Here’s how to view EXIF data on Facebook photos:
You cannot directly view EXIF data on a Facebook photo.
Facebook intentionally removes this data from all uploaded photos in an effort to protect privacy.
You can still get some metadata related to the photo by looking at the post’s metadata.
Or, you can ask the uploader about the photo directly.
So if you want to learn all about viewing EXIF data on Facebook photos, then this article is for you.
Let’s delve into it!
What Is EXIF Data? (3 Things About the Exchangeable Image File Format)
I’m going to talk about Facebook in a bit, but we should probably start a little earlier in the conversation.
Why are you looking for EXIF data in the first place?
It’s probably because you want to figure out specific information regarding the photo that you saw online.
That data is often included in the EXIF data, so I’m going to take a minute to talk about this and make sure everyone is on the same page.
EXIF stands for the exchangeable image file format.
This is basically a bunch of information that is attached to digital photos.
It includes all kinds of specific information, and I’ll take you through some of the more prominent stuff, piece by piece.
#1 Formats
As the acronym suggests, there is formatting information in EXIF data stored within image files.
This is the digital description of the photograph’s properties, like its dimensions, file format type (such as JPEG), and display information for the computer.
Most of the photo’s raw info is in the format data included in the EXIF information.
If you want to know about the exposure, lens, timing, or other mechanical aspects of the photo, this is where you’ll find it.
#2 Discrete Cosine Transform
This is still a part of formatting, but it specifically involves image compression.
A lot of times, images are compressed if they are shared online, and the compression formatting data helps the computer know how to deal with a compressed image.
For anyone unfamiliar, compression is something computers do to make a file smaller without destroying the information within.
It’s mostly used for uploading and downloading information to make the process a little faster and easier.
#3 Metadata Tags (Including Camera Model)
The other important thing that you might want to view is the list of metadata tags.
Metadata is a bunch of stuff that describes a file.
So in the case of a photograph, the metadata would include a timestamp for when the photo was taken, a geotag to tell you where it was taken, the name of the photo, and similar information.
Chances are if you’re looking for EXIF data, you either want the format information or the metadata tags. There are tools available to add EXIF data back to images, which can restore important metadata like timestamps and geotags.
How Facebook Handles EXIF Data
Facebook handles EXIF data differently than other social media platforms. When you upload an image to Facebook, the platform strips the EXIF data from the image file. This means that the metadata, including the camera model, date and time taken, GPS coordinates, and other information, is removed from the image. Facebook does this to protect user privacy and security, as EXIF data can potentially reveal sensitive information about the user.
However, this also means that users who want to access the EXIF data of their images on Facebook may not be able to do so. Fortunately, there are ways to retrieve EXIF data from Facebook images, such as using an EXIF viewer application or online EXIF viewer.
Where Can You Normally View EXIF Data?
EXIF data is attached to the digital photograph file.
So, you can view the data by looking at the details of the photograph itself.
I’ll walk you through the steps to do this on a photo you have on a Windows computer to clarify.
Navigate to the photo in question.
Right-click on the photo.
Click on “Properties” in the menu that appears.
On the new window, click on the “Details” tab.
You can now see the EXIF data.
It’s displayed in this window, and it shows you everything that happens to be attached to the metadata for that photograph.
Now, if you followed along with these steps on your computer, you might not see much data.
If that’s the case, it means that the metadata was stripped at some point.
If you’re looking at a downloaded photo, then that’s pretty common. Images downloaded from Facebook often have their EXIF data stripped. There are tools designed to add EXIF data back to images downloaded from Facebook, retaining useful metadata like the date taken.
A lot of photos that are put online have this data stripped for privacy reasons.
But, if you upload your own photo to the computer (and you don’t take steps to strip the EXIF data), then the window you see should include information about the exposure time, focal length, and a lot more.
If you want steps for viewing EXIF data on other devices, this guide is pretty handy.
How Do You View EXIF Data on Facebook Images? (2 Alternatives)
Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s talk about how to view EXIF data on Facebook photos.
The short answer is that you can’t.
Facebook, like many online platforms, deliberately scrubs EXIF data from photos when they are uploaded.
Mostly, this is for privacy reasons.
For all the jokes we could make about social media and privacy, Facebook does this because EXIF data could be used to locate people.
If you don’t want strangers on the internet to find you from photo metadata, then it’s nice that this feature exists.
So, when you’re browsing Facebook, you can’t pull EXIF data off of any photo you see on the site.
That doesn’t mean that you’re completely out of luck.
If you’re really curious about a photo, you can still find a lot of important information.
It just won’t be in a nice little computer window.
Instead, you can try any of these alternative methods.
#1 View Post Information
If you want to know when or where the photo was taken, Facebook has non-EXIF resources to help with that.
Every picture that is posted has a timestamp, so you know exactly when it was uploaded.
This doesn’t tell you when the picture was taken, but if you know anything about the person who posted it, you can more or less figure that out.
As for locations, if they geotag the photo, then you know exactly where it was taken too.
Technically, you know where they were when they uploaded a photo, but if they’re using geotags on a photo, it’s usually because they want viewers to know where it was taken.
#2 Contact the Poster
If you’re looking for different kinds of data, then it might be easier to just contact the person who uploaded it.
Facebook is called “social” media for a reason.
You can try to talk to people.
The easiest thing would be to ask for the EXIF data.
If they have the original, they can share that data, and it will tell you what you want to know.
If for any reason EXIF data is a no-go, you can also ask questions about the picture.
Especially if they are related to picture technique (like what kind of lens or exposure was used), many people are happy to answer those questions.
Protecting Your EXIF Data
Protecting your EXIF data is important to maintain your online privacy and security. Here are some tips to help you protect your EXIF data:
Be mindful of what you share: Before uploading an image to Facebook, make sure you are comfortable with the EXIF data that is attached to it. If you don’t want to share certain information, consider removing the EXIF data before uploading.
Use an EXIF viewer app: An EXIF viewer app can help you review and manage your EXIF data. You can use the app to remove GPS location details, camera model information, and other metadata that you don’t want to share.
Adjust your camera settings: You can also adjust your camera settings to limit the amount of EXIF data that is attached to your images. For example, you can turn off geotagging or set your camera to remove EXIF data from images.
By taking these steps, you can protect your EXIF data and maintain your online privacy and security.
Geotagging and EXIF Data
Geotagging is the process of adding geographical information to an image file. This information can include GPS coordinates, altitude, and other location-based data. Geotagging is a common feature in digital cameras and smartphones, and it can be useful for organizing and sharing images.
However, geotagging can also raise privacy concerns. When you upload an image with geotagging information to Facebook, the platform may use this information to create a map of your location history. This can be a concern for users who want to maintain their privacy.
To protect your privacy, you can turn off geotagging on your camera or smartphone. You can also use an EXIF viewer app to remove GPS location details from your images before uploading them to Facebook.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you need any further assistance.
