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WebP is now the everyday image format of the web, yet it can hold the same camera and GPS records as a JPEG, plus edit history and signed credentials. We cut those chunks out, fix the header bits that announce them, and leave the picture alone. Everything runs in your browser tab; nothing is uploaded.
Chunks and what happens to them
| Chunk | What it is | Result |
|---|---|---|
VP8 , VP8L, ALPH | Lossy picture, lossless picture, transparency | Kept |
ANIM, ANMF | Animation settings and frames | Kept |
ICCP | Colour profile | Kept, so colours don't shift |
VP8X | Extended header with feature flags | Kept; EXIF and XMP flags cleared |
EXIF | Camera, date, time, GPS | Removed |
XMP | Creator tool, edit history, AI source labels | Removed |
C2PA | Content Credentials | Removed |
| Unknown chunks, trailing bytes | Anything a decoder doesn't need | Removed |
The tool keeps an allow-list of what decoding needs and drops the rest, so a chunk type invented tomorrow is removed instead of slipping through.
Why the header matters
In an extended WebP the first byte of VP8X is a flag set: colour profile (0x20), transparency (0x10), EXIF (0x08), XMP (0x04) and animation (0x02). Delete the EXIF chunk but leave its flag on, and the file claims content it lacks; some programs then reject it. We clear the EXIF and XMP flags together with their chunks, leave the other flags alone and rewrite the total length in the RIFF header.
Five test files, same pixels
Files came from the WebP encoder, with EXIF, XMP and an ICC profile added through ExifTool. The compressed picture is copied byte for byte and decoded pixels were compared before and after.
| Kind | Chunks before | Chunks after | Pixels |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lossy | VP8X ICCP VP8 EXIF XMP | VP8X ICCP VP8 | Identical |
| Lossless | VP8X ICCP VP8L EXIF XMP | VP8X ICCP VP8L | Identical |
| Lossy + alpha | VP8X ALPH VP8 EXIF XMP | VP8X ALPH VP8 | Identical |
| Lossless + alpha | VP8X VP8L EXIF XMP | VP8X VP8L | Identical |
| Animated | with EXIF | without EXIF | Every frame identical |
How a WebP ends up with metadata
- Converters that copy EXIF and XMP across from the source (
cwebpitself doesn't unless asked with-metadata). - ExifTool and similar programs that write EXIF, XMP and ICC.
- Cameras and apps that save WebP directly.
- AI tools that attach source labels or Content Credentials.
Coming from a website doesn't make a WebP clean. If you downloaded it or were sent it, drop it in and read the list first; most show nothing, and the few that do are why this exists.
Other routes
webpmux -strip exif in.webp -o out.webp, repeated withxmp: lossless, one kind per run.cwebp -metadata none: re-encodes from a source, so it converts rather than cleans.exiftool -all= image.webp: lossless, but drops the colour profile unless restored.- This page: drop, clean, download, with a report and a second scan.
Using it
- Drag or choose the WebP files.
- Press Clean; work happens in your tab.
- Read the report: EXIF, XMP and credentials are named and a re-scan confirms nothing remains.
- Download the files or a .zip.
Guests clean 1 file at a time, up to 25 MB and 50 images a day. A free account allows 5 at a time, 25 MB and 500 a day; Starter, Pro and Business have no daily limit. Choosing another output such as JPG or PNG redraws the picture and saves it again, which is a conversion and slightly changes lossy pixels.
webpmux -info image.webpexiftool -a -G1 -s image-clean.webp: no Make, Model, GPS, Creator or Software.See the image tool for JPG, PNG and AVIF and the PNG page. For folders use the API (JPEG, PNG, WebP) or the MCP server; batch options compared.
FAQ
Can WebP really contain EXIF?
Yes. EXIF and XMP chunks are optional but supported, and converters or editors that preserve metadata often leave them in.
Will it look different?
No. Picture, alpha channel and frames are copied unchanged; decoded pixels matched for lossy, lossless, transparent and animated tests.
Is transparency kept?
Yes; alpha lives in the picture data and its header flag is untouched.
Animated files?
Frames, timing and loop count stay; only metadata chunks go.
Is C2PA removed?
Yes, when stored in the file as a C2PA chunk. A provider may keep an online copy, which no file tool can change.
Does the colour profile go?
No; ICCP stays. It describes a colour space, not you.
Are files uploaded?
No. Cleaning happens in your browser.
Convert to JPG while cleaning?
Yes, by choosing JPG as the output, but it isn't lossless. For a pure clean-up keep the format on Original.