp
Kept intact
- Every pixel byte-for-byte — no re-encoding
- Alpha transparency & color depth
- Animation (APNG chunks)
- iCCP color profile & gAMA/sRGB rendering hints
Where PNG metadata comes from
PNG was designed so every tool along the way can annotate the file: GIMP and Photoshop write creation data, screenshot utilities embed application names and window titles, design tools add document metadata, and since 2017 the format can carry a full eXIf chunk — the same GPS coordinates and camera details you'd find in a JPEG. The compressed zTXt chunk is easy to overlook because hex viewers show it as gibberish.
Before you publish an icon set, a design mockup or a screenshot, it's worth checking what the file admits about you — view its metadata in one drop. Then strip it here. The mechanics of what each field means are covered in our EXIF explainer.
Frequently asked questions
What metadata can a PNG file contain?
PNG stores side information in named "chunks". The text chunks tEXt, iTXt and zTXt are the usual suspects: editing software writes the program name, author, title, description and copyright. eXIf chunks (added by the format in 2017) can carry the same GPS and camera data as JPEG, and tIME records when the file was last modified.
Do phone photos use PNG?
Rarely — phones shoot JPEG or HEIC, so GPS-laden PNGs are uncommon. Where PNG metadata actually bites is screenshots and graphics workflows: editing tools, screen recorders and design apps routinely stamp software names, document titles and author fields into the file.
Is removal safe for transparency and animation?
Yes. The image data lives in IDAT chunks (and animation timing in acTL/fcTL/fdAT chunks) — none of them are touched. Only metadata chunks are removed, so alpha transparency, color depth and animations stay exactly as they were.
Why not just re-save the PNG to clean it?
Re-saving re-encodes the image, which can shift pixels and bloat or degrade the file — and some tools keep text chunks unless you know the export settings. Chunk-level removal is surgical: the picture part of the file is copied byte-for-byte.