How to remove AI metadata from images
AI image metadata is extra data stored inside the file, next to the pixels. It can include the prompt you typed, sampler settings, the name of the generator, and C2PA Content Credentials. Some social apps read those tags and show a Made with AI label. Anyone with a metadata viewer can also read an embedded prompt.
This free guide explains what those tags are, which tools write them, and how removemetadatafromimage.com strips them in your browser. Photos are not uploaded to the server.
AI metadata vs “this looks AI”
- File tags — C2PA, XMP, PNG text chunks, EXIF software fields. A cleaner can remove these.
- How the picture looks — not metadata. This tool does not score images as AI from pixels.
If a generator saved a clean JPEG with no tags, you will see No AI metadata found. That can be correct. The file is still deep-cleaned so GPS and camera EXIF do not remain.
C2PA and Content Credentials
C2PA is a standard for signing where a file came from. Adobe’s consumer name is Content Credentials. It can live in JPEG APP11 / JUMBF boxes or PNG chunks. Photoshop Generative Fill, Firefly, and some cameras write this record. Instagram, LinkedIn and other apps may mark the post as AI-assisted even if you only patched a small area.
Deep clean redraws the image onto a new canvas, then strips leftover boxes. We do not forge a fake “human-made” credential. We remove the tag so it does not travel with your copy.
Stable Diffusion, ComfyUI, Automatic1111
PNG exports often include a parameters or prompt text chunk: positive/negative prompt, steps, sampler, seed, model or LoRA names, sometimes a ComfyUI workflow JSON. If this site reports AI metadata found on a PNG, that is usually why.
ChatGPT, DALL·E, Grok, Midjourney, Flux
Many ChatGPT / Grok / Midjourney JPEGs already have no prompt and no C2PA. Detection will say no AI tags. Still run the free cleaner if you want EXIF and GPS gone too. Some PNG downloads still carry generator names. Let the scanner read the file.
What platforms may do
Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, TikTok and WhatsApp each rewrite uploads differently. Some strip EXIF. Few reliably strip C2PA and PNG prompt chunks. Clean locally, then upload the cleaned copy. A label can also come from the platform’s own classifier — removing metadata cannot stop that.
How to clean an AI image for free
- Open the free cleaner.
- Drop PNG, JPEG or WebP files. Bulk is allowed.
- Read AI found / not found so you know what was in the original.
- Wait for automatic deep clean.
- Download one file, all files, or a ZIP.
- Upload that download. Keep the original only if you need it.
What cannot be stripped as metadata
- Invisible watermarks painted into the pixels.
- A platform deciding the picture looks generated.
- HEIC the browser cannot decode — export JPEG/PNG first.
Common questions
Will Instagram still mark my post as AI?
If the mark came from C2PA or file tags, cleaning first is the right step. If Instagram’s own model thinks the picture looks generated, metadata removal will not change that.
Does this delete my prompt from the picture itself?
The prompt is not in the pixels. It is in sidecar tags. Those tags are removed. The image still looks like the image.