EXIF tag · IFD1

ThumbnailOffset

(called JPEGInterchangeFormat in the specification, this is ThumbnailOffset in IFD1 of JPEG and some TIFF-based images, IFD0 of MRW images and AVI and MOV videos, and the SubIFD in IFD1 of SRW images; PreviewImageStart in MakerNotes and IFD0 of ARW and SR2 images; JpgFromRawStart in SubIFD of NEF images and IFD2 of PEF images; and OtherImageStart in everything else)

0x0201
Tag ID (513 decimal)
IFD1
IFD / group
int32u*
Data type
EXIF
Table

What ThumbnailOffset means#

(called JPEGInterchangeFormat in the specification, this is ThumbnailOffset in IFD1 of JPEG and some TIFF-based images, IFD0 of MRW images and AVI and MOV videos, and the SubIFD in IFD1 of SRW images; PreviewImageStart in MakerNotes and IFD0 of ARW and SR2 images; JpgFromRawStart in SubIFD of NEF images and IFD2 of PEF images; and OtherImageStart in everything else)

Also known as: ThumbnailOffset, ThumbnailOffset, PreviewImageStart, PreviewImageStart, JpgFromRawStart.

Read, write and remove it#

# read
exiftool -ThumbnailOffset photo.jpg
# write
exiftool -ThumbnailOffset="…" photo.jpg
# remove
exiftool -ThumbnailOffset= photo.jpg
# all files in a folder, as CSV
exiftool -csv -ThumbnailOffset -r ./photos > thumbnail-offset.csv

In Python with Pillow:

from PIL import Image
exif = Image.open("photo.jpg").getexif()
value = exif.get(0x0201)  # ThumbnailOffset
print(value)

Other IFD1 tags#

Frequently asked questions#

What is the EXIF tag ID of ThumbnailOffset?

0x0201 (513 decimal), in the IFD1 directory.

How do I see ThumbnailOffset in a photo?

Run exiftool -ThumbnailOffset photo.jpg, or open the file's info panel in Lightroom, Photoshop, Windows (Properties → Details) or macOS Preview (Tools → Show Inspector).

Last updated October 03, 2026 · How we calculate · Sources