How to Geotag Photos on Mac (Photos, Preview, Browser)

The simplest way to geotag photos on a Mac is to open them in a browser-based tool like Geotagr, set the GPS coordinates, and download the tagged JPGs. The Photos app can assign a location too, but it may keep that edit in its library rather than in the file itself, so check your exports.

What do you need before you start?

You need the photos, the location you want to attach, and a way to confirm the result afterwards. That's all.

• The photo files. JPG and HEIC are the usual Mac and iPhone formats. Copy them to a folder (for example on the Desktop) so you're working on copies.
• Coordinates or a known place. To get coordinates, open Google Maps in your browser, right-click the exact spot, and click the numbers at the top of the menu to copy them.
• A metadata checker. The free photo metadata checker shows whether GPS is actually inside a file.

One decision matters up front: do you need the location to travel with the file (for a website, a client, or an upload), or only to appear in your own photo library? Mac methods differ on exactly this.

Which method should you use on a Mac?

Use the Photos app if you only want to organise your own library. Use a browser tool or Terminal if the location must be written into the exported file.

Method	Writes GPS into the file?	Batch?	Best for
Photos app (Assign a Location)	Depends on how you export	Yes	Personal libraries, albums, Memories
Preview (Inspector)	Mainly for viewing and removing; assigning varies by macOS version	One at a time	Quick checks
Browser tool (Geotagr)	Yes	Yes	Business photos, listings, uploads
Terminal with ExifTool	Yes	Yes (scripted)	Technical users comfortable with the command line

Menus change between macOS releases, so if a menu item below isn't where described, look under the same top-level menu for a similar name.

How do you geotag photos in the Photos app?

Select a photo, open the Info window, and choose Assign a Location. Photos then stores that location against the image in your library.

1. Open Photos and select one or more images.
2. Press Cmd+I to open the Info window (or use Image > Location > Assign a Location).
3. Click Assign a Location and start typing a place name or address.
4. Pick a suggestion from the list.

The location now shows in Info and on the Photos map view. You can select many photos at once and assign them together.

The catch: Photos keeps edits like this in its library. When you export, the Export dialog has an option to include location information. Behaviour can differ between exporting edited photos and exporting unmodified originals, so don't assume. Export one test photo and open it in the metadata checker. If GPS is missing, use a method below instead.

How do you view or change location in Preview?

Preview's Inspector shows a photo's GPS data on a map, which makes it a handy way to confirm what a file already contains.

1. Open the image in Preview.
2. Choose Tools > Show Inspector (or press Cmd+I).
3. Open the GPS tab (the "i" tab, then GPS, if the photo has location data).

If the photo has no location, the GPS tab may not appear. Some macOS versions also offer Tools > Assign Location, but this isn't consistent across releases, and Preview isn't built for tagging a folder of photos. Treat it as a viewer.

How do you geotag photos in a browser on Mac?

Open a browser editor, add your photos, set the location and any text fields, then download the tagged files. This works the same in Safari, Chrome, Firefox or Edge, and the files can be tagged without leaving your Mac.

Here's the workflow in Geotagr:

1. Open the Geotagr editor in your browser.
2. Drag your photos in from Finder. JPG, HEIC, PNG and WebP can be opened.
3. Set the GPS coordinates you copied from the map.
4. Add the title, description and keywords. If you have business details to include, add those too. These are written as IPTC/XMP metadata alongside the GPS.
5. For a set of photos from the same place, apply the same details to all of them using batch tagging. If you tag the same business or site repeatedly, save the details as a preset.
6. Download the tagged files.
7. Open one in the metadata checker to confirm the GPS and text fields are present.

Processing happens in your browser, and photo files aren't uploaded to Geotagr's servers. That's useful for client photos or job sites you'd rather not send to a third party.

One format note: HEIC, PNG and WebP files are converted and saved as JPG. That's convenient for iPhone photos you've AirDropped to your Mac, but it means the output has a new file type. If you need to keep the original HEIC, keep your untouched copies as well.

