The usual suspects
| Path | Metadata kept? |
|---|---|
| Screenshot (any OS) | No — new image |
| WhatsApp / Telegram as photo | No — recompressed |
| WhatsApp / Telegram as file / document | Yes |
| Discord desktop upload | Yes (PNG kept) |
| Discord mobile / "Save image" from preview | Often no |
| Reddit, X, Instagram, Facebook | No |
| Civitai download | Usually yes |
| Convert to JPEG/WebP in an editor | No, unless the editor copies to EXIF |
| Photoshop "Save for Web" | Strips text chunks |
| Windows Photos "Save as" | Strips |
How to check a file quickly
Upload it above. PNGMeta lists every tEXt/iTXt/zTXt chunk (and EXIF for JPEG/WebP). If the list is empty, the metadata is gone from that copy. It cannot be reconstructed — the information is not encoded in the pixels.
Share AI images without losing the workflow
- Send as file/document, or zip it.
- Use file hosts that keep bytes intact (Google Drive, Dropbox, catbox, GitHub, Civitai).
- Alongside the image, post the workflow JSON — grab it with the workflow extractor.
- Keep your own originals; the recovery guide only works on untouched files.
Tools that never write metadata
Midjourney and DALL·E web downloads, most mobile AI apps, and images produced with "save without metadata" options in the WebUI (--no-metadata style flags or the "Save PNG info" setting turned off).
Frequently asked questions
Can metadata be recovered from a PNG that was stripped?
No. Text chunks are separate from pixel data; once removed they are gone. Find another copy of the file (original export, cloud backup, the person who generated it).
Does converting PNG to JPEG keep the prompt?
Only if the converter copies PNG text into EXIF, which most do not. Automatic1111 itself can save JPEG with EXIF UserComment; a generic image editor will drop it.
Does Discord strip PNG metadata?
Desktop uploads keep the original PNG bytes, so metadata survives. Mobile uploads and previews may be recompressed. Always download the attachment itself.