To fix Google Photos Takeout dates free: drop your Takeout zip anywhere on this page. Your browser matches every JSON sidecar to its photo, writes the real dates and GPS back into the EXIF, and hands you one clean zip. No upload, no signup, no command line.
What Google Takeout does to your photos
When you export your library with Google Takeout, Google hands you the
original image files, but strips the story out of them. The date each
photo was taken, where it was taken, even your captions live in separate
sidecar files named things like IMG_2041.HEIC.supplemental-metadata.json.
Import that export into Apple Photos, Immich, a NAS, or anything else, and
every photo stacks up on today's date with no location. Twenty years of
memories, unsorted.
What this tool does
| Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1. Reads your zip locally | The archive is opened in your browser's memory. Nothing is transmitted anywhere. |
| 2. Matches JSON to photos | Including Google's naming quirks: truncated names, "(1)" duplicates, supplemental-metadata suffixes. |
| 3. Writes real EXIF | Date taken and GPS coordinates go back inside your JPGs, where every photo app expects them. |
| 4. Fixes timestamps for the rest | HEIC, PNG and video files get corrected file dates in the output zip. |
| 5. Hands you a clean library | One fixed zip, JSON clutter removed, with a per-file report. |
FAQ
Why do all my Takeout photos say they were taken today?
Because most tools read the file's creation date, which becomes the moment you downloaded the export. The real "date taken" is in the JSON sidecar. This tool moves it back into the photo where it belongs.
My export is split into multiple zips.
That's normal: Takeout splits large exports. Run each zip through separately; matching works per-zip because Google keeps sidecars next to their photos.
Is my photo library safe here?
This is the whole reason we built it in-browser: uploading your entire photo library to a stranger's server to "fix metadata" is an insane trade. Here, the fix runs on your machine. Airplane mode works. The existing alternatives are command-line scripts or a paid desktop app.
What about HEIC photos and videos?
Version one writes full EXIF into JPGs and corrects file timestamps for everything else (which most importers respect). Full HEIC/video metadata writing is coming.
How big an export can it handle?
A few GB per zip works on a typical desktop. Very large exports: run the zips one at a time and keep the tab focused. Phones will struggle with multi-GB archives. Use a computer for this one.