Which way was the camera facing?
Drop a photo to see its direction
Original phone photos work best (JPEG, HEIC)
Works with iPhone Android DJI drones GPS cameras
or paste an image or link (Ctrl+V) Paste a link
How it works
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Drop your file in the box above, or tap to choose one.
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We read the information saved inside it. This takes a few seconds.
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The answer appears right away, with a link you can share and the full details if you want them.
How a photo records its direction
Phones have a compass, and when location is on they save the direction the camera was pointing with each photo, in degrees from north. Drones record where their camera gimbal was facing. With the photo's position, that becomes a view cone on the map.
It shows exactly what was in front of the lens: which side of the street, which peak on the skyline, which way the window faced. It also tells you how much a shared photo gives away about where you stood.
- Compass heading
- Compass point
- View cone on the map
- Field of view
Questions and answers
How do I find which direction a photo was taken in?
Drop the photo into the box above. If the phone or camera saved it, you'll see the compass heading, such as 342° (north-northwest), with the view drawn on a map.
Why doesn't my photo show a direction?
Many cameras don't record one, and phones only do with location on. Apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook remove GPS details, direction included.
What is the difference between true and magnetic north?
True north points to the North Pole. Magnetic north is where a compass needle points, which can differ by several degrees depending on where you are. Most phones record true north.
How wide is the view cone on the map?
It matches the lens's field of view when the photo records it, so a wide-angle shot has a wide cone. Otherwise we draw a standard 60° view.
Is the direction accurate?
Usually within a few degrees. Phone compasses can be thrown off by metal, magnets and cars, so treat it as a good guide.
What happens to my file?
Your file is sent over an encrypted connection, read on our servers and deleted automatically after about 24 hours. The answer is kept on a page with its own link, so you can share it. Tool result pages are never listed in search engines.