EXIF is a metadata format used in image files. A camera or phone can write details about how an image was captured, alongside the image pixels. The exact fields depend on the device and the software that saved the file.
Common EXIF fields
A photo may contain the camera manufacturer and model, lens, capture date, orientation, ISO sensitivity, aperture, exposure time, and focal length. Some files also contain a software or editor name, color information, or GPS data. These fields are optional and may be absent.
Why fields disappear
An editor can keep, change, or remove metadata when it saves an image. Messaging apps, social platforms, screenshot tools, and image optimizers may create a new copy with different metadata. Two versions of the same picture can therefore have different EXIF fields.
What EXIF does not establish
Metadata describes values stored in a file. It can be changed. A camera model or capture date is not an independently verified chain of custody. Missing EXIF does not mean a picture is AI-generated or fake. Screenshots and ordinary exports often have little camera information.
GPS deserves care because coordinates can reveal where a picture was taken. Motchilllz reports whether GPS metadata is present and does not show exact coordinates in the standard report.
Use the EXIF Detector to inspect common fields in a JPEG, PNG, or WebP file. For other ways to read the same information, see how to view EXIF data.