MetaStrip is a metadata removal tool built on a simple principle: a privacy tool should be private. Your files are processed entirely in your browser. We never see, store, or transmit them.
It started the way most side projects do — I had a problem and nothing solved it properly. I needed to strip metadata from a batch of files and went looking for a tool. What I found was bleak: half-abandoned web apps plastered with ads, sketchy services that wanted me to upload my files to their servers, or CLI tools that worked fine but required a terminal and a manual.
None of it felt right. A privacy tool shouldn't require trusting a stranger's server with your files, and it shouldn't look like it was last updated when Ubuntu still shipped with Unity.
So I built the clean, modern version I actually wanted to use — everything runs in your browser, no uploads, no accounts, no nonsense. Then I looked at it and thought: this works, but it's boring. The best CLI tools I use every day are the ones that feel alive — the ones with personality.
So I scrapped the generic landing page and rebuilt the whole thing inside a terminal. If the only good metadata tools were CLI programs, why not make one that lives in the browser? Same power, zero setup, and a bit of fun baked in.
Built in Melbourne by a dev who likes privacy, terminals, and not uploading files to random servers.
Not just promises — architectural guarantees
MetaStrip processes files entirely in your browser using client-side JavaScript. We don't upload, store, transmit, or even see your files. There is no server that receives your data — the processing engine runs locally in your browser tab.
We don't ask for your name, email, or any identifying information. There are no accounts, no sign-ups, and no tracking. We don't build user profiles or track individual behavior.
MetaStrip is funded by voluntary tips, not advertising. We will never sell data, show ads, or monetize through any mechanism that compromises user privacy. A privacy tool that violates privacy is worthless.
Because MetaStrip runs client-side, you can verify our privacy claims yourself. Open your browser's network inspector while using the tool — you'll see zero outbound file transfers. We don't ask you to trust us blindly; we've built the tool so trust isn't required.
The complete data flow — verify it yourself with browser DevTools
You drag a file into MetaStrip. It's read as an ArrayBuffer entirely within your browser tab. The file never leaves this context — it exists only in local memory.
Depending on file type, one of three open-source libraries processes the file. piexifjs strips EXIF from images, pdf-lib clears PDF properties, and JSZip modifies Office XML metadata. All processing happens in JavaScript on your device.
A new, clean file is generated in memory. The browser triggers a download of the stripped file. Your original file is never modified, and no data is transmitted anywhere.
MetaStrip's processing engine uses trusted, auditable open-source libraries
Pure JavaScript PDF manipulation. Reads and clears all standard PDF metadata fields — author, creator, producer, dates, keywords, and custom properties.
View on GitHub →ZIP file reader/writer used to unpack DOCX, XLSX, and PPTX files (which are ZIP archives) and modify their internal XML metadata files directly in the browser.
View on GitHub →Lightweight EXIF parser that reads and removes EXIF, IPTC, and GPS metadata from JPEG images without quality loss or re-encoding.
View on GitHub →MetaStrip is built by one person. I read every message.