New
- Strip All Metadata. Three built-in strip-all presets that remove everything per-field redaction can't reach (MakerNotes, unknown XMP, embedded thumbnails, JPEG comments, Photoshop blocks). Safe (the default) keeps the ICC color profile and Orientation, Complete removes those too, and Strip All except Copyright keeps your ownership notice in EXIF, IPTC, and XMP. The preview counts tags removed per group before you commit, RAW files are skipped (never modified), and every strip keeps a 7-day recoverable backup so ⌘Z restores the originals. Pro feature.
- Finder-aligned folder menus, everywhere. Right-clicking a folder now offers the operations you reach for in Finder (Get Info, Show in Finder, Copy, Paste into this folder, Duplicate, New Folder, Move to Folder…, Rename, Move to Trash). The same menu reaches the sidebar Browser tree, Favorites, and Libraries, each tuned to its own safety profile, and every mutating action is undoable with ⌘Z.
- A smarter Keyword Sets editor. The Workbench's Sets tab is renamed Keyword Sets (still ⌘5) and its editor switches from one-keyword-per-line text to removable chips with autocomplete, plus a Browse Vocabulary picker. Every term is kept exactly as entered, so a set stays a precise, literal list. Existing sets carry over unchanged.
- Lightroom Classic video dates. Date Operations' Set Absolute Date mode can now write the offset-bearing Keys:CreationDate value Lightroom Classic reads when importing MOV and MP4 video, so clips land at the right local time. Choose the timezone for the intended wall-clock time, preview the dedicated Keys:CreationDate row before writing, and optionally update the standard QuickTime UTC headers in the same pass.
- Batch Operations previews on every mutating operation. Apply Template gains a true per-file dry-run preview (current to proposed for each field) and Apply Profile samples multiple files, so every operation that changes metadata or filenames now previews before you commit. Date and GPS rows get inline help, and the window header reports exactly how many files are targeted and where they came from.
- Clean Stale in integrated metadata search. The in-browser search strip gains a Clean Stale control matching the standalone window. It prunes index entries for files that no longer exist on disk, keeps your current page, and reports how many entries were removed.
Improvements
- A tuned default layout for new installs. A fresh install now opens maximized with a slightly wider sidebar and more room for the grid (and a shorter preview in the info panel). These are first-launch defaults only, so an existing arrangement is untouched.
- Set Absolute Date pre-fills from each file's existing date instead of starting at "now," making single-file date corrections quicker.
- Cover-page template windows (Import/Export, Name Conflict, Template Manager) now use the app's SettingsCard styling, the Name Conflict dialog is sized to show all options at once, and the Import/Export window has a tighter default size.
- The New and Edit Custom Field sheet now opens at a stable size and no longer flickers when you dismiss it.
Fixes
- Keyboard zoom (=, -, 0 and the ⌘ variants) now works in the image popout, and a background video popout no longer steals arrow keys or ⌘-zoom from the window you're actually working in.
- In the image popout, slideshow controls reappear when you move the mouse (so you can always reach Pause), and an image left open a long time no longer freezes when you try to zoom it.
- The Metadata Editor follows your selection. Pressing ⌘E for a different file retargets the open editor to it, with a Save, Discard, or Cancel prompt when you have unsaved edits.
- Batch date operations are steadier. They no longer fail on RAW files with minor recoverable MakerNote quirks, and pausing a run no longer miscounts the interrupted file as a failure.
- Quieter background windows. Arrow keys no longer move the selection in a window you're not working in, and the info panel stays closed while you browse with it toggled off.
- Native Photos performance fix. Browsing an iCloud-optimized Photos library no longer drives CPU to hundreds of percent or leaves thumbnails blurry. High-quality previews stay sharp and the app settles to idle when you stop scrolling.
- Fixes across redaction templates (including quick Apply Template clears and overwrite safety), sidebar folder renames, the subscription window, and stale search thumbnails.
MetaScope 1.4.1 (Build 47)
June 2026, Build 47
MetaScope 1.4.1 builds on the big v1.4 “Keyword-First” release with a focused round of professional-workflow upgrades. The headline is a genuinely thorough Strip All Metadata mode, and, for the first time, a destructive redaction you can undo. Folder right-click menus now match Finder everywhere, the Keyword Sets editor gains vocabulary autocomplete, and Lightroom Classic users finally get correct local times on imported video.
Strip All Metadata, remove everything and still get it back
Per-field redaction is precise, but it can only remove the fields MetaScope knows by name. Some of the most sensitive data lives outside that list: camera MakerNotes (lens serials, owner name, sometimes GPS), third-party XMP namespaces, embedded thumbnails, JPEG comments, and Photoshop blocks.
