USE CASE
Share photos of your children or pets on social media or a blog
Add a photo of your cat from your phone to a blog post on your computer. Share a birthday photo with family and friends on social media.
You want to share the photo, without sharing where you live.
Along with what is visible in the picture, check for location details stored inside the photo file. This page covers posting photos through Chrome on a computer.
Safe Attachment Check displays information in an attached photo. It does not remove location data or stop uploads. If you do not want the service to receive location data, check and remove it with your photo app or operating system before attaching the file.
Three places to check when sharing a photo
Clues to a location can appear in more than one place.
1. Details inside the file
Location coordinates and the time the photo was taken. Check these with your photo app or operating system. Attachment Check also displays information remaining in a photo when you attach it.
2. What is in the picture
A house nameplate, an address on an envelope or a landmark outside the window. Enlarge the photo and look at what is behind your child or pet.
3. Details added to the post
Location tags, check-ins or a place named in the caption. Check the settings and wording on the posting screen separately from the photo file.
Safe Attachment Check covers the first of these: details stored inside the file. It does not inspect the background of a photo or check location tags on social media.
A photo of your cat in the living room may have a location record
A close-up of your cat may seem to show nothing that identifies your home. Depending on the camera settings, though, GPS location data may still be stored inside the photo file.
This is a set of coordinates, not a written street address. For a photo taken at home, those coordinates can be a clue to where you live.
Apple explains that someone receiving a photo with location metadata may be able to find out where it was taken. Not every photo includes this data: it depends on the settings when it was taken and how it is shared.
Apple Support: Manage location metadata in Photos (external site)
See what is still in the photo you attach
With Safe Attachment Check installed in Chrome on a computer, selecting a photo or attaching it by drag and drop brings up a card when location data or other supported information is found. Supported image formats are JPEG, PNG and WebP.
GPS information is shown as coordinates. Capture time and camera details are also shown when present. The check runs inside the browser; the extension does not send the photo elsewhere. Uploads by the website are separate.
If you do not want to share location data, prepare a copy with that data removed using your photo app or operating system, then check the copy again. Attachment Check does not remove location data or rewrite the photo.
Some services start uploading as soon as you choose a file. The card does not stop the upload, so check and remove location data before attaching the photo if you do not want the service to receive it.
Can everyone see where a photo was taken once you post it?
Not necessarily. How photo information is handled depends on the service and how you share it.
For example, X says it retains photo metadata (Exif) temporarily to process a photo, but does not make it available to people viewing that photo. What the service receives and what other people can see are not necessarily the same.
X Help: Posting photos or GIFs and how Exif data is handled (external site)
Attachment Check does not assess how the service handles that information. No card appearing does not mean the photo contains no clues to a location. Check the background and any location tags on the post separately.
What if you post directly from your phone?
This Chrome extension does not run inside social media apps on a phone. Check the location in your photo app and review location settings when sharing. Apple provides instructions for iPhone and iPad.
Apple Support: Manage location metadata in Photos (external site)
Choose what to share along with the photo
Your child growing up, or an ordinary day with your pet: when you have a photo you want to share, take a moment to check its stored details and the post settings.
If a photo is intended only for family or friends, remember to check who can see the post. Safe Attachment Check helps with the part about details stored in the photo.
See Safe Attachment Check features and usage →
References checked on September 29, 2026. Service features may change.