How to Check Whether an Image or Video Has AI Metadata

Before you remove anything, it helps to see what is inside the file. Here are three reliable ways to look, from easiest to most technical.

Option 1: The free browser tool (easiest)

Drop the file into the AI Label Remover. It reads the file on your device and reports what it finds: C2PA credentials, XMP generator tags, EXIF and GPS data, IPTC fields, PNG text chunks and, for videos, container tags. Nothing is uploaded, so it is safe for private files. It also names common generators, such as Midjourney or Stable Diffusion, when the file says so.

Option 2: ExifTool (for power users)

ExifTool is a free command-line program that reads almost every metadata format. To list everything with group names:

exiftool -a -G1 -s photo.jpg

Look for lines mentioning DigitalSourceType, Software, CreatorTool or Parameters. Do not use ExifTool's removal command on your only copy, because it rewrites the file.

Option 3: C2PA tools

For Content Credentials specifically, the Content Authenticity Initiative offers a public verify web page and an open-source command-line tool called c2patool. They show the signed history of a file, including whether AI was used. A file with no credential simply shows none.

How to read the result

• "Trained algorithmic media" or similar: a record that AI generated or edited the content.
• A Software or CreatorTool name: the app that last saved the file.
• Prompt or seed fields: the settings an AI tool used.
• Nothing found: the file has no embedded marker. It does not prove the picture is real or fake.

Next step

If you found markers on a file you own and want them gone, open the cleaner and download the cleaned copy. Read what cleaning can and cannot do so your expectations are right.