You exported your library with Google Takeout, imported it into Apple Photos, a NAS or a new phone – and thousands of photos are now dated to the day of the export, in the wrong order, without locations. Nothing is lost: the information is in the export, just not where other apps look for it.
Where the date went
For each photo, Takeout writes a JSON "sidecar" file next to it, for example IMG_1234.jpg.json or, in newer exports, IMG_1234.jpg.supplemental-metadata.json. It contains photoTakenTime (a Unix timestamp), geoData (latitude, longitude, altitude) and the description. Many photos – especially ones that were shared with you, edited, or saved from messaging apps – have no date in their own EXIF data, so apps fall back to the file's modified time, which is the export date.
The file-name traps
- Long names are cut off: the JSON name can be shorter than the photo name (users report a limit around 51 characters).
- Duplicates:
IMG(1).jpgbelongs toIMG.jpg(1).json, notIMG(1).jpg.json. - Edited copies:
IMG-edited.jpg(the suffix is localised in some languages) uses the original's JSON. - Large exports are split across several ZIP files, and a photo and its JSON can end up in different parts.
These patterns come from community documentation and real exports, not from an official Google specification, so a good fixer reports which rule it used for every file.
How to fix it
- Keep the ZIP files (or the extracted folder) as they are – don't rename anything.
- Open the Takeout Metadata Fixer in Chrome or Edge and select all the ZIP parts, or the folder. It runs in your browser; your photos are not uploaded.
- It matches each photo to its JSON, writes
DateTimeOriginaland GPS into JPEG EXIF, sets every file's date, and adds a CSV report. - Import the new ZIP into your photo app.
The free version handles 500 files per run; videos and unlimited files are planned for Pro. Command-line users can do the same with exiftool, but the name-matching rules above are the hard part.
Sources
Published 2026-10-02 by Karuna Labs. Our tools check file structure and checksums; always review outputs (and payment files in your bank's preview) before relying on them. This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice.