Yes, if the compressor actually re-encodes the pixels. No, if it only renamed the file or “optimized” the container and copied the EXIF block across.
Most people learn this the wrong way: they shrink a photo on a website, then someone still finds a pin. That usually means the site kept the metadata or you sent a different copy.
What a real re-save does
The browser canvas can decode a JPEG, PNG, WebP, or HEIC and write a new JPEG or WebP. That new file is pixels. It does not get GPS, camera model, timestamps, serials, or the leftover thumbnail unless something copies those tags back in. This site does not.
So compressing a photo here washes the bag as a side effect. Remove Photo Metadata is the same idea at high quality and original size — use that when you want the tags gone and the picture as large as it already is.
When compression is not a strip
- A “compressor” that only wraps the same JPEG in a zip
- Desktop tools set to “keep metadata”
- An app that resizes the preview and still attaches the original
- You compressed file A and emailed file B from the camera roll
If it matters, check the file you are about to send. Photo Location reads GPS in this tab. No pin means no coordinates in that copy.
What compression does not hide
Washing tags does not blur a house number, a face, or a reflection. A smaller photo can still identify a room. It only drops the hidden fields.
Apps can also add their own data later. Instagram’s upload is a new file. Email is often the file you attached.
The safe order
- Decide if you need it smaller, cleaner, or both.
- Compress when the file is too fat. Strip metadata when you only need the tags gone.
- Drop the outgoing copy on Photo Location if you want proof.
How to shrink without uploading the original: compress images without uploading. Which share paths already wash GPS: Instagram, WhatsApp, Slack, email.