Remove metadata from a WebP

Where a WebP keeps metadata

• EXIF: camera, lens, time, and GPS.
• XMP: an XMP packet. This is where an AI source type or a creator tool name can be.
• C2PA: a signed Content Credentials manifest.

The chunks that make the image are separate (VP8, VP8L, ALPH for transparency, ANIM and ANMF for animation) and are left alone.

Test 1: a WebP with EXIF, GPS, and XMP, All metadata

Before (what the tool listed)	After (re-scan of the download)
AI / provenance XMP: DigitalSourceType EXIF: 382 bytes XMP: 3101 bytes	Nothing found. Banner: “Cleaned. 3 fields removed — your picture is unchanged.”

• Download: WebP, 1600x1067, 366 KB.
• Second opinion (ExifTool 13.25): 18 metadata tags before, 0 after.
• Pixels: decoded RGB values identical to the original (compared in Python).
• Time in the tool: 118 ms. A phone will be slower.

Three fields found, three removed. ExifTool counted 18 metadata tags before and none after.

Test 2: the same file in AI only mode

Before (what the tool listed)	After (re-scan of the download)
AI / provenance XMP: DigitalSourceType EXIF: 382 bytes XMP: 3101 bytes	EXIF: 382 bytes

• Download: WebP, 1600x1067, 367 KB.
• Second opinion (ExifTool 13.25): 18 metadata tags before, 15 after (IFD0:Make, IFD0:Model, IFD0:YCbCrPositioning, ExifIFD:ExifVersion, ExifIFD:DateTimeOriginal, ExifIFD:ComponentsConfiguration, ExifIFD:ColorSpace, ExifIFD:LensModel).
• Pixels: decoded RGB values identical to the original (compared in Python).
• Time in the tool: 163 ms. A phone will be slower.

The XMP with the AI source type is gone, but the EXIF chunk stayed, and ExifTool still lists the camera model, lens, capture time, and the GPS coordinates. On a WebP, AI only is a provenance cleaner, not a privacy cleaner.

Test 3: a WebP with a C2PA manifest

We signed a WebP with the c2pa-python library and a test certificate and ran AI only. The manifest was 1.09 MB of a 1.44 MB file.

Before (what the tool listed)	After (re-scan of the download)
C2PA chunk (C2PA) AI / provenance XMP: DigitalSourceType EXIF: 382 bytes XMP: 3101 bytes	EXIF: 382 bytes

• Download: WebP, 1600x1067, 367 KB.
• Second opinion (ExifTool 13.25): 26 metadata tags before, 15 after (IFD0:Make, IFD0:Model, IFD0:YCbCrPositioning, ExifIFD:ExifVersion, ExifIFD:DateTimeOriginal, ExifIFD:ComponentsConfiguration, ExifIFD:ColorSpace, ExifIFD:LensModel).
• C2PA reader (c2pa-python 0.38): manifest valid in the original, “no manifest” in the download.
• Pixels: decoded RGB values identical to the original (compared in Python).
• Time in the tool: 132 ms. A phone will be slower.

The C2PA reader opened the manifest in the original and found none in the download. EXIF was still there because the mode was AI only.

Transparent and animated WebP

Both shapes are easy to damage if a tool decodes and re-saves the file. This one does not, so they are still what they were. The test files below are small (64×48) fixtures from this site’s own test suite, so we only use them to check the logic.

Before (what the tool listed)	After (re-scan of the download)
AI / provenance XMP: DigitalSourceType EXIF: 224 bytes XMP: 3278 bytes	Nothing found. Banner: “Cleaned. 3 fields removed — your picture is unchanged.”

• Download: WebP, 64x48, 1 KB.
• Second opinion (ExifTool 13.25): 13 metadata tags before, 0 after.
• Pixels: first frame identical to the original; the animated WebP has 3 frames before and after, with the same loop setting (checked with Pillow).
• Time in the tool: 90 ms. A phone will be slower.

Still an animated WebP: 3 frames, same loop setting, metadata gone.

Before (what the tool listed)	After (re-scan of the download)
EXIF: 224 bytes	Nothing found. Banner: “Cleaned. 1 field removed — your picture is unchanged.”

• Download: WebP, 64x48, 0 KB.
• Second opinion (ExifTool 13.25): 9 metadata tags before, 0 after.
• Pixels: decoded RGB values identical to the original (compared in Python).
• Time in the tool: 80 ms. A phone will be slower.

ExifTool still reports the Alpha flag after cleaning: the transparency survived.

Steps

1. Open the tool above and drop a WebP. Read the Before list.
2. Choose All metadata unless you want to leave EXIF in place on purpose.
3. Press Clean this file, then download the -cleaned.webp.
4. For many files, clean a folder at once.

What stays

• Pixels, including watermarks. SynthID is a signal in the image, not a chunk.
• Anything already uploaded. Cleaning a file does not change a page that hosts the old one.
• The format. A WebP in is a WebP out.

Questions

Where does a WebP keep its metadata?

In named chunks of the RIFF container: EXIF for camera and GPS data, XMP for XMP packets (which can carry an AI source type), and C2PA for a Content Credentials manifest. The image itself is in separate VP8, VP8L, or ALPH chunks.

Is the WebP recompressed when the metadata is removed?

No. The tool drops chunks and copies the image chunks as they are. On every WebP we tested, the decoded pixels were identical to the original. An animated WebP still had all 3 frames and the same loop setting.

Does AI only clean a WebP from ChatGPT or another generator?

It removes XMP and a C2PA manifest, which is where provenance lives. It leaves an EXIF chunk in place, so camera and GPS fields stay. Use All metadata if the file may carry a location.

Does it work for transparent or animated WebP?

Yes in our tests: a WebP with an alpha channel kept its alpha flag and a 3-frame animated WebP stayed animated. Those are small 64 by 48 test files from this site’s test suite, so treat them as a check of the logic, not of speed.

Can I turn a WebP into a JPG or PNG with this?

No. It keeps the format, so the file stays a WebP. Converting formats is a different job and re-encodes the image.

Can I clean a folder of WebP files?

One image is free. Pro is a one-time unlock for unlimited images and a single ZIP. Mixed folders work: JPEG, PNG, WebP, and HEIC in one run. Files stay in your browser.

Remove metadata WebP files keep

Remove metadata WebP images store in EXIF, XMP, and C2PA chunks. Pixels and frames stay, including on an animated file.