How to Remove Metadata from Video?

Summary: This guide shows you how to remove metadata from a video on Windows, including MP4 and MKV files. You will learn the manual way using Windows Explorer and VLC, plus a faster batch method that wipes hidden details such as device name, recording date, and location data from many videos at once.

Why Must You Clean Metadata from MP4 Files

Every video you record carries hidden information called metadata. This includes the device name, recording date, camera settings, software version, and in many cases the GPS location of where the clip was filmed. When you share an MP4 or MKV file by email, on a chat app or through a website, this hidden data travels with it. Anyone who downloads the file can read it with a basic tool and learn details you never intended to share. Removing metadata from a video is the simplest way to protect your privacy before you upload, send or publish the clip.

Cleaning metadata is also useful when you publish video content for clients or on a public platform. It keeps your editing workflow private, avoids leaking the equipment list, and prevents location leaks from outdoor footage. The good news is that you do not need to be a power user to strip metadata from a video. The methods below work on a standard Windows PC and require no command line knowledge.

Manual Solutions to Remove Metadata from Video

There are some manual ways to delete metadata from videos on a Windows PC. We will show you the steps for each approach. Some of these built-in options also work for related tasks, such as when you remove metadata from JPG images or scrub metadata from a photo before sharing it.

1. Windows Explorer

Windows Explorer is a built-in solution that lets you remove metadata from MP4 and other video files on your PC. Follow the steps below to wipe video metadata using Windows Explorer.

1. Right-click on the Video file from which to delete the metadata.
2. From the menu, choose “Properties“.
3. When a box displays, select the “Details”
4. Select “Remove Properties and Personal Information” from the bottom.
5. Now, check the box next to “Remove the following properties from this file”.
6. You may now pick particular attributes such as Title, Subtitle, and Rating tags, or you can “Select All”.
7. Finally, click the “OK” button.

2. VLC Media Player

VLC is a popular free multimedia player that can also be used to manually remove video metadata for free. Here are the steps to use VLC to remove metadata from a video.

1. Open VLC player.
2. Click “Media” in the menu bar and select “Convert/Save“.
3. Add your video file.
4. Click the “Edit Selected Profile” button.
5. Go to the Encapsulation tab and ensure that the output format is set to MP4/MOV or another format that does not include metadata.
6. Save your settings and click Start to convert the video.

3. Preview App on Mac

Mac users can use the Preview app to remove metadata from a video file. Open the file in Preview, go to Tools, and then Show Inspector to view the location data. From the GPS tab, you can remove any references to your video media file.

1. Open the targeted file by going through the Preview.
2. Select Tools, then Show Inspector to view the location data.
3. Select Remove Location info on the GPS tab to remove any references to your video media file.

As previously stated, you can only delete metadata from one file at a time with manual approaches. So, if you have a large number of video files, this method may not be suitable for you because it may take hours or even several days. If you wish to remove video metadata in bulk, try the following method.

Why Should You Use MP4 Metadata Remover

• Simple to Use: The graphical user interface of the proposed video metadata remover is one of its best things. Using it to remove metadata from video files presents no difficulties.
• Bulk Removal Capabilities: The tool has the ability to bulk delete metadata from video files without any limitations. You can select any number of videos and erase all of their metadata at once.
• All-in-One Software: The application is all integrated into one software that can remove metadata from a broad variety of files. The utility can delete metadata from RTF files, and other types of files in addition to video. Consider this app whenever you wish to delete Meta.
• 100% Secure Software: The video metadata remover for Windows knows just what to wipe from your video files. Its goal is to scrub metadata from video files while protecting other material. There will be no modifications to your final output files.
• Software Compatibility: The software can only be launched on a Windows device. You can remove all metadata from video on Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, and other operating systems.

How to Remove Metadata from MP4 and MKV Files in Bulk on Windows

When you record on a phone or capture footage with a screen recorder, the output is usually an MP4 file. Many camera apps and editing tools save the project as MKV instead. Both containers store the same kind of metadata, so the cleaning process is the same. On a Windows PC you can clear properties from one file with a right-click, but that route gets slow once you have ten or twenty clips to handle.

The fastest way to remove metadata from MP4 and MKV files in Windows 11, Windows 10, and earlier Windows versions is to load the whole folder into PCDOTS MetaRaser Tool. Add the files, pick the metadata fields you want to clear, and run the batch. The tool keeps the original video and audio streams untouched, so the clip plays exactly the same after the clean-up. You can also use the same workflow when you need to strip metadata from TIFF images that sit alongside your video assets.

Should You Use an Online Video Metadata Remover

A quick search will list many web pages that offer to remove metadata from a video for free. These pages ask you to upload the clip, wait for the server to process it, and then download the cleaned file. The workflow looks easy, but it has a real privacy cost. The whole point of removing metadata is to protect what is hidden in the file. When you upload that file to an unknown server, you hand the original metadata to a third party. You have no way to confirm whether the site keeps a copy, scans the content or stores logs.

There is also a practical problem. Most online video metadata removers cap the upload size to a few hundred megabytes, so a long recording in 1080p or 4K will not fit. Uploads on a slow connection can take longer than the cleaning itself. For these reasons we recommend an offline tool that runs on your PC. The files never leave your machine, the speed depends only on your disk, and you keep full control over the original. The same caution applies when you remove metadata from DOCX or delete metadata from a PDF that may contain client details.

How to Remove EXIF and Location Data from a Video

EXIF data was first used in photos, but the same kind of tags now travel with video files. A typical clip can store the device model, the firmware version, the lens or camera profile, the time zone, and the GPS coordinates of the spot where you pressed record. Sharing a video with location data still attached can reveal your home address, your workplace or the route you take every day. To remove EXIF and location data from a video, open the file in PCDOTS MetaRaser Tool, mark the location and device fields, and run the wipe. The clip stays the same length and quality, but the GPS tag and other identifying tags are gone.

If you also work with still images from the same shoot, you can use the same approach to remove metadata from photos in the folder so that the whole batch is clean before you publish.

How to Verify That Metadata Was Removed

After you clean a video, it is a good idea to confirm that the hidden fields are gone. The quickest check on Windows is to right-click the file, open Properties, and look at the Details tab. Most of the fields that were filled before should now be blank. For a deeper check, open the cleaned file in a media player or a free inspector and look at the file information panel. You can also compare the original and the cleaned copy side by side. The video and audio should look and sound the same, while the metadata column should be empty or show only generic values.

In Conclusion

We have offered you a manual method to remove video metadata. It does not, however, enable the removal of information from batch files. Alternatively, we have provided you with the greatest video metadata remover.