Guide · Updated 8 November 2026

Remove location from videos

Phone videos store the spot where you pressed record, just like photos do. It's easy to miss, because most phones don't show it as clearly for videos.

Short answer

To stop new videos recording location, turn off location for the camera: on iPhone, Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera > Never; on Android, turn off the location option in the camera app's settings. For videos you already have, check the file first, then remove the location with a metadata remover that doesn't re-encode, or send the video through an app that compresses it. Sending a video as a file or document keeps the location.

How to check a video for location

Drop the video into our video metadata remover or the AI video checker. Both read MP4 and MOV files in your browser and show the exact coordinates if there are any, with a link to the spot on a map. Nothing is uploaded, and even a long video takes a second, because only the metadata is read.

The video metadata remover showing the exact GPS location, the phone model and the recording date of an example phone video.
An example phone video: the exact location with a map link, the phone model and the time recording started.

On a phone you can also look in the gallery app: open the video and swipe up, or open its info panel. If you see a map, the location is stored.

Stop new videos recording location

The camera's location setting covers both photos and videos.

iPhone: go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services > Camera and choose Never. Apple notes that location can only be added to photos and videos when the Camera has access to Location Services.

Android: open the camera app's settings and turn off the location option. It's called Save location on Pixel phones and Location tags on Samsung Galaxy phones. Other brands use similar names.

This only affects new recordings. Videos you've already filmed keep their location.

Share a video without its location on iPhone or Android

iPhone: when you share from Photos, tap Options at the top of the share sheet and turn off Location. Apple's instructions describe this for photos, and the switch also appears when you share videos. Check the first video you send this way, by sending it to yourself and dropping the received file into the checker.

Samsung Galaxy: the Gallery share panel has a Remove location data option for photos. If it shows when you share a video, use it, and check the result the same way.

Messaging apps: a video sent the normal way is compressed and usually loses its location. A video sent as a file or document keeps everything. See which apps remove metadata for the details; the same rules apply to videos.

Remove location and metadata from a video you already have

In your browser: the video metadata remover blanks the location, phone model and dates in place, without re-encoding, so the video is exactly as it was. Checking is free; cleaning videos is part of Pro.

Free, with ffmpeg: if you're comfortable with the command line, this copies the video and sound untouched and leaves the metadata behind:

ffmpeg -i video.mov -map_metadata -1 -c copy video-clean.mov

It removes all container metadata, including the recording date, not only the location. Check the result in the AI video checker before you share it.

By re-exporting: saving a new copy from an editing app often drops the location too, but it re-encodes the video, which takes longer and usually costs some quality.

On a Mac or Windows PC

Mac: in the Photos app, select the items and choose Image > Location > Hide Location. Apple's safety guide describes this for photos. If you use it on videos, export a copy and check it before you rely on it.

Windows: there's no built-in setting made for video location. File Explorer's Remove Properties and Personal Information option is designed for documents and photos, so if you try it on a video, check the result in the AI video checker. The browser tool or ffmpeg above are the dependable routes.

Check that the location is gone

Whichever method you use, test the file you're actually going to send. Send the video to yourself the same way you'll send it to others, save what arrives, and drop it into the video metadata remover. If no coordinates show up, you're done. This takes a minute and catches the cases where an app keeps more than you expected.

The location can also be in the picture

Removing metadata hides the GPS coordinates, not what the camera saw. A house number, a street sign, a school logo, the view from a window or a car's number plate can give away a place just as well. Before posting a video publicly, especially one filmed at home or with children in it, watch it once with that in mind. Cropping, blurring or choosing a different clip fixes what metadata removal can't.

FAQ

Questions, answered

Do videos have location data like photos?

Yes. When the camera app has location access, phones write the GPS position into the video's metadata, along with the phone model and the recording date. Apple's own safety guide says the coordinates are embedded in each photo and video.

Does WhatsApp remove location from videos?

When you send a video normally, WhatsApp compresses it and the location doesn't come along. Sending it as a document sends the original file, location included. Other messaging apps behave the same way: compressed copies lose it, files keep it.

Does removing the location reduce video quality?

Not if the tool only edits the metadata. Our video metadata remover blanks the location in place, so the picture and sound are untouched. Re-exporting in an editing app can also drop location, but it re-encodes the video and usually lowers quality.

What else does a phone video store?

Usually the phone's make and model, the software version, and the date and time recording started. The video metadata remover shows each item and removes the location and phone details together.