Does every video have metadata?
Yes, at least the technical part: a file cannot play without its codec, size and timing details. Descriptive fields such as dates, location and device are optional, and many shared videos have had them removed.
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What is video metadata?
A plain-English map of everything a video file says about itself, where each piece is stored, and which apps actually read it.
Video metadata is the information stored inside a video file alongside the picture and sound: technical details such as the codec, resolution and frame rate, plus descriptive details such as when and where it was recorded, which device recorded it, a title, chapters, subtitles and, increasingly, a signed record of how it was made. Players use it to decode and display the video; galleries use it to sort and map your clips; and anyone you send the file to can read it.
Some of it is essential (without the codec details nothing could play the file), some is helpful (dates, titles, chapters), and some is a privacy risk you may not know is there (exact GPS coordinates and device serial numbers). Which fields a file contains depends on the device that recorded it, the apps it has passed through and the container format.
This guide walks through every family of fields and links to a page that checks or changes each one. To see your own file’s metadata explained field by field, open it on the metadata.video home page; it is read in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
How to see a video’s metadata on your device
Every system has a built-in view that shows a handful of fields. Each platform guide covers the details.
On iPhone or iPad
Open the video in Photos and swipe up, or tap the Info button, to see the device, date, size and location. The iPhone guide covers what iOS leaves out.
On Android
In Google Photos, open the video and tap More, then About, or swipe up. In Samsung Gallery, swipe up on the video. See the Android guide.
On Windows
Right-click the file, choose Properties and open the Details tab for length, frame size, data rate and a few tags. See the Windows guide.
On a Mac
Open the video in QuickTime Player and choose Window > Show Movie Inspector (Command-I), or select it in Finder and use File > Get Info. See the Mac guide.
How a video file is put together
A video file is a container. Inside it are one or more streams (the compressed picture, the sound, perhaps subtitles or a data track) and around them the container’s own records: how long it is, how the streams are timed, and the tags. Metadata lives at every level, which is why no single app shows all of it.
In MP4 and MOV, the most common formats from phones and cameras, everything is stored in nested boxes. Matroska (MKV and WebM) uses a similar tree of elements with different names. The codec checker explains the difference between the container and the codec, which is the source of most “why won’t it play” confusion.
Every kind of video metadata, in plain English
| Family | Examples | Where it lives | Check or change it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codec and format | H.264, HEVC, AV1; profile, level, bit depth, chroma | Each track’s sample description (stsd) in MP4; CodecPrivate in MKV | Codec checker |
| Resolution and shape | 3840×2160, display aspect ratio, rotation flag | Track header and sample description | Resolution checker |
| Frame rate | 29.97 fps, variable frame rate | Timing tables (stts) or block timestamps | Frame rate checker |
| Bitrate | Average and peak Mb/s for video and audio | Worked out from sizes and timing | Bitrate checker |
| Colour and HDR | BT.2020, HLG, PQ, Dolby Vision profile, mastering display | colr, mdcv, clli and Dolby Vision boxes; MKV Colour element | HDR checker |
| Dates | Recorded, encoded, tagged; time zone | mvhd, tkhd, ©day, Apple’s creationdate key; MKV DATE_RECORDED | Change video date |
| Location | Latitude, longitude, altitude | Apple’s ISO 6709 key, ©xyz, 3GPP loci, XMP; GoPro and DJI telemetry tracks | Where was this video taken? |
| Device | Make, model, lens, software, serial-style ids | Apple and Android keys in meta, maker boxes | Video metadata editor |
| Descriptive tags | Title, description, artist, copyright, keywords, genre | ©nam, desc, ©ART and friends in MP4; Matroska tags | MP4 metadata editor, MKV metadata editor |
| Cover art | A thumbnail image | covr in MP4; attachments in MKV | Add a thumbnail to an MP4 |
| Chapters | Named points on the timeline | A chapter track or list in MP4; Chapters element in MKV | Add chapters to an MP4 |
| Subtitles and tracks | Languages, track names, default and forced flags | Separate tracks with their own headers | Extract subtitles |
| 360° and spatial | Equirectangular projection, stereo layout | Spherical metadata boxes in MP4 | 360 video metadata |
| Provenance | Content Credentials: creator tool, edits, AI assertions | A C2PA manifest store inside the file | Content Credentials viewer |
For a single list of every field in one file, the file info report prints them all as text or JSON, and the ffprobe guide shows the command-line route.
