Remove unwanted photo metadata
What’s the quickest way to remove all the metadata from a large collection of photos so I can burn a DVD slideshow? [ TREVOR HAWKER ]
Nick Peers replies: Metadata can be found in a number of different file types including photos, and you might want to remove such data for privacy reasons (as it may contain personal information). Windows includes a metadata removal tool.
01 Access removal tool: Browse to a folder using File Explorer, then select all of the files that share the same file type (such as JPG). Right-click them and choose Properties. Switch to the Details tab and click ‘Remove Properties and Personal Information’.
02 Remove all metadata: You can also create separate copies of the files with all the metadata removed from them — useful if you’re sharing with others or uploading to social media. Simply leave ‘Create a copy with all possible properties removed’ and click OK.
03 Selectively remove: Alternatively, you can choose ‘Remove the following properties from this file’ if you want to wipe the data from the original files. Click Select All to remove all metadata, or selectively tick the fields that you wish to remove. Click OK to wipe them.
04 Select from multiple folders: Want to select multiple files of the same type from different folders? Browse to the top-most folder in File Explorer, then type the name of the file type (such as .doc) into the Search box. Hit Enter to quickly generate a list of relevant files.