Geolocate a photo
Start with metadata, which sometimes gives coordinates directly. If it has been stripped, which is the case for nearly every image that passed through a social network, reverse search and reading the scenery remain. The latter is the slowest but the most reliable.
The tools, in order
- 01ExifInfofree
Reads metadata in the browser, including GPS coordinates if present
Detailed EXIF metadata extractor: camera model, GPS, timestamps, software, all metadata fields displayed.
- 02Yandex Imagesfree
The strongest on places and buildings
Reverse image search engine with strong matching for Eastern European and Asian web sources.
- 03Google Earthfree
Visually confirms a hypothesis, with historical imagery
3D globe and historical imagery platform for terrain and time-based visual analysis.
- 04Overpass Turbofree
Searches by terrain features rather than by place name
Query interface for extracting targeted OpenStreetMap features via Overpass API.
- 05SunCalc.netfree
Validates or rules out a date from the angle of shadows
Solar position calculator for estimating time and orientation from shadows in imagery.
- 06PeakVisorfreemium
Identifies peaks from their skyline profile
Mountain peak identification from photos: identify peaks and determine photo location from terrain silhouette.
The pitfall to avoid
A GPS coordinate in metadata may have been added manually. Always require a second independent visual landmark before concluding.
🧭 The full plan
The copilot orders every step from your starting point, with pre-filled queries.
📖 The detailed guide
The full method, step by step, with edge cases.