FFmpeg Cookbook

Strip Video Metadata Tool

Remove GPS coordinates, camera model, edit history, and tags. Streams stay untouched.

Local processing only — your file never leaves the browser
🛡️
Drag & drop a video, or tap to select
MP4 / MOV / WebM / MKV, up to 500 MB
🎬
Strip-all removes every container/stream tag (GPS, dates, camera model, encoder history, chapters, cover art). Streams are stream-copied so there's zero quality loss and it finishes in seconds.
Processing… 0%
Download stripped video
What was removed (typical)

    Useful next tools

    Popular uses
    Strip GPS before social postsHide editor metadata for client deliveryClean camera info for resale samples

    What this tool does

    • Strip GPS coordinates, creation date, camera make/model, and author tags
    • Wipe encoder history, software fingerprint, comments, and titles
    • Two modes: strip everything or strip personal info only
    • Stream-copy video and audio — no re-encoding, no quality loss
    • Fully local processing — your file never leaves the browser

    How to use

    1. 1

      Drop your video

      MP4 / MOV / WebM / MKV, up to 500 MB.

    2. 2

      Choose a mode

      Strip all (recommended) or personal info only.

    3. 3

      Run

      Finishes in seconds. Download the cleaned file.

    What each setting means

    Strip all
    Removes every container and stream tag plus chapters via `-map_metadata -1 -map_chapters -1`. The safest default.
    Personal info only
    Targets identity-revealing tags (GPS, creation date, camera model, editor name) and clears them by name. Codec/container metadata that some players rely on is preserved.
    Output format
    Always MP4 with `-c copy` and `+faststart`, regardless of input container. Streams stay lossless and the result plays back progressively.

    Recommended settings

    Before posting on X / Instagram / TikTok
    Strip all
    Social platforms occasionally pass through original timestamps and coordinates. Strip locally for guaranteed privacy.
    Delivering footage to a client
    Strip all
    Internal editor names, project comments, and timestamps can leak through. Make stripping part of your delivery pipeline.
    Only need to hide the shooting location
    Personal info only
    Preserves codec/container metadata while removing identity-revealing GPS, camera, and editor tags.
    Sharing camera test footage when selling used gear
    Strip all
    Removes serial-number-like fingerprints and ownership traces.

    Common pitfalls

    Symptom: Social platform still shows a location

    Cause: Some apps ask the user for location at posting time independently of the file metadata.

    Fix: Metadata is gone from the file, but turn off the post-side location toggle as well.

    Symptom: Vertical phone video plays sideways after stripping

    Cause: The rotation metadata was also removed, so the player no longer knows to rotate.

    Fix: Use the [rotate tool](/en/tools/rotate/) to bake in orientation first, then strip metadata.

    Symptom: Older editing software calls the file corrupt

    Cause: Some legacy NLEs reject empty metadata fields.

    Fix: Use “Personal info only” mode, or update the editor to a current version.

    Symptom: File size changes slightly

    Cause: Removing tags and re-laying out atoms for faststart shifts byte boundaries.

    Fix: Usually less than a few hundred KB. Video/audio streams are bit-perfect copies of the original.

    Equivalent FFmpeg commands

    Reference commands you can run on the desktop FFmpeg CLI.

    Strip everything (recommended)
    ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map 0 -map_metadata -1 -map_chapters -1 -c copy -movflags +faststart output.mp4
    Remove GPS location only
    ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -metadata location= -metadata location-eng= -metadata com.apple.quicktime.location.ISO6709= -c copy output.mp4
    Inspect current metadata before stripping
    ffprobe -v quiet -print_format json -show_format -show_streams input.mp4
    See exactly what would be removed.
    Rewrite creation date instead of removing it
    ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -metadata creation_time="2026-01-01T00:00:00Z" -c copy output.mp4
    Falsify rather than strip.

    Browser support & limits

    • Max input size: 500 MB
    • Output is always MP4 (remux from MOV / MKV / WebM)
    • Rotation metadata is removed too — bake orientation in first if your portrait video relies on it

    Privacy

    This tool runs ffmpeg.wasm directly in your browser. Files never leave your device — everything runs locally. Read the privacy policy →

    Frequently asked questions

    Do phone videos really contain location data?

    Yes. Both iPhone and Android embed shooting coordinates and timestamps into the video file when location services are enabled. You can verify this with `exiftool` or `ffprobe`.

    Does uploading to a social network remove metadata automatically?

    Some platforms (X, Instagram) strip most metadata on upload, but it is not guaranteed. Stripping locally first is the safe move.

    Does the quality drop?

    No. `-c copy` stream-copies video and audio — no transcoding involved.

    Why is the output always MP4?

    So we can apply `+faststart` for progressive playback. MP4 is also the broadest container for playback on phones, browsers, and editors.

    What exactly does “Strip all” remove?

    GPS coordinates, creation date, camera make/model, author, encoder/software, comment, title, description, tags, chapters, and cover art. Codec/resolution/framerate are preserved structurally.

    How do I do this from the command line?

    `ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -map 0 -map_metadata -1 -map_chapters -1 -c copy -movflags +faststart output.mp4`. See the command examples below.

    What about rotation? Will my portrait video break?

    Rotation metadata is included in “Strip all”. If orientation matters, [rotate first](/en/tools/rotate/) and bake it into pixels — or use “Personal info only” mode to preserve rotation.

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