Remove metadata from video (MP4/MOV)

How client-side video metadata removal works

DropMeta removes video metadata by parsing the MP4 or MOV container in your browser, dropping metadata boxes such as udta, meta, keys, uuid and loci, zeroing creation and modification times, and copying the media data (mdat) byte for byte, so there is no re-encode, no transcoding loss and no upload. DropMeta removes metadata from video in this browser tab. You drop an MP4 or MOV, the page reads the ISO BMFF container locally, rebuilds the boxes that matter for playback, and lets you download a cleaned copy. The media payload (`mdat`) is copied as-is — there is no ffmpeg re-encode and no upload to a DropMeta server.

That matters when the clip itself is private: a phone recording with location tags, a screen capture before you send it to a client, or a draft you do not want sitting on someone else’s upload queue. Processing stays on the device that opened this page.

Formats: MP4 and MOV (up to 100MB)

The video tool accepts MP4 and MOV (QuickTime) files up to 100MB, both ISO BMFF containers that DropMeta walks in memory, and it rejects fragmented MP4 files (those with moof boxes) and anything larger than 100MB rather than returning a partially cleaned video. This tool accepts MP4 and MOV (QuickTime) files up to 100MB. Both are ISO BMFF-style containers that DropMeta walks in-memory. Fragmented MP4 (fMP4 / `moof`) is rejected — streaming fragments need a different pipeline, and this version fails closed rather than pretending a partial clean succeeded.

If your export is larger than 100MB, compress or trim locally first, then bring the smaller file here — or use a desktop CLI when you need unlimited size. For photos and PDFs in bulk, see batch mode; video stays on this single-file path by design.

What metadata is stripped from the container

DropMeta strips the udta, meta, ilst, keys, uuid, jumb, ©xyz, loci and Xtra boxes from MP4 and MOV containers, zeroes creation and modification times in mvhd, tkhd and mdhd, and replaces C2PA-related brands in ftyp, removing common location, device, software and date tags without touching the audio or video streams. DropMeta targets common privacy-relevant boxes and fields: user-data and metadata containers such as udta, meta, ilst, keys, uuid, jumb, location-style tags (©xyz, loci), and Xtra. Creation and modification timestamps in mvhd / tkhd / mdhd are zeroed. C2PA-related brands in ftyp are stripped when present.

This is a practical container clean for everyday sharing — not a forensic claim that every proprietary vendor atom in every camera firmware is gone. If you need absolute certainty for a high-stakes archive, re-check the download with an independent inspector (or ExifTool) after strip.

Browser strip vs upload “remove metadata from video” tools

Upload-based video metadata removers need the full clip on their server before they can clean it, while DropMeta rebuilds the MP4 or MOV container locally in your browser tab, so private recordings up to 100MB are stripped without leaving your device, without an account and without a re-encode. Many sites that promise to remove metadata from video ask you to upload the full file, wait on a server queue, then download. That model can work for public clips; it is a poor fit when the recording should never leave your machine. DropMeta keeps bytes in this tab — compare the models on client-side vs upload removers.

Prefer a local CLI for scripting exotic formats on disk? See DropMeta vs ExifTool. Cleaning photos or PDFs on the same no-upload stack? Use Remove metadata from photos or Strip PDF metadata.