How to View EXIF Data with XnViewMP

EXIF data and IPTC data aren't interchangeable, though

By
Sue Chastain
Sue Chastain
Sue Chastain
Writer
  • St. Petersburg College
Sue Chastain is a former Lifewire writer and a graphics software authority with web design and print publishing credentials. She's also skilled in WordPress administration.
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Updated on June 22, 2022

What to Know

  • Locate metadata: Open image in XnView MP > find all connected metadata in EXIF or EXIFtool section.
  • Modify metadata: Select Tools > Metadata > Edit IPTC/XMP > adjust data in pop-up window.

This article explains how to view Exchange Image File Format (EXIF) metadata using XnView MP.

How to View EXIF Data in XnView MP

XnView MP with EXIF data exposed

To view EXIF data, simply open an image. The lower left pane reveals metadata about the image. The EXIF section, or the EXIFtool section, of that pane reveals all the metadata encoded within the image.

XnView MP supports editing of IPTC information. The International Press Telecommunications Council has set authoritative standards about photo metadata that are widely accepted.

To modify IPTC information, select an image then click Tools > Metadata > Edit IPTC/XMP. In the pop-up window, you'll be presented with all available IPTC metadata, to which you're free to edit, add, or delete.

IPTC and EXIF aren't the same thing. Both standards are forms of metadata, but EXIF relates to technical camera-specific information captured at the time of the photograph was taken, whereas IPTC can apply to all image types and deals with different types of information, like copyrights and keywords.

Metadata Viewing Tools

Different applications can display varying degrees of EXIF data. Windows Explorer and macOS Finder, for example, both reveal some EXIF data within the operating system. Specialized image-editing software, like Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Bridge, support both the viewing and the editing of some metadata.

Some metadata, by its very nature, cannot be edited. For example, attributes about the photo's aperature cannot be edited, because the image depends on the accuracy of this information to render correctly. However, other bits of metadata — including geotagged coordinates — may be removed.

For light-duty image-management work, though, the XnView MP application — free for personal use and available for Windows, Mac, and Linux — reveals all EXIF data and supports the removal of some EXIF data.

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