A RAW file (CR2, CR3, NEF, ARW, RAF, RW2, DNG) is the fullest record your camera can make. That includes the most metadata too. Some of it is essential for turning the sensor data into a photo. Some of it is about you: where you were, when, and with which camera. The two are mixed together in the same file, which is why cleaning a RAW takes more care than cleaning a JPEG.

This guide sorts RAW metadata into what's safe to remove, what isn't, and what to watch for by brand.

Part 1: what your editor needs

A RAW file isn't a finished picture. Lightroom, Capture One, darktable and the rest use these details to build one:

  • The sensor data itself, and its layout.
  • White balance as shot, plus colour matrices and calibration.
  • Camera make and model. Editors use them to pick the right colour profile.
  • Lens model and settings (focal length, aperture), for lens corrections.
  • Exposure settings: shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation.
  • Crop, orientation and the embedded preview your camera made.
  • Maker notes: brand-specific data, some of which editors read for colour and focus information.

Remove the wrong thing here and the photo can come out with different colours, or not open at all.

Part 2: what's about you

  • GPS location, if your camera or a paired phone added it.
  • Capture date and time, with time zone and sub-seconds.
  • Owner, artist and copyright name, if you set them in the camera.
  • Body serial number and lens serial number.
  • Internal serial numbers in the maker notes. Canon, Sony, Fujifilm and Panasonic all store one.
  • Shutter count and image count, which say how much the camera has been used.
  • Unique image IDs. Canon writes one per photo, and DNG files carry an ID that links them to the original RAW.
  • Software, such as the firmware or the app that converted a DNG.
  • XMP and IPTC data from editing apps: keywords, ratings, captions, people's names.

Why "remove all" breaks RAW files

The usual metadata command, exiftool -all=, removes everything it can. We tested it on a DNG: the file shrank from 35.7MB to 14.5MB, and it looked different when opened, because data the editor needs had gone.

So a RAW has to be cleaned field by field: remove each personal detail by name and leave everything else untouched.

The brand-specific traps

  • Nikon (NEF): Nikon encrypts part of the colour data using the camera's serial number and shutter count. We tested removing the maker-note serial: the white balance was ruined. Those two values have to stay in a NEF. The standard EXIF serial can still go.
  • Canon (CR2, CR3): serials, owner name, time zone and a unique image ID sit in the maker notes, where some fields can't be deleted, only overwritten with zeros. CR3 files also store the capture time inside their own internal data track.
  • Sony (ARW): an internal serial number and several shutter counters live in the maker notes, and some need a special form of the command to overwrite.
  • Fujifilm (RAF): an internal serial and an image count in the maker notes.
  • Panasonic (RW2): internal, lens and accessory serial numbers.
  • DNG: a raw data ID that links the file to the original, and preview timestamps.

What a careful clean keeps

Camera make and model and lens model are worth keeping. Every owner of that model shares them, so they don't identify you, and editors need them. Removing make and model breaks some formats outright.

How to check and clean your RAW files

Check: drop a file on our RAW metadata page. Signed out, it reads the file's header in your browser, without uploading it, and lists what it found: GPS, dates, owner name, copyright, serial numbers, software and XMP.

Clean: with a free account, our RAW cleaner does the field-by-field clean described above, for Canon CR2 and CR3, Nikon NEF, Sony ARW, Fujifilm RAF, Panasonic RW2 and DNG. Then it checks the result: the sensor data and the camera's white balance must be identical before and after. A camera too new for our checker to read is marked "couldn't verify", never "clean". Free accounts get 3 cleans a month; Pro gets 100.

Read more about serials in your camera's serial number is in your photos.

Frequently asked questions

What metadata is in a RAW file?

Everything the camera knows: exposure settings, lens, white balance, colour data, make and model, plus personal details like GPS, capture time, owner name, copyright, serial numbers and shutter count.

Is it safe to remove metadata from RAW files?

Yes, if it's removed field by field. A blunt "remove all" can delete data your editor needs and change how the photo looks.

Why do photographers not share RAW files?

Mostly because a RAW is an unfinished photo, and the edit is part of the work. RAW files also carry more metadata than an exported JPEG, including serial numbers.

Does a DNG contain the original camera's metadata?

Usually, yes. Converting to DNG keeps the camera's details, and adds its own, such as an ID that links it to the original RAW and the converter's name.

Can I remove the camera model from a RAW file?

It's not a good idea. Editors use the make and model to choose the colour profile, and removing them breaks some formats. They don't identify you, since every owner of that model shares them.