mat2

removes metadata from files to protect privacy

TLDR

Remove metadata from file

$ mat2 [file.jpg]

Check for metadata (don't modify)

$ mat2 --show [file.pdf]

Remove metadata in place

$ mat2 --inplace [file.docx]

Process all files in directory

$ mat2 [*.jpg]

Lightweight cleaning (faster, less thorough)

$ mat2 --lightweight [video.mp4]

List supported formats

$ mat2 --list

Check dependencies

$ mat2 --check-dependencies

SYNOPSIS

mat2 [-s] [--inplace] [-L] [options] files

mat2 (Metadata Anonymisation Toolkit 2) removes metadata from files to protect privacy. It strips identifying information from images, documents, audio, and video.Images may contain EXIF data with camera model, GPS coordinates, timestamps, and software used. Documents embed author names, revision history, and editing times. Audio files include artist, encoding software, and recording details.By default, mat2 creates cleaned copies with `.cleaned` inserted between the filename and extension (e.g., `file.cleaned.jpg`). Inplace mode modifies originals directly. The show option reveals metadata without modification.Supported formats include JPEG, PNG, PDF, DOCX, ODT, MP3, MP4, FLAC, and many others. Archive formats (ZIP, TAR) are processed recursively.Lightweight mode provides faster cleaning for formats like video where full processing is slow, at the cost of less thorough metadata removal.

PARAMETERS

-s, --show

List harmful metadata detectable by mat2 without removing them.

--inplace

Clean files in place, without creating a backup.

-L, --lightweight

Remove some metadata, trading thoroughness for the guarantee that file data is not modified.

-l, --list

List all supported file formats.

--check-dependencies

Check if mat2 has all the dependencies it needs.

--no-sandbox

Disable bubblewrap's sandboxing.

--unknown-members POLICY

Policy for handling unknown members of archive-style files (abort, omit, keep).

-V, --verbose

Show more verbose status information.

-v, --version

Show version number and exit.

-h, --help

Show help message and exit.

CAVEATS

Some metadata cannot be removed without re-encoding (video). Very thorough cleaning may alter file characteristics. Some format-specific metadata may persist. Not all formats supported.

HISTORY

mat2 succeeded the original MAT (Metadata Anonymisation Toolkit) created by the Tails project. The rewrite in 2018 by Julien Voisin improved format support and reliability. It's used by journalists, activists, and privacy-conscious users.