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What does this AI and photo metadata remover do?
Vaultaire is a free AI metadata viewer, C2PA Content Credentials reader, and EXIF remover that runs inside your browser. It shows the hidden file data it can read, removes supported private fields and identified C2PA containers, and gives you a verified clean copy without changing the original.
The tool combines an AI provenance reader, EXIF data viewer, GPS checker, and metadata cleaner in one flow. It supports seven common image formats and reports the exact values found before cleaning, the exact fields removed, and the file data preserved afterward. No account or upload is required.
What photo metadata can it find and remove?
Photo metadata can describe where and when an image was made, which device created it, who edited it, and what software or AI process declared its origin. The report separates removable metadata from appearance data that the clean copy needs to keep.
| Data | Examples shown | Clean-copy policy |
|---|---|---|
| Location | GPS latitude, longitude, altitude, and location tags | Remove supported fields |
| Dates and camera | Capture and edit times, maker, model, lens, ISO, exposure, and aperture | Remove supported fields |
| Creator and edits | Author, copyright, captions, comments, software, edit history, and previews | Remove supported fields |
| AI source labels | IPTC Digital Source Type, XMP markers, generator, and model text | Remove supported metadata |
| Content Credentials | C2PA container, source type, actions, generator, model, and signer text | Remove identified container |
| Appearance and image data | Dimensions, orientation, color information, image payload, and animation data | Preserve |
IPTC defines photo metadata as descriptive, rights, and administrative information stored with an image. Vaultaire also reads technical EXIF fields and supported provenance containers, so its report can include more than an ordinary EXIF viewer.
How do I remove metadata from an image?
Choose the image, inspect the findings, then remove the supported metadata. The original stays on your device and the downloaded clean copy gets a separate file name.
- Choose a photo. Select or drop a JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, HEIC, HEIF, or AVIF image up to 25 MB.
- Review what was found. See plain-language findings first, then open the full field list when you need raw tag names and values.
- Remove and verify. Create a cleaned copy, scan it again, review the before-and-after record, and download it.
Need a separate PNG instead of the same image format? Use the private WebP to PNG converter. It preserves transparency, removes source metadata, and verifies the new PNG inside the browser.
How to check if an image is AI generated
Open the image above and read the AI and origin group in the report. Metadata is the only signal this tool reads, and it checks four kinds:
- IPTC Digital Source Type. A standard field that states how the image was made. Values such as trained algorithmic media and composite synthetic media declare AI involvement.
- XMP markers and generator text. Many tools write their own name and model into the file on export. When the file records a generator, the report names it.
- C2PA Content Credentials. A signed provenance record that can list the creating application, the model, actions applied, and the signer.
The generators this tool can name from metadata are Adobe Firefly, AUTOMATIC1111 and Stable Diffusion WebUI, ChatGPT or OpenAI, ComfyUI, DALL-E, Flux, Google Imagen, InvokeAI, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion. It also flags a SynthID metadata string, IPTC trained algorithmic media, and composite synthetic media.
Read the result carefully. A named generator or a Digital Source Type value is strong evidence that the image is AI generated. The reverse is not true. Screenshots, social platform re-encoding, and any metadata remover strip these labels, so a file with no AI metadata is not proof that a human or a camera made the image. Metadata answers what the file claims, not what the pixels are.
What are C2PA Content Credentials?
C2PA Content Credentials are provenance records bound to an asset. They can record which application and model made the image, which actions were applied to it, and who signed the record. Camera makers, Adobe, and several AI image tools write them.
They are also a tracking surface. A Content Credentials record can name your software, your workflow, and the signing organization, and it travels with the file when you post it.
This tool finds C2PA data in JPEG JUMBF containers, WebP C2PA chunks, HEIC, HEIF, and AVIF UUID boxes, and GIF application extensions. It scans the first 1 MB of the file for these containers. It shows the source type, actions, generator, model, and signer text it can read, removes the identified container from the clean copy, and then verifies the container is absent.
One limit worth stating plainly: this tool does not validate the signature or certificate trust chain. It reports what the record says. It does not confirm that the record is authentic.
Can it remove AI watermarks?
It removes AI metadata. It does not remove pixel watermarks, and no page here will claim otherwise.
