Remove Metadata from PNG Images without Affecting Image Quality

Do you often share your PNG images with others? Do you know that these images have metadata such as copyright information, author names and even text chunks embedded in them? This information is no doubt important in many scenarios, but it can also reveal sensitive information or leave unwanted tracks if you post online.

If you are concerned about this metadata and want to remove it from your PNG images, then this article is for you. In this article, we will explain best ways to remove metadata from PNG images without affecting other aspects. So, let’s begin.

What Metadata Can PNG Files Store?

• EXIF metadata
• XMP metadata
• tEXt chunks
• zTXt compressed text chunks
• iTXt international text chunks
• Author information
• Create and modify times
• Copyright details
• Editing software information
• Embedded comments

Why You Should Remove Metadata from PNG Images?

Metadata removal from PNGs can enhance privacy, and security. The most common reasons include:

• Metadata can include personal or business information that you don’t want to share.
• Metadata can reveal information about how and where an image was taken.
• Designers and businesses generally strip metadata from images before uploading them on websites or sharing them with clients.
• Screenshots may contain device metadata you don’t want to share.
• Businesses may need to strip metadata from large numbers of PNG images.

How to Check PNG Metadata before Removing It?

You need to check what metadata is stored inside the PNG image before deleting it

Method 1: Check Properties in Windows

1. Right-click the PNG file
2. Select “Properties”
3. Open the “Details” tab
4. Review available image properties

Method 2: Examine PNG Metadata Using ExifTool

You can use ExifTool to check embedded metadata in PNG photo.

exiftool image.png

This method can show metadata fields and text chunks in the PNG file.

Method 3: Use Image Metadata Viewer

You can also use metadata viewer tools to detect:

• EXIF records
• XMP properties
• Hidden text chunks
• Embedded author information & more

How to Remove Metadata from PNG Images?

There are several ways to clean PNG file metadata including:

1. Windows properties
2. ExifTool
3. Professional tool

Each method has its own significance. Let’s go over each method one by one.

Method 1: Scrub Metadata in PNG via Windows

1. Right-click PNG image
2. Select Properties
3. Now, go to the “Details” tab.
4. Click the “Remove Properties and Personal Information”.
5. Select “Remove the following properties from the file”
6. Then, click “Select All” and then OK

Note – This can remove all visible properties. However, it fails to eliminate all embedded chunks.

Method 2: Remove PNG Metadata Using ExifTool

You have to run:

exiftool-all= image.png

Note – This method can remove standard metadata fields from the PNG file only.

Limitations of Manual Methods

Manual methods are suitable for basic metadata cleaning, but they have several restrictions:

• These methods can only remove metadata from a PNG image at a time.
• They can miss hidden PNG text chunks
• They don’t have supports for deep metadata cleaning
• It is time consuming for large PNG files

This method is suitable for small files, but for large collections, using automated software is best.

Professional Method to Scrub Hidden Data from PNG Files

The 4n6 metadata remover tool overcomes all the limitations of the manual methods. This tool allows you to remove metadata from multiple PNG files at the same time. It is a safe and secure tool that just removes hidden data while preserving quality and resolution of the PNG image. This software is easy to use and is useful for both technical and non-technical professionals.

Download Now Purchase Now

This tool is available to download for free using the button given. You can download the tool now and then can refer to the steps below to learn how this PNG metadata remover works.

Step by Step Guide to Remove Metadata from Batch PNG Images

1. Download, install and start the software and click the Open button.
   
2. Now, select Images from the drop-down menu.
   
3. Now choose the PNG images and load your data by selecting Choose Files or Choose Folders.
   
4. The application instantly loads all the selected images. You can get the preview of your PNG images.
   
5. Now, click on Actions button and choose clear metadata.
   
6. Choose the destination path where you need to get the resultant files. Finally, click the Save button to begin the process.
   

You can see that the app starts removing metadata from PNG images. This process will only take a few moments. So, please wait.

Why Choose PNG Metadata Remover over Manual Methods

• Comes up with the very simple and user-friendly graphical user interface to delete metadata from PNG files..
• Ability to remove metadata from unlimited PNG images without any limits.
• Allows to scrub metadata from selected PNG files as per the requirements.
• This PNG Metadata Extractor provides dual modes such as Choose Files or Folders to load PNG images.
• You can choose the location where you need to get the resultant files after extracting PNG metadata.
• In addition to the PNGs, the software can also remove metadata from JPG and other files.
• You can download and run this app on Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and earlier edition.

Manual vs Software Method Comparison

Feature	Manual Methods	Software Method
Remove visible metadata	Yes	Yes
Remove hidden text chunks	Limited	Yes
Batch metadata removal	No	Yes
Preserve image quality	Risk Possible	Better
Suitable for bulk files	Limited	Yes

Metadata Removal vs Hidden Data Removal

These are not always the same. Please check the differences between them.

Metadata Removal

It removes properties such as:

• EXIF data
• XMP data
• Author tags
• Timestamps

Hidden Data Removal

It can involve removing:

• PNG text chunks
• Attached comments
• Ancillary hidden data

Common Questions

Do PNG images contain EXIF metadata?

Yes. But it totally depends on how they were created.

Can screenshots contain metadata?

Yes. Screenshots can include metadata such as timestamps, and software details.

How to remove metadata from multiple PNG files at once?

You can use the professional PNG metadata remover.

The Conclusion

In the above content, we have explained how to remove metadata from PNG images. You can find manual and professional methods to remove all metadata from PNG files at once. The manual methods are completely free, but they are not suitable for bulk files. On the other hand, the professional automated tool lets you clean hidden metadata from multiple PNG images at once. Review all the methods and choose the one that best fits you.