Midjourney scanner: which clues actually survive in the file
Midjourney output is worth scanning differently from platforms that sign their exports. Rather than a cryptographic credential, what usually remains is descriptive metadata: XMP and IPTC fields naming the tool, an AI system string, and the distinctive file name assigned at download. AICheck365 reads those fields locally in your browser and reports each hit with the exact field it came from, so you can judge how much weight it deserves.
Short answer: expect descriptive metadata, not a signature
Scan the original download for tool strings in XMP and EXIF fields — Software, CreatorTool, Credit, DigitalSourceType and AI-system entries — plus the file-name pattern. These are readable and useful, but none of them are signed, so all can be edited, copied onto another file, or lost in re-encoding. Treat a hit as a supporting clue and corroborate it with where the file actually came from.
Sample status and evidence profile
| Bundled Midjourney sample | Not bundled yet. This page does not claim a direct Midjourney test until a licensed original sample can be published alongside the others. |
|---|---|
| What the parser matches | The tool-pattern matcher recognises a midjourney string in metadata field values and in file names, and reports which field produced the match. |
| Evidence level | Unsigned descriptive metadata. Weaker than a valid C2PA manifest, and treated as a lower-confidence supporting signal in the report. |
Signals to Check
| XMP / IPTC fields | CreatorTool, Software, Credit, DigitalSourceType and AI-system entries can name the generating tool when the original export is intact. |
|---|---|
| File name | Download names often carry the account name, a slug of the prompt, and a job identifier. Useful context, but trivially renamed. |
| C2PA Content Credentials | Not something to count on here. If a signed manifest is present it is usually because a later editor, such as an Adobe application, added it. |
| Visual style | Not a signal this tool uses. Style-based guessing is exactly the kind of judgement metadata evidence is meant to replace. |
Why a "scanner" cannot give you a percentage
Tools that return a confidence score for Midjourney imagery are inferring from pixels, and that inference degrades badly on compressed, cropped or upscaled copies. This scanner deliberately does something narrower and more checkable: it reports which provenance fields exist in the file and what they say. If the answer is nothing, that is reported as nothing found rather than dressed up as a low probability of AI.
What to do when the metadata is gone
Because these fields are unsigned and easily stripped, an empty result is common for anything that has travelled. A few practical follow-ups usually help more than re-running the scan:
- Ask for the file as downloaded from the platform, before it was posted or forwarded.
- Look for the highest-resolution published copy — social platforms re-encode down, and metadata goes with it.
- Check whether the file is a screenshot: those retain the screenshot tool's own metadata and nothing of the original.
- Compare against platforms that do sign their exports, where a valid manifest can settle the question.
Limits
- Midjourney signals are unsigned metadata: they can be edited, removed, or copied onto an unrelated file.
- Social platforms, messaging apps, screenshots and re-exports routinely strip XMP and IPTC fields entirely.
- No bundled Midjourney sample is published yet, so this page describes field coverage rather than a reproduced test result.
- No signals found means this copy carries no readable evidence — it does not indicate the image is not from Midjourney.
Compare against a platform that signs its exports, then use the EXIF/XMP reader for the descriptive fields here.
FAQ
Is there a free Midjourney scanner?
Yes. AICheck365 checks Midjourney downloads free of charge in your browser, with no account and no upload. It reports the XMP, IPTC and file-name evidence actually present rather than a synthetic confidence score.
Does Midjourney add C2PA Content Credentials?
Do not assume so. The dependable signals here are descriptive metadata fields and the file name. When a signed manifest does appear, it has usually been added by a later editing step rather than at generation.
Can a Midjourney image be identified after posting to social media?
Often not from the file alone. Platforms re-encode uploads and drop XMP and IPTC data, which leaves the scan with nothing readable to report. The original download is far more informative.
Are files uploaded for scanning?
No. Parsing runs locally in your browser, so the image never leaves your device.