Metadata Viewer for PDFs and Photos: Check EXIF Data

Check a File’s Metadata

Choose a local file to see the metadata this viewer can read, grouped by type. Each field includes its stored value and an explanation.

The metadata viewer accepts PDF, DOCX, JPEG and PNG files up to 20 MB. It reads PDF properties and XMP, Word document properties, JPEG EXIF and PNG text or EXIF.

Use the original file when available. A downloaded image or messaging copy can carry different metadata. Copy the report or download its JSON record to keep the extracted fields.

On an iPhone, open a photo in Photos, then swipe up or tap Info. The panel shows available camera details, date and location. Apple explains the photo information panel.

On a Mac, open a PDF or image in Preview and select the Info button to open Inspector. Its panes show the information available for that file, including image metadata.

For a Word document on Windows, open File, then Info and Properties. Microsoft’s document properties instructions explain standard fields and Advanced Properties.

These panels expose different sets of fields. A PDF date describes the PDF’s recorded creation or modification, which can be later than the events in its contents.

HEIC, TIFF, WebP and legacy DOC files are outside this viewer’s supported formats. Manufacturer-specific maker notes are reported as binary data. JPEG IPTC blocks are identified without decoding their contents.

Reading EXIF Data

EXIF is the exchangeable image file format used to store camera and capture information with an image. Its fields can record the camera model and exposure settings.

Date taken is the file’s assertion of the original capture time. Digitised time and image modified time describe different events. A missing timezone offset leaves the local time ambiguous.

Camera make and model identify the device values stored in the file. An editor can preserve those fields when exporting an altered image. They do not identify the person holding the camera.

GPS fields can contain latitude and longitude with north, south, east or west references. This viewer also calculates signed decimal coordinates when the stored components permit it.

A missing GPS field means the selected copy supplies no supported coordinate field. Location might never have been recorded, or a later export might have removed it.

Messaging apps and social platforms can strip EXIF when making compressed sharing copies. Removing location metadata limits disclosure of where a photo was taken. Export settings and sharing methods affect what survives.

The fictional example records ACME as the camera make and coordinates of 33.5 degrees south and 151.2 degrees east. Its date field is fabricated too.

What Metadata Cannot Prove

Metadata supports an enquiry into a file’s history, but its fields can be edited. A stored date or coordinate alone cannot prove when or where an image was made.

Copying a file can change the receiving device’s file dates while leaving embedded EXIF untouched. Conversion or re-export can rewrite embedded properties too. Keep those two kinds of date separate.

This viewer reports supported fields in the selected copy. It does not recover deleted metadata, verify digital signatures or inspect every application-specific block. A blank report cannot establish that all metadata is absent.

Preserve the original before making a sharing copy. The metadata remover prepares a separate copy for supported formats. Keep the inspection record with the file it describes.

For preservation and reliance in a matter, the document metadata evidence guide explains how to connect these fields with the file’s source and handling history.