For a deeper walkthrough of entering coordinates, see How to Add GPS Coordinates to Photos Online.

What if your photos were taken along a route?

If you carried a GPS logger or recorded a track while shooting, you can match photos to the track by timestamp instead of typing coordinates for each one. Geotagr supports GPX track matching and CSV import, both of which are paid features. See pricing for what's included.

Track matching depends on your camera clock matching the track's clock. If they're out of sync, photos land in the wrong place, so check a few matched images on a map before trusting the whole batch.

Can you geotag photos with Terminal?

Yes, if you install ExifTool (a free, third-party command-line tool). It writes GPS tags directly into files and is good for scripted jobs.

A single-photo example:

exiftool -GPSLatitude=40.7484 -GPSLatitudeRef=N -GPSLongitude=73.9857 -GPSLongitudeRef=W photo.jpg

Latitude and longitude are given as positive numbers with a separate reference: N or S, and E or W. Getting the reference wrong puts the photo on the wrong side of the world. By default ExifTool keeps a backup copy named photo.jpg_original.

Run it on a copy first. If you'd rather not use the command line, the browser method does the same job with a visual interface.

How do you check that the location was saved?

Open the finished file somewhere other than the tool you used to tag it. Checking in the same app can show you the app's own record, not the file's.

• Drop the file into the free photo metadata checker.
• Or open it in Preview and look for the GPS tab in the Inspector.

For more ways to inspect a file, see How to Check Photo Metadata on Any Device. If you want to understand what the fields mean, EXIF Data Explained covers it.

Why did my geotag disappear?

The most common cause is that the file was processed after you tagged it. Several things can strip or rewrite metadata.

• Exporting from Photos without location included. Re-export with the location option ticked, then check.
• Sharing options. AirDrop, Messages and Mail may offer a choice about including location. Look for an Options button in the share sheet.
• Upload platforms. Many sites and social networks remove metadata on upload. Behaviour varies by platform and can change. If you're sending photos to Google, read Why Google Business Profile Strips Photo Metadata before you rely on it.
• Image editors and compressors. Some tools re-save the file without its metadata. Tag as the last step, after editing and resizing.

Will geotagging help your photos rank?

Don't count on it. Google hasn't published how it uses photo metadata, and some platforms remove it. Geotagging is still useful for organising, proving where work was done, and keeping records consistent. For the evidence we have, read Does Geotagging Photos Help Local SEO?.

Frequently asked questions

Can you geotag photos on a Mac without extra software?

Yes. The Photos app can assign a location to images in your library, and Preview can show GPS data. The limit is that Photos may not write the location into exported files in every case, so test an export and check it before relying on it.

Does Finder show GPS data for a photo?

Not in the standard Get Info window. To see GPS coordinates, open the image in Preview and use the Inspector's GPS tab, or drop the file into a metadata checker. The checker shows exactly what's stored in the file.

Can I geotag many photos at once on a Mac?

Yes. In Photos you can select multiple images and assign one location. In a browser editor like Geotagr you can apply the same coordinates and text to a whole batch. ExifTool can also tag a folder with a single command, which suits technical users.

Will geotagging change my HEIC photos?

It depends on the tool. In Geotagr, HEIC files are converted and saved as JPG, so you get a new JPG file. Keep your original HEIC files if you want the untouched versions. Photos app edits generally leave the original in your library.

How do I remove location from photos on a Mac?

In Preview's Inspector, the GPS tab lets you remove location from a file. In Photos, you can revert or remove a location, and the export dialog lets you leave location out. Our guide on removing location data from photos covers phone and desktop options.

Is it safe to geotag client photos in a browser?

With Geotagr, processing happens in your browser and photo files aren't uploaded to its servers. As with any tool, only tag photos you have the right to use, and remember that anyone who receives a geotagged file can read its location.