Google Takeout Merger — Merge JSON Metadata Back into Photos
Google Takeout splits your photos from their metadata into separate JSON files. TakeoutFix is the Google Takeout merger that reunites them — writing all metadata back into the image EXIF header locally in your browser. No upload, no installation.
What the Google Takeout Merger Does
Writes EXIF
Why a Google Takeout Merger is Necessary
When you download your Google Photos library via Google Takeout, you receive a ZIP archive containing:
📁 Takeout/Google Photos/Album Name/├── IMG_4312.jpg← no embedded metadata├── IMG_4312.jpg.json← metadata is here└── ...
The Google Takeout merger process reads each .json file, extracts the date/GPS/camera data, and writes it into the corresponding image file's EXIF header. After the merge, the .json files are no longer needed — all metadata is embedded in the images themselves, compatible with every photo app worldwide.
Google Takeout Merger FAQ
What does the Google Takeout merger actually merge?
It merges the JSON sidecar files (containing date, GPS, and EXIF metadata) with the photo/video binary files. The metadata from the .json file is written into the EXIF header of the image, making the .json files redundant.
Does the merger change or compress my photos?
No. TakeoutFix writes EXIF data into the file header without touching the image data. No recompression occurs, no quality is lost. The only change is metadata headers.
Can the merger handle large libraries with 50,000+ photos?
Yes. TakeoutFix uses multi-core processing via Web Workers. Libraries with tens of thousands of files are processed in parallel. The Pro tier supports unlimited files.
Do I need to keep the .json files after the merge?
After TakeoutFix performs the merge, all metadata is embedded in the image files. You can safely delete the .json sidecar files — they are no longer needed.