EXIF metadata batch editing
Moderator: xnview
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Silvio
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2026 6:23 pm
EXIF metadata batch editing
Hello, I am fairly new to XnView MP, so I apologize in advance if this topic has already been discussed. From what I’ve been able to see in XnView MP and on the forum, however, I haven’t found a way to edit EXIF metadata for groups of photos. I have only managed to modify this data by working on one photo at a time. Other applications, such as ACDSee, allow batch editing of this information. Is there perhaps a method that I haven’t been able to find?
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jkm
- Posts: 443
- Joined: Sat May 11, 2024 12:43 am
Re: EXIF metadata batch editing
There are some ways to do do this, but it depends on exactly what you mean when you say "EXIF Metadata"... I'm not sure how precise you're being with your terminology. 
When some people say "EXIF" they loosely mean any metadata in the file; but that's not really correct. There are different types of metadata in image files, and EXIF is one specific type. The term "EXIF Metadata" could be generally understood to include MakerNotes metadata, which the EXIF specification allows for but does not define the specifics of. (You could think of MakerNotes as an extension of EXIF)
NOTE: XnViewMP allows for the modification of most of these types of metadata, but it does not allow the modification of MakerNotes. It reads MakerNotes, and allows searching by them and other things, but no modification of those fields. You can use ExifTool (or ExifTool GUI) to modify (some) MakerNotes fields if you need to do that.
On the Metadata menu, XnViewMP offers several commands for editing Metadata, and most of these can be used to modify multiple files at once. Just select some files before choosing the command.
There are of course the standard Set Color/Rating/Category, but I assume you mean something more detailed. So there are:
Edit IPTC (this edits IPTC Metadata, so technically not "EXIF")
Edit XMP (this edits XMP Metadata, so technically not "EXIF")
Add/Replace Metadata (This does true EXIF metadata, plus other types, but it is not an interactive "edit". )
Edit EXIF (Interactively edit true EXIF metadata)
The first three let you batch modify many files. The last one, Edit EXIF, does not. It is an interactive edit, but only one file at a time.
But "Add/Replace Metadata" perhaps does what you mean. It lets you set or add EXIF metadata fields for a bunch of files at once. For example, you could set the Lens ID, ISO, and camera Make/Model all in a single step. But this function doesn't let you see what's in those fields first. That's what "Edit EXIF" if for.
Hopefully this helps...
When some people say "EXIF" they loosely mean any metadata in the file; but that's not really correct. There are different types of metadata in image files, and EXIF is one specific type. The term "EXIF Metadata" could be generally understood to include MakerNotes metadata, which the EXIF specification allows for but does not define the specifics of. (You could think of MakerNotes as an extension of EXIF)NOTE: XnViewMP allows for the modification of most of these types of metadata, but it does not allow the modification of MakerNotes. It reads MakerNotes, and allows searching by them and other things, but no modification of those fields. You can use ExifTool (or ExifTool GUI) to modify (some) MakerNotes fields if you need to do that.
On the Metadata menu, XnViewMP offers several commands for editing Metadata, and most of these can be used to modify multiple files at once. Just select some files before choosing the command.
There are of course the standard Set Color/Rating/Category, but I assume you mean something more detailed. So there are:
Edit IPTC (this edits IPTC Metadata, so technically not "EXIF")
Edit XMP (this edits XMP Metadata, so technically not "EXIF")
Add/Replace Metadata (This does true EXIF metadata, plus other types, but it is not an interactive "edit". )
Edit EXIF (Interactively edit true EXIF metadata)
The first three let you batch modify many files. The last one, Edit EXIF, does not. It is an interactive edit, but only one file at a time.
But "Add/Replace Metadata" perhaps does what you mean. It lets you set or add EXIF metadata fields for a bunch of files at once. For example, you could set the Lens ID, ISO, and camera Make/Model all in a single step. But this function doesn't let you see what's in those fields first. That's what "Edit EXIF" if for.
Hopefully this helps...