The clean copy drops supported AI source labels, XMP and IPTC provenance fields, and identified C2PA containers. That is metadata work, and the tool verifies it.
Google DeepMind describes SynthID as an imperceptible signal embedded in the pixels themselves and detected by SynthID technology. Vaultaire does not inspect or alter image pixels, so it cannot detect or erase SynthID and other proprietary watermark systems. It can report a SynthID string when one appears in the metadata, and it can report a watermark action declared inside a C2PA record. Where the pixel check did not run, the report says not checked rather than claiming the watermark was absent.
AI and photo metadata remover FAQ
What is photo metadata?
Photo metadata is information stored with an image but not normally visible in the picture. It can include EXIF camera settings, GPS coordinates, dates, device and lens details, captions, copyright, editing software, XMP and IPTC fields, and C2PA provenance records.
How do I remove metadata from an image?
Choose an image, review the fields found, then select Remove metadata. Vaultaire creates a separate cleaned copy, scans that copy again, and enables the download only after the supported removable fields are gone. Your original file is not changed.
Does removing photo metadata reduce image quality?
Vaultaire removes supported metadata without decoding and re-encoding the image. The encoded image payload stays unchanged, while required appearance data such as orientation and color information is preserved. The result includes a local file check so you can confirm what changed.
Can this EXIF viewer show a photo's GPS location?
Yes. When supported GPS fields are present, the report shows the stored latitude, longitude, altitude, and related location tags it can read. The coordinates are displayed locally. Vaultaire does not send them to a map or reverse-geocoding service.
How do I check if an image is AI generated?
Open the image here and read the AI and origin section of the report. The tool looks for an IPTC Digital Source Type value such as trained algorithmic media or composite synthetic media, XMP AI markers, a C2PA Content Credentials record, and generator text. When the file names its generator, the report shows that name. A positive result is strong evidence. A negative result is not proof the image is real, because these labels are easy to strip.
Which AI generators can this tool name?
When the file records the generator in its metadata, the report can name Adobe Firefly, AUTOMATIC1111 or Stable Diffusion WebUI, ChatGPT or OpenAI, ComfyUI, DALL-E, Flux, Google Imagen, InvokeAI, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion. It also flags a SynthID metadata string, IPTC trained algorithmic media, and composite synthetic media. These are metadata matches only. An image saved without that text shows no generator.
How do I remove AI metadata from a photo?
Choose the photo, review the AI and origin findings, then select Remove metadata. The clean copy drops supported AI source labels, XMP and IPTC provenance fields, and identified C2PA containers, together with EXIF and GPS data. The browser scans the copy again before it enables the download.
How do I remove C2PA metadata from an image?
Open the image and select Remove metadata. The tool finds C2PA data in JPEG JUMBF containers, WebP C2PA chunks, HEIC, HEIF, and AVIF UUID boxes, and GIF application extensions. It removes the identified container from the clean copy, then verifies the container is absent. It scans the first 1 MB of the file for these containers.
Can photo metadata prove that an image was generated by AI?
No. Metadata can provide strong source evidence when an image contains an explicit AI declaration or supported C2PA record, but metadata can be removed or changed. No metadata does not prove that an image was made by a camera or a person.
Does this tool remove C2PA Content Credentials?
Vaultaire identifies supported embedded C2PA containers, reports available source type, action, generator, model, and signer text, and removes the identified container from the clean copy. It verifies that the container is absent afterward. It does not validate the C2PA signature or certificate trust chain.
Does this tool remove SynthID or other invisible AI watermarks?
No universal pixel-watermark removal is claimed. Vaultaire can report a watermark action declared inside supported C2PA metadata, but it does not inspect or alter image pixels to detect or erase SynthID and other proprietary watermark systems. Those checks remain clearly marked as not checked.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. The scan and clean-up run in a Web Worker inside your browser, with no upload or processing API. PostHog receives fixed action and completion events, never photo bytes, file details, metadata, or scan results. The route's Content Security Policy allows only Vaultaire's PostHog proxy for those events. Closing the page ends the local session.
Which image formats are supported?
The tool accepts JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, HEIC, HEIF, and AVIF images up to 25 MB and 40 megapixels. Browser preview support varies, so some HEIC or HEIF files can be inspected and cleaned even when the browser cannot display a preview.