--- title: "Does AirDrop Preserve Photo Metadata? What Gets Sent" description: "AirDrop can send a photo with its location, and All Photos Data adds edit history. See what Apple documents, what we haven't tested, and how to check what arrived." url: https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/airdrop-photo-metadata lang: en published: 2026-10-30 updated: 2026-10-30 author: "VaultForYou Editorial Team" publisher: VaultForYou --- # Does AirDrop keep a photo's metadata and location? > AirDrop sends the full-quality file, which is why it's the best way to read a photo's metadata and the riskiest way to share one. Published 2026-10-30 - Updated 2026-10-30 - By VaultForYou Editorial Team ## Quick answer Yes, AirDrop can carry a photo's metadata, including location. Apple's share Options include a Location switch, and All Photos Data, which applies only to AirDrop, sends the original file with its edit history. Turn Location off in Options if you don't want to share where the photo was taken. - **Location switch:** Share -> Options -> Location. Turn it off to leave location out. - **All Photos Data:** AirDrop only. Sends the original with its edit history. - **Not tested by us:** We did not run AirDrop transfers for this page. - **Verify:** Open what arrived in the free metadata viewer. This page reports what Apple documents about sharing photos, plus a quick way to verify what a given transfer delivered. We did not run AirDrop transfers between devices for this guide, so we make no claims about results on specific devices or OS versions. ## What Apple documents | Setting | What it does | Where | |---|---|---| | **Location** | Includes or leaves out the photo's location when you share | Share -> Options | | **All Photos Data** | Sends the original file with its edit history; applies to AirDrop only | Share -> Options | From these two controls, you can see how AirDrop differs from a screenshot or a compressed upload: it sends your actual file, and you decide what's included. ## What a recipient can learn If the file you AirDrop has GPS, a date and a device model, and you left Location on, the recipient has them. If you turned Location off, the shared copy should come without it. If you turned All Photos Data on, they also get the history of edits. Our [EXIF guide](/blog/exif-data-iphone) has the full who-sees-what table. ## How to verify a transfer yourself 1. Pick a photo that carries location (open it in Photos and swipe up to see the map). 2. AirDrop it to yourself on a Mac with **Location on**, then again with **Location off**. 3. Open both received files in the [image metadata viewer](/tools/image-metadata-viewer). 4. Compare: is there a latitude and longitude in each? That takes two minutes and answers the question for your devices, today. If you do this on several OS versions, the results may differ, which is exactly why we'd rather you test than trust a page. ## Safer ways to share - Turn **Location** off in Options for people you don't know. - Make a clean copy first with the [metadata remover](/tools/remove-photo-metadata) when you share from a computer. - For private photos, prefer a link you can revoke. See [how to remove location from photos on iPhone](/blog/remove-location-from-photos-iphone). > **Share private photos with a link you control.** Encrypted, no account for the recipient, revocable any time. [Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000) ## Frequently asked questions ### Does AirDrop strip location from photos? Not by default. Apple documents a Location option in the share sheet's Options; turn it off to send without location. If you leave it on, the recipient can get the location the photo carries. Check what arrives rather than assuming. ### What does All Photos Data do in AirDrop? It sends the original file along with its edit history and adjustments instead of just the edited picture. Apple's guidance applies it to AirDrop only. Leave it off unless you want the recipient to see how a photo was edited. ### Can the person I AirDrop to see where a photo was taken? Yes, if the file you sent contains location and they open it in a viewer or in Photos. Turn off Location in Options first if you don't want to share it. ### How can I check what an AirDropped photo contains? Open the received file in the free image metadata viewer on this site. It runs in your browser, uploads nothing and lists GPS, date and camera fields. ## Bottom line AirDrop is faithful: it can deliver your photo with everything it contains. Use the Location switch, leave All Photos Data off unless you need it, and verify a test transfer in the viewer so you know what your devices actually do. ## Sources - [Apple Support: Share photos and videos on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/share-photos-and-videos-iphf28f17237/ios) - [Apple Support: See photo and video information on iPhone](https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/see-photo-and-video-information-iph0edb9c18f/ios) ## Keep reading - [How to View EXIF Data on iPhone, and What You Can Remove (2026)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/exif-data-iphone): View EXIF data on iPhone without an app: swipe up on a photo to see camera, date and location. Here's what you can edit or remove and what goes when you share. - [How to Remove Location From Photos on iPhone (2026)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/remove-location-from-photos-iphone): Remove location from photos on iPhone in a few taps: turn off Location in the share sheet, strip it from a photo with Adjust Location and stop Camera saving it. - [Does HEIC Contain Location Metadata? GPS Fields Checked](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/heic-location-metadata): Yes: HEIC stores EXIF, including GPS, inside the file. We inspected a real HEIC and list the fields it carries, plus how to read and remove them before sharing. - [How to Find Out Where a Photo Was Taken (2026 Guide)](https://www.vaultforyou.app/blog/find-where-a-photo-was-taken): Find where a photo was taken by reading its GPS data. Learn why location goes missing, and how to keep location-tagged photos out of Photos with a vault. --- Our guides are written and fact-checked by the VaultForYou team against Apple's own documentation. We make VaultForYou, a private vault app for iPhone. Download on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/vaultforyou/id0000000000