How to view video metadata
See the hidden data inside a video file: GPS location, device model, timestamps and software. Runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
· · 3 min read
Step 1: Open the viewer
Go to the Video Metadata Viewer & Remover.
The whole thing runs in your browser. Your video is never uploaded to a server, which matters here more than usual, because the entire point is that these files contain private information.
Step 2: Add your video
Drag the file in or click to choose it. Read the file, and the metadata appears.
Large videos take a moment. The tool only needs to read the file's header rather than the whole thing, so it is much faster than uploading anywhere would be.
Step 3: Read what is in there
What you find depends on what recorded it. Commonly:
Location: GPS coordinates, sometimes accurate to a few metres. This is the one that surprises people. A video taken at home carries your address in it.
Device: make and model of the phone or camera, and often the operating system version.
Timestamps: when it was recorded, and sometimes when it was last modified. Note these can be in UTC rather than your local time.
Software: what edited or exported it, which quietly tells anyone what tools you use.
Technical details: codec, resolution, frame rate, duration, bit rate. Harmless, and useful when you are trying to work out why a file will not play somewhere.
Not every video has all of this. A file that has been through a social network usually has most of it stripped already, because the platform removed it on upload. That is the platform protecting itself, not you.
What to check before you share a video
Three things are worth a look every time:
- Location. If there are coordinates, decide whether you want whoever receives it to have them.
- Timestamps. These can contradict a story you are telling about when something happened.
- Device. Ties the file to a specific phone, which matters if you are sharing something anonymously.
If any of those are a problem, remove the metadata and share the clean copy instead.
Still stuck?
Nothing appears. The file may already be stripped, or the format may not carry readable metadata. Not every container stores it the same way.
The file will not load. Very large videos can run into browser memory limits. Try a shorter clip to confirm the tool works, then decide whether you need a desktop tool for the full file.
The timestamps look wrong. Check whether they are UTC. A video recorded at 9pm can show as 2am the next day.