Detect Midjourney Images From Metadata

Midjourney images can carry clues in their metadata, but only in original files downloaded from Midjourney, and what's included has changed over time. Once an image has been re-saved, screenshotted or posted to social media, those clues are usually gone.

What to look for

• Description or comment fields containing the prompt text, sometimes with a job ID.
• Software, author or creator fields naming Midjourney.
• IPTC Digital Source Type marking the image as AI-generated, if present.

Because Midjourney hasn't documented a fixed set of fields, check the full metadata rather than one field.

How to read it

• In Chrome: AI Image Detector (made by Patrick Bushe, who runs this site) flags Midjourney when the name appears in the Software, creator tool or image description fields, and shows every field it found in its raw metadata view. If a file only carries a prompt, the verdict may be inconclusive, but the raw view will show the text.
• On your computer: ExifTool lists every field, including PNG text chunks and XMP.

Why it's often missing

Discord, social networks and most image hosts strip metadata. People also crop, upscale or edit images in other apps, which can replace it. No Midjourney metadata doesn't mean an image wasn't made with Midjourney.

Other ways to tell

• Style: Midjourney images often have dramatic, cinematic lighting, rich color and a painterly polish, even when "photographic." Many images share that look, though.
• Aspect ratio and size: standard Midjourney sizes, though these are easy to change.
• Reverse search: Google Lens may find the image on Midjourney's public gallery or in AI art communities.
• Visual detectors: some, such as Hive's, guess which generator made an image; treat that as a hint.

A famous example

The viral 2023 image of Pope Francis in a white puffer jacket was made with Midjourney. It was identified by tracing it back to the person who made it and posted it, not by metadata.

See EXIF fields that hint at AI and DALL-E images.