Reference
Documentation
Every editing feature and setting in Exif Forge, with the exact steps to use it.
On this page
Editing Features
Batch Rename
Rename many files at once using a pattern with tokens like the capture date or a counter, with optional find-and-replace rules and reusable presets.
Where to find it: NavBar toolbar
- Open a folder, then click the 'Rename' button in the top toolbar. It's disabled until a folder is open, and blocked with a warning toast if you have unsaved pending edits.
- The Batch Rename dialog opens. If you had files selected, only those are renamed; otherwise every file in the folder is included. Paired .xmp sidecar files ride along automatically and are not renamed as separate entries.
- Type a pattern in the 'Pattern (the new file name)' field, or click an 'Insert:' token chip to add one: Date taken ({Date:YYYYMMDD}), Time taken ({Time:HHmmss}), Camera make ({Make}), Camera model ({Model}), Original name ({Original}), or # Counter ({Counter:pad=3}).
- Optionally add Find & replace rules: click 'add rule', type text to find and its replacement (leave replacement blank to remove that text). Rules apply to the pattern's result, in order.
- Optionally check 'Lowercase extension (.JPG → .jpg)'.
- Check the Preview list at the bottom (original name → new name) before renaming. A warning triangle next to a row means that file had no capture date, so its file-modified date was used instead — click it for details.
- Click 'Rename {n}' to apply, or 'Cancel' to close without renaming.
Save, Load, Import & Export Rename Presets
Reuse a batch rename pattern and rules later, or share them as a .exifrenames file.
Where to find it: Batch Rename dialog, top row
- Use the 'Load preset…' dropdown at the top of the Batch Rename dialog to apply a saved pattern (favorites are marked with a star).
- Click 'Save as preset' to save your current pattern and rules — you'll be asked to type a name.
- Click a saved preset's name chip to load it, same as picking it from the dropdown. The currently loaded preset's chip is highlighted blue.
- Once a preset is loaded, an 'Update "<name>"' button appears next to 'Save as preset' — click it to save your current pattern and rules back onto that preset instead of creating a new one.
- Hover a preset chip and click the pencil icon to rename it in place (Enter or clicking away confirms, Esc cancels). A name that collides with another preset gets a number added automatically.
- Click the star icon on a saved preset chip to favorite it, or the trash icon to delete it.
- Click 'Export' to save your presets to a .exifrenames file (disabled if you have none saved).
- Click 'Import' to load presets from a .exifrenames file — if an imported preset's name conflicts with an existing one, you'll be asked how to resolve it.
Apply a Metadata Preset
Instantly apply a saved set of metadata field values (and cleared fields) to one or more files.
Where to find it: NavBar toolbar, bookmark icon
- Click the bookmark icon ('Presets') in the top toolbar to open the Presets popover.
- Search or browse your presets, grouped into ★ Favorites, 🕐 Recent, and the full list. Click the star on any preset to favorite it.
- Click a preset to apply it. With a single file selected, its values are loaded as pending edits — press Ctrl+S to save, or Ctrl+Z to undo before saving. With multiple files selected, the preset is written to all of them immediately.
- Click 'Manage presets…' at the bottom to open the Preset Manager and create or edit presets.
Create & Manage Metadata Presets (including selective field clearing)
Build a reusable set of metadata field values, and mark specific fields to be cleared rather than set — the way to strip only chosen fields (e.g. just GPS and camera info) instead of everything at once.
Where to find it: Presets popover → "Manage presets…"
- Open the Preset Manager (bookmark icon → 'Manage presets…').
- Click 'New preset' at the bottom of the left-hand list, or select an existing preset to edit it.
- Set a 'Name' and optional 'Description', and toggle 'Favorite' if wanted.
- For each field you want the preset to set, type its value under the matching group: Camera, Capture, Image, Location, Description, or Rights & Credits.
- For each field you want the preset to clear instead of set — this is how to build a 'remove just these fields' preset, e.g. GPS coordinates, camera make/model, and software — click the eraser icon next to that field. It shows 'Will be cleared' and is written as removed, not left alone, when the preset is applied.
- Click 'Save preset'. Use 'Duplicate' to copy an existing preset, or 'Delete' to remove one.
- Use the drag handle to reorder presets in the list.
- Use 'Import'/'Export' at the top of the modal to load or save presets as a .exifpresets file.
View & Set Location on the Map
See where a photo was taken on an interactive map, and click anywhere to set or move the file's location.
Where to find it: Preview Panel, below the image preview
- Select a file. If it has location data, the map centers on it and shows coordinates above the map.
- Click anywhere on the map to set that point as the file's new location (a pending edit, not yet saved).
