Does Video Have EXIF Data? What MP4 and MOV Files Store
Video files do not carry EXIF; EXIF is a photo standard. But MP4 and MOV videos store similar data, the capture date, GPS, and device, in their container metadata. Here is what video files hold.
Quick answer: No. Video files do not contain EXIF, because EXIF is a still-image standard that lives inside JPEG and TIFF photos. A video still carries metadata, just in a different place: MP4 and MOV files store the capture date, GPS location, and device in their container metadata (QuickTime and MP4 atoms), not in an EXIF block. An iPhone video records the date and, when Location Services were on, the GPS coordinates. As with photos, platforms like Instagram and WhatsApp strip most of this on upload. Our browser tools read photo EXIF, not video; to check a video, use the device methods below.
People ask this because they know a photo hides a GPS-and-camera block, and they assume a video works the same way. It does carry similar information, but the wrapper is completely different. Here is what a video file actually stores, where it lives, and how to read it.
EXIF is a photo construct, not a video one
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) was defined for still images. It is embedded inside JPEG and TIFF files as a block of tags: the camera make and model, exposure settings, the capture date, and GPS. PNG and HEIC borrowed pieces of the idea, but EXIF itself never extended to video.
Video formats grew up separately, around moving pictures and audio tracks, so they store their metadata in their own structures. When you ask "does this MP4 have EXIF," the honest answer is no, but it almost certainly has metadata that does the same job under a different name.
Where video metadata actually lives
An MP4 or MOV file is a tree of boxes called atoms (the format comes from Apple's QuickTime, which the MP4 standard is based on). Metadata sits in specific atoms:
- Creation date: the
creation_timefield, or the QuickTime©dayatom, records when the recording started. - GPS location: Apple devices write the coordinates into a
©xyzatom using the ISO 6709 format (latitude, longitude, and sometimes altitude). This is the video equivalent of a photo's GPS tags. - Device and software: atoms like
©make,©model, and©swrcan hold the phone or camera model and the software version. - XMP: some cameras and drones embed an XMP packet with extra fields, the same XMP standard used in photos.
- Technical track data: resolution, frame rate, codec, duration, and bitrate are stored per track. These are not personal, but a metadata viewer will report them.
So a video has a clear set of "EXIF-like" fields. They are just addressed by atom names instead of EXIF tag numbers.
What an iPhone video stores
A video shot on an iPhone with Location Services enabled typically carries:
- The capture date and time, down to the second.
- The GPS coordinates of where you were filming, in the
©xyzatom. - The device model, for example "iPhone 15 Pro".
That is enough to place a clip on a map and on a timeline, exactly like a photo. It is also why a raw video file can leak your location if you share the original, the same privacy concern photos have.
Video metadata vs photo EXIF at a glance
| Field | Photo (JPEG/HEIC) | Video (MP4/MOV) |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | EXIF | QuickTime / MP4 atoms |
| Capture date | DateTimeOriginal | creation_time / ©day |
| GPS | EXIF GPS tags | ©xyz (ISO 6709) |
| Device | Make / Model | ©make / ©model |
| Extra metadata | XMP, IPTC | XMP |
Different containers, the same kinds of facts.
Social platforms strip video metadata too
The privacy rule that applies to photos applies to video: when you upload a clip to Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or WhatsApp, the platform re-encodes it and drops most of the metadata, including the GPS. The version other people see usually has no location. The catch, again, is the original file: the copy on your phone, or one you AirDrop or email directly, keeps the date and coordinates. If hiding your location matters, it is the original file you need to worry about, not the in-app post. Our guide on which platforms strip metadata covers the photo side in detail, and video behaves the same way.
How to see a video's date and location
Because the data lives in container atoms rather than EXIF, you read it with the tools built into your device:
- iPhone or iPad: open the clip in Photos, swipe up or tap the info button, and you get the date, time, and a map pin if GPS is present.
- Mac: Get Info shows the date; the Photos app shows date and place; QuickTime's Movie Inspector shows technical details.
- Windows: right-click, Properties, Details tab shows the recorded date and the track info, though location is often hidden there.
Why our browser EXIF tools do not read video
Our EXIF Viewer and the other tools on this site parse photo metadata. They read the EXIF, XMP, and IPTC blocks inside JPEG, HEIC, PNG, and TIFF files. They do not decode MP4 or MOV containers, so dropping a video on them will not show its atoms. If you want to understand the hidden data in your photos, see what EXIF data is and where it lives; for video, the device methods above are the reliable route today.
The short version
A video has no EXIF, but it is not metadata-free. MP4 and MOV files keep the capture date, GPS, and device in QuickTime atoms instead of an EXIF block, an iPhone clip carries all three when location is on, and platforms strip most of it on upload just like they do with photos. So treat a raw video the way you treat a raw photo: the original file can reveal where and when it was shot.
Try the tools
Stamp a photo right now in your browser, or get the iOS app for live capture with GPS and atomic time.