What Your File May Carry
Before you send a photo, PDF, or document, know what may travel with it — and what to check first.
Files are not just their visible content. A photo taken on a phone can include GPS coordinates, device model, timestamp, and camera settings embedded directly in the file — before you ever share it. A PDF or document may preserve the author's name, the organization it was created on, editing history, and software version. Most people share files without knowing this information is present. The recipient, or anyone the file reaches after that, may be able to read it.
Assuming that what you see in a file is all that the file contains. Metadata is not visible in a normal view of a photo or document — it lives in the file structure, not the display. Screenshots and screen recordings do not preserve most embedded metadata from the original, but the original file does. How a file was shared also affects what survives: some platforms strip metadata in transit, others preserve it entirely.
Check the file before you send it. For photos, review the file's embedded location and device data — especially for images taken on a phone with location services enabled. For documents, check author fields, organization name, and revision history before sharing outside a trusted context. Sending a screenshot instead of the original photo removes most embedded metadata. Using a metadata-aware tool to strip or review file data before sharing is the more reliable approach.
The File Context Check reads a file's embedded metadata and shows what may travel with it before you send it. No file is uploaded — everything runs in your browser.
You do not need to stop sharing files. You need to know what you are sharing when you do.
- 1.Open the File Context Check and run a photo or document you have shared recently — see what metadata is present
- 2.Check whether your phone camera has location tagging enabled — go to camera settings or photo permissions and review
- 3.For any document you plan to share outside a trusted context, check the file properties for author name, organization, or revision history
- 4.If you want to share a photo without location or device data, send a screenshot of it rather than the original file
- 5.Read the Digital Footprint guidance for the broader pattern of how shared content can reveal more than intended