Google Takeout Metadata Fixer
Drop the ZIP files from your Google Photos Takeout. The date taken, location and description from each matched .json file are written back into your JPEG, PNG, WebP and HEIC photos and MP4/MOV videos — without unzipping, without uploading. Other formats are kept unchanged and listed in report.csv.
Your photos never leave your device — everything runs in your browser
takeout-…-001.zip, -002.zip … part at once, no need to unzip · or browse filesAlready extracted? No export at hand?
HEIC / HEIF photos are updated without re-encoding. Original file names are kept, so both halves of a Live Photo keep matching names. Dates already in your camera files are kept unless they are off by more than 14 hours. The .json files are not copied to the output.
Free for up to 200 photos & videos, then $9 one-time for unlimited — the same license unlocks the Snapchat tool. Big libraries: use Chrome or Edge on a computer.
How to fix Google Photos Takeout dates
- At takeout.google.com select only Google Photos, choose .zip as the file type (not .tgz) and create the export. Already have .tgz files? Extract them first and choose the Takeout folder. Google emails you when the parts are ready.
- Download every takeout-…-001.zip, -002.zip … part. You do not need to unzip them.
- Drop all the parts onto the box above at once. The tool pairs each photo and video with its JSON wherever it can — even when they are in different parts — and shows what it found before changing anything.
- Click "Fix files & download". You get your files with the date taken and GPS written in (photos also get the description), plus a report.csv listing anything that was kept unchanged.
What gets fixed
- Date taken —
photoTakenTimefrom the JSON (UTC) is written as EXIF DateTimeOriginal with the time-zone offset you choose, and as the MP4/MOV creation time. Existing camera dates are kept unless they are missing or off by more than 14 hours. - Location —
geoDatalatitude/longitude/altitude is written as EXIF GPS (videos: ISO 6709) when the file has no location yet. Coordinates of 0,0 mean "no location" and are skipped. - Description — the caption you added in Google Photos goes into ImageDescription (and XMP for JPEG).
- HEIC / HEIF (iPhone photos) — the same date, GPS and description go into the HEIC's EXIF without re-encoding the image. Files with an unusual structure are copied unchanged and listed in report.csv.
- Everything else stays — original file names, folder structure, camera tags and image data are untouched; the .json files are left out of the result. report.csv lists which JSON each file used and what was written.
Matching photos to their JSON
The tool tries the new .supplemental-metadata.json names, the older photo.jpg.json names, names cut short at 51 characters, (1)-style duplicates, -edited copies (which use the original's JSON) and Live Photo video halves (which use the still photo's JSON). Files it cannot match are kept unchanged and listed, so you can see exactly what happened.
Big libraries
The ZIP parts are read directly, one file at a time. In Chrome or Edge on a computer the fixed library can be written straight into a folder you pick or into one large ZIP on disk; other browsers download ZIP parts of about 1.5 GB. If a run stops, scan the same export again in the same browser and continue where you left off.
FAQ
What does a Google Takeout metadata fixer do?
Google keeps the original metadata inside each file, but photos that never had a date inside (screenshots, downloaded or messaging images) and edits made in Google Photos only exist in a separate .json file. After the export those files can show the download date. This tool writes the JSON date (EXIF DateTimeOriginal with time-zone offset), GPS and description back into supported files.
Are my photos uploaded?
No. The ZIP files are opened and fixed in your browser on your own device. Nothing is uploaded; the page keeps working offline once it has loaded.
Why do my photos have .supplemental-metadata.json files?
Since about October 2024 (based on what users and tool makers report — Google has not documented it) Google names the sidecar file photo.jpg.supplemental-metadata.json instead of photo.jpg.json, and cuts long names down (to .supplemental-met.json, .suppl.json or just .json). Older scripts look for the old name and miss them. This tool handles both the new and the old naming, the shortened names and the (1), (2) numbering.
My export has several ZIP files. Do I need to unzip them?
No — drop all the parts at once. A photo and its JSON can be in different parts, so adding every part lets the tool match them across parts. If you already extracted the export, choose the Takeout folder instead.
Will it overwrite the dates my camera already wrote?
No, not by default. If a file already has a date taken that matches the JSON (within 14 hours, i.e. allowing for any time zone), it is left alone. A date is only written when it is missing or clearly wrong. GPS is only added when the file has none. You can switch on "Overwrite dates already in the files" if you want the Google Photos date everywhere.
Which formats are supported?
JPEG, PNG, WebP and HEIC / HEIF photos get EXIF dates, GPS and description; MP4 and MOV videos get their creation time (and location if they have none), without re-encoding. RAW files and other video formats are copied unchanged and listed in the report.
Does it fix iPhone HEIC photos?
Yes. The date taken (with time-zone offset), GPS and description are written into the EXIF block of HEIC / HEIF files without re-encoding: the image itself, thumbnails and other embedded images, and existing camera tags stay exactly as they were. Each file is checked after writing; if a file has a structure the tool does not handle (for example HEIC image sequences), it is copied unchanged and listed in report.csv instead of being edited.
What happens to duplicates in album folders?
Takeout often puts the same photo in a "Photos from YYYY" folder and again in album folders. Identical copies are detected by content; the year-folder copy is kept and the album copies are listed in report.csv.
Is it free?
Fixing up to 200 photos and videos per tool is free (counted in this browser; the JSON files do not count). Larger libraries will need a one-time $9 license — no subscription, no account. The paid unlock is coming soon; today the first 200 are free. The same license also unlocks the Snapchat Memories tool on this site.
Does it keep Live Photos together?
Original file names are kept, so both halves of a Live Photo keep matching names, and the video half gets the date from the photo's JSON. Re-linking them as one Live Photo in Apple Photos is not guaranteed.
Can I use it on my phone?
Google Photos exports are often several gigabytes, and Google itself recommends using a computer for Takeout. Use Chrome or Edge on a computer: they can write the result straight into a folder or one large ZIP on disk. Safari and Firefox get the result in ZIP parts of about 1.5 GB.
Is this a Google product?
No. It is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google.