How to Geotag Photos on Windows (3 Ways, Step by Step)

To geotag photos on Windows, you need a tool that writes GPS coordinates into the file, because File Explorer can only display them. Open your photos in a browser-based editor such as Geotagr, enter the coordinates, save the JPGs, then confirm the result in File Explorer under Properties > Details.

This guide covers what Windows can and can't do on its own, three ways to add GPS data, and what to check when the tag doesn't show up.

What do you need before you start?

You need the photos, the coordinates of where each one was taken, and a backup of your originals.

• Photos: JPG is the safest format. HEIC, PNG and WebP also work in Geotagr, but they are converted and saved as JPG.
• Coordinates: In Google Maps on desktop, right-click the spot and the latitude and longitude appear at the top of the menu. Click them to copy. Use decimal format, such as 40.6892, -74.0445.
• A GPX file (optional): If you recorded a track with a phone app or GPS device, you can match photos to it by timestamp instead of typing coordinates.
• A backup: Copy the originals to another folder first. Any tool that edits metadata is safer to try on copies.

Can File Explorer or the Photos app add GPS to a photo?

No. In current versions of Windows 10 and 11, File Explorer shows GPS latitude, longitude and altitude on the Details tab, but those fields are read-only. The Photos app doesn't give you a way to set a location either. Exact options can vary by Windows version, so check yours.

What File Explorer can edit is general metadata: title, tags, comments and date taken. To see this, right-click a photo, choose Properties, then open the Details tab. It's a useful place to verify a geotag, just not to create one.

How do I geotag a photo on Windows with a browser editor?

Use a browser-based editor: open the photo, enter coordinates, save the tagged file. This works in Edge, Chrome or Firefox with no install. Here is the process in the Geotagr editor:

1. Open the editor in your browser and add your photos. You can pick files from any folder, including Pictures, Downloads or a synced OneDrive folder.
2. Enter the coordinates for the location. Use negative numbers for west longitudes and south latitudes.
3. Add descriptive fields if you want them: title, description, keywords and business details. These are written as IPTC/XMP metadata alongside the GPS data.
4. Save the file. The tagged JPG downloads to your Downloads folder, or wherever your browser saves files.
5. Check the result in File Explorer (see the section on verification below).

All processing happens in your browser, so the photo files are not uploaded to Geotagr's servers. If you want a longer walkthrough of the coordinate side, see How to Add GPS Coordinates to Photos Online.

How do I geotag many photos at once?

Select a whole set of photos from the same place, apply the same coordinates and details to all of them, and save. That is much faster than editing files one by one.

A few ways to speed it up:

• Batch tagging: Photos from one job site, shop or listing usually share a location, so tag them together.
• Presets: Save your business name, keywords and location once, then reuse them for every new batch.
• GPX track matching: If the photos were taken at many different places in one day, a GPX track can assign each photo a position from its timestamp. GPX and CSV import are paid features; see pricing.
• CSV import: Useful when you have a spreadsheet of filenames and coordinates. Also a paid feature.

Industry-specific workflows are covered in geotagging job-site photos for contractors and real estate listing photos.

What are the other ways to geotag photos on Windows?

There are three realistic routes, and which one fits depends on how many photos you have and how comfortable you are with technical tools.

Method	Best for	Cost	Trade-off
Browser editor (Geotagr)	Business owners, marketers, agents who want a visual workflow	Free editor; GPX/CSV import and AI suggestions are paid	Needs coordinates or a GPX/CSV file
ExifTool	Technical users, huge archives, scripting	Free, third-party	Command line, no visual interface
Camera with location on	Photos you haven't taken yet	Free	Only works at capture; laptop location can be imprecise

Using ExifTool

ExifTool is a free command-line tool that runs on Windows. After you download it and rename the file to exiftool.exe, a single photo can be tagged like this:

exiftool -GPSLatitude=40.6892 -GPSLatitudeRef=N -GPSLongitude=74.0445 -GPSLongitudeRef=W photo.jpg

It also can match a folder of photos to a GPX file with the -geotag option. It's powerful, but one wrong flag can affect a whole folder. By default it keeps a backup copy with _original added to the name. It's not made by Geotagr, so use its own documentation for details.

Turning on location at capture

If you take photos with a Windows tablet or laptop, you can allow location access under Settings > Privacy & security > Location. Whether the Camera app embeds it depends on your device and app version. Most Windows PCs don't have a GPS chip and estimate position from Wi-Fi or IP address, so the result may be a rough area rather than the exact spot. For phone photos, the phone's own camera settings matter more. Our guides for iPhone and Android cover that.

How can I check that the geotag worked?

Right-click the saved file, choose Properties, open the Details tab and scroll to the GPS section. You should see latitude and longitude values.

If you'd rather see everything, including IPTC/XMP fields that File Explorer doesn't show, drop the file into the free photo metadata checker. For more ways to inspect files, see How to Check Photo Metadata on Any Device.

Troubleshooting: why is my geotag missing or wrong?

The GPS section is empty in Properties. Make sure you opened the saved copy, not the original. Also confirm the file is a JPG. If you converted from HEIC, PNG or WebP, the saved file is a JPG with a new name or location.

The pin lands in the wrong country. The signs are probably flipped. West longitudes and south latitudes are negative. A US location with a positive longitude will land in Asia.

The tag disappears after uploading. Some platforms strip metadata on upload, and that is outside your control. Check the downloaded version of a published image with the metadata checker. Google Business Profile is a common example; see How to Geotag Photos for Google Business Profile.

GPX matching puts photos in the wrong place. The camera clock and the GPX clock probably differ, often by time zone. You'll need to apply a time offset.

A file won't open. Very large or damaged files may fail. Try re-exporting the photo from its original source.

You tagged a home or private location. Coordinates travel with the file when you share it. If you need to strip them later, see How to Remove Location Data from Photos.

Will geotagging help my photos rank?

Nobody can promise that. Google has not published how it uses photo metadata, and many platforms remove it. Geotagging is still useful for organising, proving where a photo was taken and keeping consistent records. For the evidence we do have, read Does Geotagging Photos Help Local SEO?.

Frequently asked questions

Can I add GPS location to a photo in Windows 11 without extra software?

Not in the way you probably want. Windows 11 File Explorer displays GPS data in the Details tab but does not let you edit those fields. To add coordinates you need a metadata editor, whether a desktop program, a command-line tool like ExifTool, or a browser-based tool.

Is it free to geotag photos on Windows?

Yes, there are free routes. ExifTool is free, and Geotagr's editor lets you write coordinates and other metadata in the browser. GPX and CSV import and AI suggestions are paid features, so check the pricing page for details.

Do I have to install anything?

Not for a browser-based editor. It runs in Edge, Chrome or Firefox on your Windows PC. ExifTool does require a download. Either way, keep a copy of your originals before editing.

Does geotagging work on HEIC photos from an iPhone on Windows?

Yes, though the format changes. Geotagr can open HEIC files, but it converts them and saves the result as JPG. The same applies to PNG and WebP. Keep your original HEIC if you want the untouched file.

Are my photos uploaded when I use Geotagr?

No. All processing happens in your browser, and the photo files are never uploaded to Geotagr's servers. The edited file is saved on your computer.

Why can't I see the location on a map in Windows?

File Explorer shows only the raw GPS numbers, not a map. To see the spot, copy the latitude and longitude from the Details tab and paste them into a mapping site such as Google Maps.