A ComfyUI PNG may carry both the picture and a recoverable workflow. Keep the original PNG and workflow JSON if you want to edit again or share your process. When you only want to share the picture, clean a separate copy. Our November 1, 2026 local test of one author-provided PNG removed its embedded prompt/workflow while preserving its image data; this is not a guarantee for every export.
What a PNG can carry
PNG text chunks can contain prompts, generation settings or a ComfyUI workflow, as well as ordinary captions and copyright notes. A tEXt, zTXt or iTXt block alone is not proof of AI generation. The ComfyUI author’s Hires Fix examples can be loaded to recover their workflows; other exporters and saving options can behave differently.
Keep the original and workflow JSON
If you want to continue editing or share your process, retain the original PNG and a separate workflow JSON backup before cleanup. Keep required models, input assets and custom nodes separately too. A cleaned sharing copy without the embedded workflow no longer carries that recovery data. Do not overwrite your only project archive.
Clean a sharing copy in RemoveAI
We maintain RemoveAI, a free browser tool for supported image metadata. First choose Inspect only with a non-sensitive PNG. The report identifies block categories, not individual prompt or workflow values; a tEXt result alone does not establish what the text contains. Choose Clean metadata and download the separate copy, then inspect that downloaded file again and check its appearance. Use cleanup rather than Re-encode when preserving compressed image data matters. Process only files you own or are authorized to change.
One author-provided PNG: local test, November 1, 2026
We tested the existing local RemoveAI metadata implementation on one PNG from the ComfyUI author’s Hires Fix examples. Independent inspection identified two tEXt blocks with prompt and workflow keywords; neither remained after cleanup. File size changed from 1,022,222 to 1,015,233 bytes. Dimensions stayed 3235 × 1292. The IDAT image data, decoded RGBA pixels compared with the same decoder, and non-target raw blocks were identical; the original file was unchanged and all input/output chunk CRC checks passed.
What that test does not establish
This was one sample processed locally, not a production-browser download test or a ComfyUI import test. It is not a compatibility guarantee for every version, node or exporter. The sample had no color-profile blocks, so this result does not establish color-profile preservation.
Batch size and other options
The current tool accepts up to 20 files, 20 MiB per file and 100 MiB total. Split larger sets into batches; this is not a desktop workflow for thousands of files. If you need precise field-level operations or larger local batches, evaluate an established tool such as ExifTool on copies and verify its removal scope. Neither a file-size reduction nor a visual match proves the targeted metadata is gone.
Metadata is not a watermark or authenticity test
No detected removable blocks does not prove a file contains no other information or that an image is human-made. Cleanup does not remove visible watermarks, SynthID or other pixel-level signals, and cannot guarantee that a platform’s AI label disappears. It cannot retract previously published originals, separate JSON files or platform records. This guide covers supported images, not video. Follow applicable attribution, licensing and disclosure requirements.
Will I lose the embedded workflow after cleanup?
The cleaned sharing copy no longer carries the removed workflow data. Keep the original PNG and workflow JSON before cleaning; do not rely on that copy for recovery.
Does the checker display my full prompt or workflow?
No. It reports detected block categories. Independent inspection identified prompt/workflow keys in our single sample; that does not mean the product displays or identifies those fields individually.
