About metapeel
Last updated: June 2026
Why metapeel Exists
Every photo you share, every document you send, every video you upload carries hidden information you probably don't know about. Where you were when you took it. What camera you used. Who authored the document. When it was last edited.
metapeel exists to fix that.A free tool that shows you what's hiding in your files and lets you remove it before you share.
The Story Behind It
I spent years working with documents. Creating, editing, sharing them every single day. I never thought twice about what was attached to those files beyond the content I could see.
Then something happened that made me realize the files I'd been sharing all along were leaking personal information I never intended to reveal. It was a wake-up call. I started looking into metadata and was surprised by how much was really in there, and how few people knew about it.
I looked for tools to deal with this. There are some out there, but most are built for technical users. Command-line tools, developer utilities, things that require reading documentation just to strip a GPS tag from a photo. The ones that were easy to use wanted me to upload my files to their servers, which kind of misses the point when you're trying to protect your privacy.
So I built metapeel. Something anyone can use, right in their browser, without sending files anywhere. My goal is simple: help more people understand that the files they share every day carry more information than they think. The more people know about this, the better.
How It Works
Everything runs in your browser. Your files are never uploaded to any server. When you drop a file in, metapeel reads the metadata right there on your device. When you download the cleaned version, the original is already gone from memory.
- ✓Content-first cleaning. metapeel avoids media re-encoding where supported and keeps the visible file content intact; you should still inspect the cleaned copy before sharing.
- ✓You see what is there. Review detected metadata before creating a cleaned copy, without uploading the file.
- ✓Lots of formats. JPEG, PNG, WebP, TIFF, RAW, PDF, DOCX, XLSX, MP4, MP3 and more. Over 30 in total.
- ✓See for yourself. All processing happens in your browser. You can inspect it through DevTools if you want.
Principles
No server-side processing, no tracking, no file retention. Every decision starts with your privacy.
No accounts, no sign-ups, no paywalls. Metadata privacy should be available to anyone.
The code runs in your browser where you can inspect it. Policies are written in plain language.
metapeel documents what each cleaner targets, what may remain, and why checking the output matters.
Contact
Questions, feedback, or just want to say hi? Reach out at [email protected].