Guide
How to fix Google Takeout exports
Read the JSON sidecar that sits next to each Google Photos file and write that date back.
What gets fixed
- Pairs photo.jpg with photo.jpg.json (or photo.json)
- Uses photoTakenTime, including timestamps stored as strings
- Copies geoData or geoDataExif when it is a real place
- Treats 0,0 as “no location”, not a point in the ocean
How to do it
- 1Request a Google Photos export from Google Takeout and download the archives.
- 2Add the ZIP files, or choose the unzipped folder. Sidecars must stay next to the photos.
- 3Pick a timezone. Takeout times are an absolute instant; the offset only changes the wall clock written into the file.
- 4Save the fixed copy. Index JSON is not included in the output.
Good to know
- Files with no sidecar are copied into _unmatched so you can see what was left over.
- Titles that try to escape the folder are ignored.