Find and delete metadata in files - how it works
Many files are stored with metadata, for example photos supplemented with camera information. This article shows you how to find and delete the files.
Metadata: track and clean files
In Windows Explorer you can not only find hidden additional data, but also delete it:
- To do this, navigate to the relevant file, right-click on its entry and select the context command "Properties". Then switch to the "Details" tab.
- Depending on the selected file type, you will see a rather long list of various information that is saved with the file. Position the mouse pointer over a specific entry in the "Value" column.
- If this information can be changed, you will now see an input or combination field. Here you can specifically change the value.
- If you mainly want to remove personal information, this method is too cumbersome. Instead, click the "Remove properties and personal information" link below it. In the following dialog, the option "Make a copy with all possible properties removed" is selected by default.
- If you leave it that way, create a new file by clicking on "OK", in which all personal information that can be deleted has been removed and whose name has been supplemented by the text "copy". You can then send this version or publish it on the Internet.
- Tip: The dialog also offers the option to selectively delete only certain information. To do this, change the options to "Remove the following properties from this file". Below you see the list of all properties.
- You can now use the checkbox to specify which property is to be deleted. There is no check box for properties that cannot be edited. Finally confirm the selection with "OK". This change directly affects the current file and does not create a copy.
By the way: You can also read out the metadata of images on the web. We will explain more about this here.