- A blue pin means the current saved location. A red pin means a pending, unsaved location. A faded grey pin marks the original location once you’ve clicked a new spot — click the grey pin to revert to the original.
- Toggle between 'Map' and 'Sat' (satellite) view using the two buttons above the map.
- Use the search box above the map to find a place by name and jump the map to it.
- Click the trash icon above the map ('Remove location data') to clear this file's GPS data entirely.
Enter GPS Coordinates Manually
Type exact latitude, longitude and altitude instead of clicking the map.
Where to find it: Metadata Panel → Location group
- Open the Metadata Panel for the selected file and find the 'Location' group.
- Edit the Latitude and Longitude fields directly to set exact coordinates.
- Edit Altitude (in meters) or GPS Speed the same way, if needed.
- Press Ctrl+S to save your changes.
Privacy Mode — Strip All Metadata
Remove every metadata field from one or more files in a single click. This is all-or-nothing — to remove only specific fields, use a metadata preset with cleared fields (see Create & Manage Metadata Presets) or the dedicated GPS-only remove button (see View & Set Location on the Map).
Where to find it: NavBar toolbar, shield icon
- Select one or more files, then click the shield-off icon in the top toolbar (tooltip: 'Remove all EXIF data from selected file(s)').
- Confirm in the 'Remove all metadata?' dialog — this permanently removes all EXIF, IPTC and XMP metadata from the selected file(s).
- Click 'Remove all metadata' to proceed. A single-file strip can be undone once with Ctrl+Z immediately after; a multi-file strip cannot be undone.
Edit Metadata Fields
View and edit every EXIF, IPTC and XMP field for the selected file, grouped by category.
Where to find it: Main panel, center/right column
- Select a file to see its fields grouped into collapsible sections: Camera, Capture, Image, Location, Description, and Rights & Credits for photos, or Device, Media, Timing, Location, Description, and Rights & Credits for video files.
- Click the filename at the top of the panel to copy it to the clipboard. Hover it and click the pencil icon to rename the file in place: the name without its extension is pre-selected, Enter or clicking away confirms, Esc cancels. Renaming needs an active license, also renames a paired .xmp sidecar to match, and keeps any unsaved pending edits.
- Click a section's header to collapse or expand it, or drag its handle to reorder sections.
- Edit any field's value directly. Keywords is a multi-value field — add or remove individual keywords.
- Click the sliders icon at the top of the panel ('Show / hide tags') to choose which individual fields are visible per group.
- A bar at the bottom shows your unsaved change count. Click 'Save' (or press Ctrl+S) to write your changes. If the file's format is read-only, this bar shows a warning instead, with a link to Settings → Compatibility.
- Use Ctrl+Z to undo and Ctrl+Y (or Ctrl+Shift+Z) to redo.
Shortcuts
- Save: Ctrl+S
- Undo: Ctrl+Z
- Redo: Ctrl+Y or Ctrl+Shift+Z
- Select All: Ctrl+A
- Next/previous file: arrow keys
- Add to selection: Ctrl+Click
- Select range: Shift+Click
- Cancel current mode: Esc
XMP Sidecar Files
Store metadata edits in a companion .xmp file instead of the original — the safe way to edit formats the app can only read, like most RAW files.
Where to find it: Metadata Panel, bottom banner / Original ↔ XMP Sidecar tabs
- With a file selected that has no sidecar yet (and isn't itself a .xmp file), click 'Create XMP Sidecar' at the bottom of the Metadata Panel. This requires an active license.
- The panel switches to an 'XMP Sidecar' tab alongside 'Original'. If Settings → Compatibility → 'Pre-populate new sidecars from original file' is on, the sidecar starts with the original file's current values already copied in.
- On the XMP Sidecar tab, edit fields exactly as on the Original tab — sidecar changes save straight to the .xmp file and never touch the original media file.
- Click the up-arrow icon (tooltip: 'Pull fields from the original file into the sidecar's pending edits') to copy the original file's current fields into the sidecar (you'll be asked to confirm if it would overwrite existing sidecar values).
- Click the down-arrow icon (tooltip: 'Push sidecar fields into the original file's pending edits') to stage the sidecar's fields as pending edits on the original file — you still need to press Ctrl+S to save them. This also requires an active license. Only available for JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP, HEIC/HEIF, and only when the original has no other pending edits already.
- If Settings → Compatibility → 'Auto-remove sidecar after applying to file' is on, the sidecar is deleted automatically right after that save succeeds.
- Click the trash icon to delete the sidecar file directly (asks for confirmation).
- Renaming a file via Batch Rename, or via the pencil icon in the Metadata Panel header (see Edit Metadata Fields), automatically renames its paired sidecar to match.
