What hosted generators write
Hosted image services increasingly stamp metadata onto downloads, for transparency and to support provenance standards. The exact fields vary by service and change over time, so the only dependable answer is to open the file. Things you may find:
- Midjourney: the prompt and a job ID in description or comment fields, often with an IPTC DigitalSourceType that marks the image as AI-made.
- DALL·E and ChatGPT image generation: C2PA Content Credentials naming the generator.
- Adobe Firefly: Content Credentials describing the image as generated with AI.
- Many tools: a software name, creation date and occasionally an account-linked identifier.
A prompt is work worth keeping
For illustrators, designers and prompt writers, a polished prompt is the product of many rounds of trial and error. Any free metadata viewer will show embedded text to whoever downloads your image, ready to copy. Job IDs and account details can also tie a public image back to you.
Look first, then wash
Lay the image on the table and read the report. Rows tagged “AI” hold prompts, generator names and source declarations; rows tagged “People” hold authors, descriptions and identifiers. Press “Wash all images” and save the clean file — or save the whole batch as a ZIP. The AI metadata remover page explains each kind of trace.
All of this runs in your browser, so the prompts you are protecting are not handed to yet another service along the way.
Limits worth knowing
Some providers also hide watermarks in the pixels, such as Google’s SynthID. Those are not metadata and washing does not touch them. And if you post a realistic AI image, platform rules may still ask you to disclose it. Washing protects your process; it does not change what the image is.
About Midjourney and DALL·E metadata
Can someone read my prompt from a downloaded image?
If the prompt is stored in the file’s metadata, anyone with a metadata viewer can read and copy it. Washing the file before sharing removes it.
Does every Midjourney download contain the prompt?
It depends on format and current service behavior. Open the file in AI Label Remover to see exactly what is there.
Will washing remove SynthID or similar watermarks?
No. Invisible watermarks live in the pixel data, which AI Label Remover never alters.
Can I wash a whole set of generations?
Yes. Load up to 50 images, check the reports, then save them all as one ZIP.