diff --git a/server/src/services/metadata.service.spec.ts b/server/src/services/metadata.service.spec.ts
index 6e95430402..f275477d93 100644
--- a/server/src/services/metadata.service.spec.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/metadata.service.spec.ts
@@ -263,6 +263,35 @@ describe(MetadataService.name, () => {
       });
     });
 
+    it('should not delete latituide and longitude without reverse geocode', async () => {
+      // regression test for issue 17511
+      mocks.asset.getByIds.mockResolvedValue([assetStub.withLocation]);
+      mocks.systemMetadata.get.mockResolvedValue({ reverseGeocoding: { enabled: false } });
+      mocks.storage.stat.mockResolvedValue({
+        size: 123_456,
+        mtime: assetStub.withLocation.fileModifiedAt,
+        mtimeMs: assetStub.withLocation.fileModifiedAt.valueOf(),
+        birthtimeMs: assetStub.withLocation.fileCreatedAt.valueOf(),
+      } as Stats);
+      mockReadTags({
+        GPSLatitude: assetStub.withLocation.exifInfo!.latitude!,
+        GPSLongitude: assetStub.withLocation.exifInfo!.longitude!,
+      });
+
+      await sut.handleMetadataExtraction({ id: assetStub.image.id });
+      expect(mocks.asset.getByIds).toHaveBeenCalledWith([assetStub.image.id], { faces: { person: false } });
+      expect(mocks.asset.upsertExif).toHaveBeenCalledWith(
+        expect.objectContaining({ city: null, state: null, country: null }),
+      );
+      expect(mocks.asset.update).toHaveBeenCalledWith({
+        id: assetStub.withLocation.id,
+        duration: null,
+        fileCreatedAt: assetStub.withLocation.fileCreatedAt,
+        fileModifiedAt: assetStub.withLocation.fileModifiedAt,
+        localDateTime: new Date('2023-02-22T05:06:29.716Z'),
+      });
+    });
+
     it('should apply reverse geocoding', async () => {
       mocks.asset.getByIds.mockResolvedValue([assetStub.withLocation]);
       mocks.systemMetadata.get.mockResolvedValue({ reverseGeocoding: { enabled: true } });
diff --git a/server/src/services/metadata.service.ts b/server/src/services/metadata.service.ts
index a49bcac80e..5277ea2d68 100644
--- a/server/src/services/metadata.service.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/metadata.service.ts
@@ -200,15 +200,15 @@ export class MetadataService extends BaseService {
     const dates = this.getDates(asset, exifTags, stats);
 
     const { width, height } = this.getImageDimensions(exifTags);
-    let geo: ReverseGeocodeResult, latitude: number | null, longitude: number | null;
-    if (reverseGeocoding.enabled && this.hasGeo(exifTags)) {
+    let geo: ReverseGeocodeResult = { country: null, state: null, city: null },
+      latitude: number | null = null,
+      longitude: number | null = null;
+    if (this.hasGeo(exifTags)) {
       latitude = exifTags.GPSLatitude;
       longitude = exifTags.GPSLongitude;
-      geo = await this.mapRepository.reverseGeocode({ latitude, longitude });
-    } else {
-      latitude = null;
-      longitude = null;
-      geo = { country: null, state: null, city: null };
+      if (reverseGeocoding.enabled) {
+        geo = await this.mapRepository.reverseGeocode({ latitude, longitude });
+      }
     }
 
     const exifData: Insertable<Exif> = {