Documentation

exifreg show

Prints a curated metadata report: camera, lens, shutter count, serial number, full exposure block, dates, GPS. Use it any time you need to know what a file really says about itself: checking gear info before selling a camera, confirming a fix worked, or reading the shutter count of a body you are about to buy.

exifreg diff

Compares the metadata of two files side by side and shows only what differs. Typical case: an exported JPEG next to its RAW, to see exactly what the editor changed, kept or stripped. Filesystem identity tags (name, folder, access dates) are excluded so the table stays meaningful.

exifreg stats

Aggregates a library's metadata into terminal bar charts: which cameras and lenses you actually use, favorite focal lengths and apertures, ISO habits, shots per month and per hour of day. Great before buying or selling gear, or just to understand your own shooting.

exifreg find

Queries files by metadata and prints matching paths, one per line, ready to pipe into any other command. Conditions look like ISO>3200, Model=Sony A7 IV or LensModel~35mm. Repeat -w to AND conditions. Numbers compare numerically; EXIF dates compare chronologically; ~ means contains.

Operators: = != > >= < <= and ~ (contains). Keys and string values are case-insensitive. Exit code is 1 when nothing matches, so it behaves well in scripts.

exifreg gps

Sets or removes the GPS position. Paste coordinates straight from Google or Apple Maps with --coords, or pass --lat/--lon. Works on videos too (QuickTime GPSCoordinates). Use --remove before sharing photos of your home or a client's address.

exifreg date

Fixes capture and modification dates. The killer option is --shift: when the camera clock was wrong or on the wrong timezone, shift every date by the same amount without touching anything else. Accepts friendly date forms like 2026-07-05 14:30 or 05/07/2026.

exifreg timezone

Writes the UTC offset tags (OffsetTimeOriginal and friends) that most cameras leave empty. With --from-gps each photo's offset is derived from its own coordinates, offline, with daylight saving handled at the capture date. Editors and catalogs then stop guessing what time your photos were really taken.

exifreg copy

Copies all metadata from one file onto others. The classic case: an export or a panorama stitch came out clean of EXIF, and you want the original's camera info, dates and GPS back on it.

exifreg copydates

Copies only the dates from one file onto others, and lets you choose which: capture, modified, or all. Handy when a scan or an export lost its dates but a sibling file still has them.

exifreg sign

Stamps your authorship (Artist and Copyright) into files in bulk. Save a preset once with --save-preset and from then on a plain exifreg sign folder/ is enough. {year} in the copyright text becomes the current year automatically.

exifreg strip

Removes ALL metadata: camera, dates, GPS, serial numbers, everything. For privacy-safe sharing when the picture should speak and the data should not. Asks for confirmation unless you pass -y.

exifreg undo

Every metadata edit keeps the untouched original next to the file with an _original suffix. undo puts it back. Accepts the edited file, the _original itself, or a whole folder to restore every backup inside.

exifreg organize

Moves (or copies) photos into folders derived from their metadata: by date, by camera, even by city using offline GPS geocoding. RAW+JPEG pairs and sidecar files always travel together. Dry-run by default; nothing is ever overwritten; every executed batch can be undone.

exifreg rename

Renames files in place from their metadata, keeping pairs and sidecars in matching names. {counter} numbers files in shooting order, which fixes the classic two-cameras-same-counter mess.

exifreg ingest

Imports a memory card: copies into organized folders and, with --verify, checks every copy against a SHA-256 checksum before you ever consider formatting the card. Copies by default; the card keeps its files unless you pass --move.

exifreg split

Sorts a mixed folder into Photos/, RAW/ and Videos/ subfolders. For that downloads folder where everything landed together.

exifreg dupes

Finds byte-identical duplicates (size first, then SHA-256, so false positives are impossible) and reports how much space they waste. Deletion is opt-in, keeps the first of each group, and asks for confirmation. This is the one operation without an undo, so it is triple-gated.

exifreg backup

Verified, append-only backups with a SHA-256 manifest. Deletions never propagate, changed files are versioned under _versions/ instead of overwritten, every copy is atomic and checksum-verified, and --verify re-checks every byte to catch silent corruption. Read the full story on the backup page.

exifreg restore

Restores from a backup: everything, or a slice by capture date thanks to the manifest. Files that already exist with identical content are skipped; files that differ are conflicts and are never overwritten; a backup copy that fails its own checksum is refused rather than restored.

exifreg frame

Re-renders photos inside an aesthetic colored frame with their exposure caption in Space Mono: the "shot on" portfolio look. RAW files work through their embedded previews. The output keeps the original photo's EXIF.

exifreg resize

Resizes and converts into NEW files; originals are never touched and the EXIF is carried over. The standout option is --max-size: say "1mb" and a binary search finds the highest quality that fits, so you stop guessing quality numbers.

exifreg contact

Renders a contact sheet: a thumbnail grid with filename (and optional EXIF) labels, as a single JPEG or a high-resolution PDF. The classic deliverable for a client to pick selects from. The file is written next to the photos, not the terminal's folder. RAW files contribute their embedded previews.

exifreg config

Saves defaults so you stop repeating flags: your name and copyright for sign, a default backup drive, a favorite frame color. Stored in ~/.config/exifregistry/config.json. Run it with no arguments to see current settings.

Keys: sign.artist, sign.copyright, backup.to, frame.color. An empty value unsets a key.

exifreg history

Shows the operations that changed your files, newest first: what ran, when, and how many files it touched. A quiet paper trail for a tool that edits irreplaceable work.

exifreg completion

Prints a shell completion script so pressing Tab suggests commands. Supports bash, zsh and fish.

exifreg update

Checks npm for a newer version and tells you how to upgrade. This is the only command that uses the network, and only when you run it: everything else is 100% local.

exifreg doctor

Checks that the installation is healthy: version, the bundled ExifTool responding, and how many config settings you have. Run it once after installing, or when something feels off.