# Remove GPS from HEIC

> Remove GPS location from HEIC photos and keep the date and camera info so photos still sort. Lossless, stays HEIC, and runs privately in your browser.

URL: https://ihateheic.com/remove-gps-from-heic  
Updated: 2026-10-04

Take the location out of your iPhone photos and leave everything else alone. Dates stay, so your albums still sort, and the photo itself isn't re-encoded.

This tool runs entirely in the browser: photos are decoded and encoded on the visitor’s device and are never uploaded. It is free, needs no sign-up and works offline after the first visit.

## How to use it

1. Drop your HEIC files onto the box above, or tap **Choose files**. Pick a whole folder if you like.
2. Location removal is already selected. Leave timestamps and camera details ticked so your photos keep their order.
3. Download the cleaned HEIC files one by one or as a ZIP, then share those instead of the originals.

## What a GPS tag gives away

When Location Services is on for the Camera, your iPhone writes latitude and longitude into every photo. That's lovely for a "Places" map of your holidays. It's less lovely when the photo is your kid in the garden and you've just sent it to a group chat of people you half know.

From one tagged photo, someone can usually work out:

- **Your home address**, if the photo was taken at home. One photo of your cat on the sofa is enough.
- **Your workplace, school or gym**, from photos taken there regularly.
- **When you're away**, by pairing coordinates with the timestamp.
- **Where an item is kept**, which matters if you're selling something valuable.

## Where location leaks, and where it usually doesn't

Whether your GPS survives depends on how the photo travels. Policies differ between services and change over time, so treat this as a rough guide rather than a guarantee:

| How you share | GPS usually... |
| --- | --- |
| Public posts on big social networks | Removed by the platform, but not always |
| Messaging apps sending "as file" or "original quality" | Kept |
| Email attachments | Kept |
| Shared cloud links (Drive, Dropbox, iCloud links) | Kept |
| Marketplace and forum uploads | Varies a lot |

The safe habit is simple: if the original file leaves your phone, assume the location goes with it.

## Location only, on purpose

Removing everything is easy. Removing just the right thing is more useful. This tool deletes the GPS fields and keeps:

- **Date and time taken**, so photo apps file the image on the right day.
- **Camera and lens details**, if you care about settings.
- **Every pixel**, because the image isn't decoded and re-saved.

If you want a total wipe, use [Remove HEIC metadata](https://ihateheic.com/remove-heic-metadata). Want to see what's in a file before or after? The [HEIC metadata viewer](https://ihateheic.com/heic-metadata-viewer) shows the coordinates without loading a map.

## Sending as JPG instead?

Our converters already drop location by default. [HEIC to JPG](https://ihateheic.com/heic-to-jpg) keeps date and camera details and removes GPS unless you say otherwise. For email, [Convert HEIC for email](https://ihateheic.com/convert-heic-for-email) also shrinks the photos to a sensible size.

## Your location stays on your device

Fittingly, the cleaning happens locally. The files are processed in your browser, never uploaded, and the page works offline after the first load.

## FAQ

### How do I remove location from an iPhone photo?

Drop the HEIC here and download the cleaned copy. Only the GPS fields are deleted; the date, camera details and pixels are left exactly as they were.

### Does removing GPS change the photo date?

No. Timestamps are kept by default on this page, so the cleaned photo still sorts by when it was taken.

### Do social networks remove location from photos?

Many large social networks strip location from images they publish, but policies vary and change. Messaging apps, email attachments and shared cloud links often deliver the original file with GPS intact, so it's safer to remove it yourself.

### How accurate is the GPS location in a photo?

Phone GPS is usually accurate to within a few metres outdoors, which is enough to identify a specific building. Indoors it can be less precise but still points to the right street.

### Is the photo quality affected?

No. The image data is copied without re-encoding, so the result is bit-identical to the original and stays HEIC.

### How can I check that the location is really gone?

Open the cleaned file in the HEIC metadata viewer. The Location section should be empty.

### Can I stop my iPhone adding location in the first place?

Yes. In iPhone Settings, under Privacy and Location Services, set the Camera app's location access to Never. Photos you take after that won't carry GPS.