Quick answer
Craigslist does not publish whether it strips EXIF or GPS data from the photos you upload. We found no statement either way in its help pages or its privacy policy. Rather than guess, clean your photos before you upload them, especially if they were taken at home.
What Craigslist says it does
- The Images help page explains uploading: add images, drag to reorder, delete with the red x. It says images are added after confirming a map location, and suggests resizing, using a .jpg file and a strong connection if uploads fail. It does not mention metadata.
- The Map help page says a posting requires a ZIP code, which places it on a map. You can instead click the map to create a pin, or enter an address or cross streets and click find. That is the location you choose, separate from anything inside a photo file.
- The Privacy Policy (last updated May 29, 2024) lists "Photos and other data you voluntarily provide, post on or send via CL" and "Geographic location (latitude and longitude)" from user entry and IP or geolocation providers. It does not mention EXIF or metadata inside image files.
Some websites state that Craigslist removes metadata. We could not confirm that from Craigslist itself, so we do not repeat it.
Posting from a home address
A phone photo taken at home can carry the GPS coordinates of where you stood; the Electronic Frontier Foundation notes that GPS coordinates can be embedded in a photo's EXIF metadata, along with the camera's serial number. Add a doorway, a house number or a recognisable street in the picture and the listing points at your door even if the map pin does not. Craigslist's own safety guidance says to insist on a public meeting place such as a bank or police department and not to let strangers into your home. There is no reason for the photo file to say where you live.
Clean the photos before you post
- Open the tool above and add your JPG, PNG or WebP photos, up to 5 at a time. It runs entirely in your browser and your files are never uploaded.
- Read the before list. It shows what each file held, such as GPS position, camera make and model, serial number, and date and time.
- Download the cleaned copies. The metadata is cut out without re-encoding, so there is no quality loss. The ICC colour profile is kept, and on JPEGs a bare rotation flag is kept.
- Check the after list. The tool re-reads each cleaned file to show you what is left.
- Upload the cleaned files to your posting. HEIC files are re-saved as JPEG only if your browser can open them (Safari can); otherwise convert them first. GIF is not supported.
What this does not remove
- What is visible. Faces, street signs, house numbers and the view from a window stay in the picture.
- File names. The tool does not rename files. Rename any file that includes your address.
- Platform-side copies. The tool cannot clean what Craigslist stores after upload.
- The posting location. The ZIP area or pin you choose on the posting is separate and unaffected.