Video metadata versus photo EXIF
People often say “EXIF” for any metadata, but true EXIF is a photo format: a block of numbered tags inside a JPEG, HEIC or TIFF. Videos rarely carry EXIF. They use the container’s own boxes or elements, Apple’s and Google’s key-value metadata, and XMP, which is a text format shared by photos and videos.
- Photos record exposure details (shutter speed, aperture, ISO) per image; videos usually do not, or only in maker-specific data.
- Both can record GPS, but a video may carry a moving track of positions (GoPro, drones) instead of a single point.
- Both can carry Content Credentials and XMP.
For stills, the EXIF viewer reads photo metadata and where was this photo taken? puts a photo’s GPS on a map. Removing metadata from a photo works losslessly for JPEG, PNG and WebP.
Who reads video metadata, and what gets lost
A field is only useful if something reads it, and every app reads a different selection. A title you set may appear in VLC and Windows but not in your phone’s gallery; a location shows on the map in Photos but not on YouTube.
| Reader | Usually reads | Usually ignores |
|---|---|---|
| Phone galleries (Photos, Google Photos, Samsung Gallery) | Recording date, location, device | Titles, comments, chapters |
| Desktop file browsers (Windows Details, macOS Get Info) | Length, frame size, some tags, sometimes dates | Location in videos, HDR details, provenance |
| Media players (VLC, QuickTime, TV apps) | Codec details, rotation, chapters, subtitles, titles | Location, device |
| Media servers (Plex, Jellyfin, Kodi) | Titles, track names and languages, default flags | Location, device |
| Social platforms | Sometimes Content Credentials; your text description | Most embedded tags; the uploaded file is usually re-encoded |
Sending a video also changes it. Messaging apps and social platforms usually re-encode videos and drop most tags, though the details differ by app and by how you send. The guide to which apps remove metadata explains how to test any app yourself.
Privacy: what your videos may give away
The Privacy section on this site rates what a file reveals as High, Medium or Low. The usual order of concern:
- High: exact location. A phone clip filmed at home can carry your address to a few metres. Remove the location only to keep the date and camera, or on iPhone follow the iPhone location guide.
- High: serial numbers and owner names. Some cameras write a serial-style id or an owner field that links clips to one device or person.
- Medium: date and time. Reveals routines and can contradict a story.
- Low: device model and editing software. Rarely sensitive, but it narrows down who could have filmed something.
Metadata is only what the file says about itself. Faces, street signs, number plates and spoken names are in the picture and sound, and no metadata tool removes them.
To clean everything at once, remove all metadata from the video; the streams are copied, not re-encoded. To check whether a clip was made with AI, see is this video AI?, and for signs of editing, video forensics.
Other guides worth reading
- HEVC vs H.264: which codec to record in, and why it matters for sharing.
- What is video bitrate?: what the number means and what to aim for.
- Video codec not supported: find which stream is the problem.
- Change a video’s date on iPhone: what Photos changes and what stays in the file.
Video metadata: common questions
Is video metadata the same as EXIF?
Not quite. EXIF is a photo format. Videos store similar information in container boxes (MP4, MOV), Matroska tags (MKV, WebM) and XMP; real EXIF inside a video is rare.
Can video metadata be changed?
Yes. Titles, dates, locations and device fields can all be edited, and the streams can stay untouched. That is useful for fixing a wrong date, and it is also why metadata alone cannot prove when or where something was filmed.
Can metadata show where a video was filmed?
Only if the recording device saved a location and it survived. Phone camera originals often have one; videos sent through most messaging apps and platforms do not.
Does YouTube use the metadata inside my video file?
YouTube takes its title, description and tags from what you type in YouTube Studio. Embedded file tags are not a documented ranking factor, and the uploaded file is re-encoded.
Is metadata removed when I share a video?
Often, but not always, and it depends on the app and how you send it. Sending as a document or file usually keeps more than sending as media. Check the copy that arrives rather than assuming.
Where can I see all of a video’s metadata at once?
Built-in tools show only a few fields. Open the file on this site to see every field with an explanation, or use ffprobe or MediaInfo on a computer.