Three privacy choices

Remove location metadata from an existing photo

Open the photo in Photos.
Swipe up or tap the Info button. If location metadata is present, Photos shows a map or place.
Tap the More button, choose Adjust Location, then choose No Location.
Open the photo information again and confirm the location is no longer shown before sharing.

Share without location while keeping it in your library

If you want Photos to keep the location for your own search and organization, Apple provides a per-share control:

Select one or more photos and tap Share.
Tap Options at the top of the share sheet.
Turn off Location, tap Done, then choose the sharing destination.

This is a sharing choice, not a library cleanup: the location remains attached to your own copy.

Stop Camera from recording location in future photos

Go to Settings, Privacy & Security, Location Services, Camera, then choose Never. The tradeoff is straightforward: future camera photos will not carry capture coordinates, so location-based browsing and search will be less useful for those photos.

Location metadata is only one layer

Removing GPS metadata does not hide information visible in the pixels. A photo may still show a street sign, home exterior, boarding pass, delivery label, school name, browser tab, notification, or written address. Review the full image before sharing and redact visible private areas when appropriate.

What SecretScan does—and does not do

SecretScan checks visible text in screenshots and photos using on-device OCR and deterministic pattern detection. It does not claim to inspect or remove GPS metadata. Use the built-in Photos controls above for location, and use SecretScan when you need a first pass for passwords, recovery codes, API keys, payment details, IDs, and other sensitive text that may be visible in the image.

Scan visible text free Redact a screenshot safely

Related guides

Apple reference: Manage location metadata in Photos.

Last reviewed September 2, 2026.