The Redaction panel now offers three built-in strip-all presets that remove all of it:
- Strip All Metadata (Safe), the default. Removes everything but keeps the ICC color profile and Orientation, so your image still displays with correct colors and rotation.
- Strip All Metadata (Complete), removes those too, for a truly bare file.
- Strip All except Copyright, keeps your ownership notice in all three places it really lives (EXIF Copyright, IPTC Copyright Notice, XMP Rights).
Before you commit, the preview is honest about scope. It shows how many tags will be removed per group (EXIF, MakerNotes, XMP, IPTC), names exactly what’s preserved, and lists any files it will skip. RAW files are never modified, since strip-all runs only on a safe-format allowlist and skips everything else with a clear notice.
And because this is the most destructive thing MetaScope does, it’s the first operation you can take back. Every strip keeps a recoverable backup of the originals for 7 days, and ⌘Z (Edit → Undo) restores them, whether you stripped from the Batch panel, a Launchpad tile, or the right-click menu, and no matter how long ago within that window. Strip All is a Pro feature, and your existing per-field redaction templates are unchanged.
Finder-aligned folder menus, everywhere
Right-clicking a folder in MetaScope now gives you the operations you’d reach for in Finder, so routine folder work no longer means switching apps.
In the file browser: Get Info, Show in Finder, Copy, Paste into this folder, Duplicate, New Folder, Move to Folder…, Rename, and Move to Trash, alongside the existing entries. The mutating actions are all undoable with ⌘Z.
In the sidebar: the same menu now reaches the Browser tree, Favorites, and Libraries, each tuned to its own safety profile. Real folders in the Browser tree get the full set. Favorites get the non-destructive set with no Move to Trash, so removing a Favorite never deletes the folder on disk. Libraries get the most conservative set.
A smarter Keyword Sets editor
The Workbench’s Sets tab is now called Keyword Sets (still ⌘5), and editing a set is much nicer. Instead of typing one keyword per line into a plain box, you add terms as removable chips. Type and press Return, with autocomplete suggesting matching vocabulary terms as you go, plus a Browse Vocabulary button to pick from your vocabularies. Every term is kept exactly as entered, so a set stays a precise, literal list. Your existing sets carry over unchanged.
Lightroom Classic video dates
Date Operations’ Set Absolute Date mode can now write the offset-bearing Keys:CreationDate value Lightroom Classic reads when importing MOV and MP4 video, so your clips land at the right local time. Choose the timezone that represents the intended wall-clock time, preview the dedicated Keys:CreationDate row before writing, and optionally update the standard QuickTime UTC headers in the same pass. Set Absolute Date also now pre-fills from each file’s existing date instead of starting at “now.”
More in this release
- A tuned default layout for new installs. A fresh install now opens maximized with a slightly wider sidebar and more room for the grid (and a shorter preview in the info panel). These are first-launch defaults only, so if you’ve already arranged your panels, your layout is untouched.
- Batch Operations now shows a true per-file preview for every operation that changes metadata or filenames, adds inline help on the Date and GPS rows, and tells you exactly how many files are targeted and where they came from.
- Integrated metadata search gains a Clean Stale control, matching the standalone search window. It prunes index entries for files that no longer exist on disk.
- Keyboard and popout fixes. Keyboard zoom (
=,-,0and the ⌘ variants) now works in the image popout, and a background video popout no longer steals arrow keys or ⌘-zoom from the window you’re actually working in. In the image popout, slideshow controls reappear when you move the mouse (so you can always reach Pause), and an image left open a long time no longer freezes when you try to zoom it. - The Metadata Editor follows your selection. Pressing ⌘E for a different file now retargets the open editor to it, with a Save, Discard, or Cancel prompt when you have unsaved edits.
- Batch date operations are steadier. They no longer fail on RAW files with minor, recoverable MakerNote quirks, and pausing a run no longer miscounts the interrupted file as a failure.
- Quieter background windows. Arrow keys no longer move the selection in a window you’re not working in, and the info panel stays closed while you browse with it toggled off.
- Native Photos performance fix. Browsing an iCloud-optimized Photos library no longer drives CPU to hundreds of percent or leaves thumbnails blurry. High-quality previews now stay sharp and the app settles to idle when you stop scrolling.
- Plus fixes across redaction templates (including quick Apply Template clears and overwrite safety), sidebar folder renames, the subscription window, and stale search thumbnails.
Requirements
- macOS 15.4 Sequoia or later
- Apple Silicon or Intel Mac
Get MetaScope
MetaScope is available on the Mac App Store. Free tier includes 5 edits per day. MetaScope Pro unlocks unlimited edits and all professional features.