ExifTraceHow to find where a photo was taken
Many photos carry the exact GPS coordinates of where they were shot, tucked away in their EXIF metadata. If a photo still has that data, you can see the location on a map in seconds.
Locate a photo now →Read a photo's location in three steps
- Open ExifTrace in your browser.
- Drop the photo onto the page.
- See the pin — if GPS is present, the exact spot appears on a map, with altitude, the direction the camera faced, and the address.
ExifTrace also resolves the coordinates to a street address and can show the historical weather at the moment the photo was taken — useful context when you're verifying an image.
What if there's no location?
Not every photo has GPS. It may be missing because:
- The photo was downloaded from a social network that strips EXIF on upload.
- Location was turned off in the camera app when it was taken.
- The metadata was already removed.
No tool can recover a location that was never stored — GPS lives inside the file, not in the pixels. If ExifTrace reports no GPS, the coordinates simply aren't there.
How accurate is it?
Phone GPS is typically accurate to a few metres outdoors, less so indoors or in cities. Remember that EXIF is user-editable: coordinates can be faked, so treat them as a claim to verify, not proof.
Is it private?
Yes. The photo is analysed entirely in your browser — it is never uploaded. Only the GPS coordinates (never the image) are sent to a map service to look up the address.
Common questions
Can I find the location of a screenshot?
Screenshots almost never contain GPS — they're generated by the device, not a camera, so there's usually nothing to read.
Does it work on iPhone HEIC photos?
Yes, the EXIF is read from HEIC too; only the on-screen preview depends on your browser.