Supported File Formats
Which image and video formats Exif Forge can open, and which can be edited directly vs. only via an XMP sidecar.
Where to find it: Settings → Compatibility
- Images — read & write directly: JPG/JPEG, PNG, TIFF/TIF, WebP, GIF, HEIC/HEIF, DNG.
- Images — read only*: RAW (generic), CR2/CR3 (Canon), NEF (Nikon), ARW (Sony), ORF (Olympus), RW2 (Panasonic).
- Video — read & write directly: MP4, MOV, M4V, AVI.
- Video — read only*: MKV (Matroska), 3GP.
- * 'Read only' formats aren't recommended for direct editing, since it risks corrupting the file or invalidating its internal checksums — edit them safely via an XMP sidecar instead (see XMP Sidecar Files), or turn on Settings → Compatibility → 'Allow editing of proprietary formats' to write directly anyway (each save still asks for confirmation).
- Standalone .xmp sidecar files also appear in the file list alongside the images/videos they belong to.
Settings & Preferences
Settings — General
Theme, date format, default map type, file list display, and backup/restore of your app settings.
Where to find it: Settings → General (default tab)
- Open Settings by clicking the gear icon at the top-right of the NavBar.
- Theme: pick Dark or Light.
- Date Format: pick DD.MM.YYYY, MM/DD/YYYY, YYYY-MM-DD, or DD/MM/YYYY — controls how dates display throughout the Metadata Panel.
- Default Map Type: pick Satellite or Map as the GPS editor's starting view.
- List View Details: check File size and/or Modified date to show them in the file list.
- File Panel: check 'Remember sort & filter' to keep your sort/filter choices between app restarts.
- Notifications: check 'Warn when closing with unsaved changes' to be prompted before quitting with pending edits.
- Backup & Transfer: check which categories to include (including presets), then click 'Export settings' to save a .exifsettings file, or 'Import settings' to load one (you'll review changes before they apply, and resolve any naming conflicts).
- Danger Zone: 'Reset all settings' restores every app preference and preset to default — it does not touch your photos or their metadata.
Settings — Tag Visibility
Choose which metadata fields show up in the Metadata Panel, separately for photos and videos.
Where to find it: Settings → Tag Visibility
- Switch between the 'Photos' and 'Videos' sections at the top.
- Check or uncheck individual fields within each group (Camera, Capture, Image, Location, Description, Rights & Credits) to show or hide them in the Metadata Panel.
- Expand a group's 'Additional' list for extra, less-common fields that are hidden by default.
- Click 'Reset to defaults' to restore the standard set of visible fields.
Settings — Shortcuts
View and change keyboard shortcuts for Save, Undo, Redo and Select All.
Where to find it: Settings → Shortcuts
- Click a shortcut's key-combo badge under 'Configurable' to start recording a new combination, then press the keys you want (press Escape to cancel without changing it).
- Click 'Reset all' to restore the default shortcuts: Save Ctrl+S, Undo Ctrl+Z, Redo Ctrl+Y, Select All Ctrl+A.
- The 'Fixed' table lists shortcuts that can't be changed: next/previous file (arrow keys), add to selection (Ctrl+Click), select range (Shift+Click), cancel current mode (Esc), and the redo alias (Ctrl+Shift+Z).
Settings — Compatibility
Which file formats are supported (see Supported File Formats), plus controls for editing read-only formats directly and XMP sidecar defaults.
Where to find it: Settings → Compatibility
- Review the Images and Video format tables (see Supported File Formats for the full list).
- Toggle 'Allow editing of proprietary formats' to enable direct writes to read-only formats like RAW files — you'll be asked to confirm once when turning this on, and again on every individual save while it's on.
- Toggle 'Pre-populate new sidecars from original file' so a newly created XMP sidecar starts with the original file's values already copied in.
- Toggle 'Auto-remove sidecar after applying to file' so the sidecar is deleted automatically the moment its fields are successfully applied and saved to the original file.
Settings — Storage
Manage the preview cache, and choose how edits are saved to disk (in place, as a copy, or auto-saved).
Where to find it: Settings → Storage
- View the current preview cache size and click 'Clear cache' to empty it.
- Check 'Limit cache size to __ MB' and set a number to cap how large the cache is allowed to grow (default 1000 MB).
- Check 'Delete cached previews older than __ days' and set a number to auto-expire old cached previews (default 30 days).
- Save Behavior — choose one: 'Edit in place' (default; overwrites the original file), 'Copy — same folder' (saves a copy alongside the original, with a configurable filename suffix, default '_edited'), 'Copy — output folder' (saves a copy into a folder you pick), or 'Auto-save' (every change is saved in place automatically, and clears your redo history each time it does).