Frequently asked questions
Straight answers about what this tool actually does. Still have a question after reading these? Try it yourself - it's free for the first 3 uses, and every claim below is verifiable live on that page with the network request counter.
What is CDR (Content Disarm and Reconstruction)?
CDR is a security technique that doesn't scan a file for known threats - it decodes the file down to its safe, essential data (raw pixels, for an image) and rebuilds a brand new file from scratch. Anything hidden in the original bytes that isn't part of the actual picture - hidden metadata, embedded scripts, appended data, steganographic payloads - never survives the rebuild, because it was never carried over in the first place. That's the approach this tool uses, and where its name comes from.
Does this remove EXIF metadata?
Yes. Every image is fully decoded to raw pixels and re-encoded from scratch, which strips all EXIF data (camera make/model, date and time, software, orientation, and more) by construction - not by selectively deleting fields from the existing file.
Does it strip GPS location data?
Yes, along with every other EXIF field. If GPS coordinates are present, they're decoded and shown to you in the inspection report before removal, then discarded entirely on re-encode.
What image formats can be cleaned?
JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, HEIC/HEIF (iPhone photos), AVIF, JPEG XL, TIFF, BMP, ICO, QOI, PNM, and TGA, plus SVG (rasterized to pixels for safety). See the full format-by-format breakdown for what each one carries.
Can I convert an image to a different file format?
Yes. Choose any supported output format in Options before cleaning, and the format conversion happens in the same pass as metadata removal - no separate tool needed. HEIC, JPEG XL, and SVG can only ever be inputs, never outputs, each for a specific technical reason explained on the format conversion page.
Can I clean multiple photos at once?
Yes. Drop a whole folder, or select multiple files, and every photo is cleaned in the same batch with its own pass/fail result shown per file. Download everything at once as a single .zip that preserves your original folder structure.
Does cleaning reduce image quality?
Not if you don't want it to. The Lossless / High Quality preset re-encodes at very high quality with no perceptible loss - it can even end up slightly larger than the original, since it prioritizes fidelity over file size. Balanced and Super Compressed trade some quality for a much smaller file, but that's a choice you make in Options, not something forced on every clean.
Is my photo uploaded to a server?
No. Everything runs locally in your browser via WebAssembly. No image data ever leaves your device, which you can verify yourself with the live request counter above.
Is this safe to use on sensitive or private photos?
Yes - if anything, it's built for exactly that case. Nothing is uploaded anywhere, there's no account, and the entire process runs in your browser's memory and disappears when you close the tab. You can verify this yourself with the live network request counter on this page.
Do you keep my photos or any information from them?
No. Everything runs in your browser's memory via WebAssembly and disappears the moment you close or reload the tab - nothing is uploaded, logged, or stored on any server. The only thing saved in your own browser (via localStorage, never sent anywhere) is a small counter tracking how many free cleans you've used and whether you've unlocked unlimited use - just a number and a yes/no flag, no image data or extracted information of any kind.
Does this work with iPhone HEIC photos?
Yes. HEIC is decoded client-side through a dedicated WebAssembly module, then cleaned the exact same way as any other format.
Does it work on mobile? Do I need to install anything?
Yes, no install needed - it runs in any modern browser, desktop or mobile, since it's a web page, not an app. The same WebAssembly-based cleaning process runs locally on your phone exactly as it does on a desktop.
How much does this cost?
Three full cleans are free per browser, no account required. Unlimited use after that is a one-time $14.99 payment.
Does it detect hidden data like steganography?
Yes, optionally. It can neutralize pixel-level hidden data (low-bit steganography) and flags structural anomalies such as polyglot files, oversized comment fields, and embedded scripts in SVG before removing them.
What is a polyglot file?
A polyglot file is a single file that's valid as two different formats at once - for example, one that opens as a normal-looking image but also contains a hidden ZIP archive, HTML page, or script appended after the image data ends. Most viewers only ever look at the first part of the file, so the hidden content stays invisible until something reads the file differently. This tool defends against that by fully decoding every image to raw pixels and rebuilding a brand new file from scratch, so nothing tacked onto the original - polyglot or otherwise - survives.
Does this remove tracking pixels or hidden trackers?
Yes. Any tracking pixel or hidden tracker embedded within the image itself - a transparent tracking pixel woven into the image data, a unique identifier some services silently write into EXIF/XMP metadata, or a watermark hidden in the pixel data - is removed, because the whole file is rebuilt from scratch rather than edited in place. (This is different from a tracking pixel used as its own separate, standalone image on a webpage or in an email - that's a different file entirely, not something hidden inside your photo, so cleaning your photo doesn't reach it.)