Photo Keywords Metadata on Mac

On the Mac, inspect which keyword fields are actually present before you clean a taxonomy or migrate a catalog. Common homes include IPTC Keywords, XMP Dublin Core subject (dc:subject), and hierarchical keyword schemes that some apps store separately from flat lists.

Lightroom Classic and similar catalogs may keep keywords in the file, in an XMP sidecar, or both. Always check JPEG, TIFF, HEIC, DNG, and any adjacent .xmp so you do not assume one writer’s policy.

Disagreements are normal: one tool may update XMP while leaving legacy IPTC stale, or the reverse. A local reader shows the real values without uploading your library to a cloud inspector.

MSAM.media apps—ExifTool Reader, ExifTool Reader Pro, and EXIF Exporter Pro—run on macOS and are sold only through the Mac App Store. Use them to verify keyword fields on originals, then export selected columns to CSV when you need taxonomy cleanup, stock submissions, or DAM inventories.

Pair keyword checks with copyright and rights fields, IPTC captions, and XMP sidecar policies so descriptive and legal metadata stay aligned across delivery.

• ExifTool Reader

  Browse and export photo metadata

• ExifTool Reader Pro

  Professional metadata export

• EXIF Exporter Pro

  Extract and export image metadata

• JPEG
• TIFF
• DNG
• PSD
• PNG
• HEIC
• PDF
• INDD

• IPTC
• XMP
• IPTC Extension
• Dublin Core
• XMP Sidecar
• Copyright