100% Client-Side Engine Telemetry

Guides & Specifications

Learn how to export Google Photos, restore missing EXIF metadata, and import your library back with the correct dates and locations—all in a few simple steps.

Navigate to Google Takeout takeout.google.com

Open Google Takeout in a new browser tab. Make sure you are logged into the Google Account that contains the Google Photos library you wish to export.

Go to Google Takeout

Select Google Photos Only

By default, Google selects all of your Google Account data. Click "Deselect all" at the top of the list, then scroll down to find Google Photos and check its box. This makes your download size significantly smaller and saves you time.

Create Export and Download ZIPs

Scroll to the bottom, click "Next step", select your preferred archive sizes (we recommend 10GB or 50GB splits if you have a massive library to avoid downloading dozens of small files), and click "Create export". Google will generate your files and email you download links. Download all of these ZIP files onto your computer.

Load Archive in TakeoutFix

Go to the Restore Center. Click "Select Folder" to select your extracted Google Takeout folder directly on your hard drive, or drop your downloaded ZIP archives directly into the drop zone. TakeoutFix automatically scans your Google Takeout folder and detects photos, videos, and their matching metadata files.

Rebuild EXIF Metadata Offline

Click "Start Restore." TakeoutFix automatically matches each photo and video with its corresponding metadata file and restores missing dates, GPS locations, and EXIF information. Everything happens locally in your browser, so your files never leave your device. Once completed, save your restored files.

⏱️ Typical Restore Times

TakeoutFix scans your archive in a few seconds and restores metadata locally. Most libraries finish in under a few minutes, while very large Google Takeout archives may take longer depending on your computer and archive size.

Phase 01

Local Directory Parsing Heuristics

Secure Client-Side Indexing

TakeoutFix utilizes the modern browser File System Access API to gain read-only permission to your Google Takeout folder. It executes a high-performance recursive traversal to locate all media files and their corresponding sidecar JSON files entirely on your machine.

Zero-upload architecture: media bytes never leave your device.
Asynchronous scanning runs in a background Web Worker to prevent UI blocking.
Supports nested folder structures and multi-part Takeout archives.

File System Indexer

Active Traversal

IMG_3021.HEIC

4.2 MB indexed

IMG_3021.HEIC.json

1.2 KB parsed

IMG_3022-edited.JPG

2.8 MB indexed

IMG_3022.JPG.json

1.5 KB parsed

Scanned: 1,824 files

Speed: 142 files/s

Phase 02

Heuristic Metadata Matching Algorithms

Pairing Files with Sidecars

Google Takeout often edits names, truncates titles, or appends suffixes (like '-edited' or '(1)') to media, making standard matching fail. TakeoutFix applies a multi-layered match heuristic to pair files with their JSON sidecar, resolving filename inconsistencies automatically.

Name-hash pairing checks original file titles inside the JSON schema.
Fuzzy matching reconciles truncated strings and system-appended suffixes.
Timestamp alignment acts as a fallback to resolve similar media files.

Heuristic Matching Engine

Resolving Permutations

Source Media Fuzzy String Match Sidecar JSON

IMG_9102-edited.JPG

IMG_9102.JPG.json

Source Media Copy Suffix Resolved Sidecar JSON

IMG_9102(1).JPG

IMG_9102.JPG.json

Fuzzy Match Accuracy: 99.99% Fail Safe Fallback: Active

Phase 03

Deep EXIF Header Injection Mechanics

Rebuilding Media Headers

Once matched, the engine extracts the Unix epoch timestamps and coordinates. It parses the binary structures JPEGs, PNGs, and HEICs, injecting parameters directly into EXIF headers (DateTimeOriginal and GPS tags) without transcoding files.

Reconstructs native binary EXIF tags without re-compressing the image.
Updates QuickTime/UserData metadata headers inside MP4/MOV videos.
Outputs clean, linkable files ready for Apple Photos or Google Photos import.

EXIF Binary Injector

Writing EXIF Headers

0x9003 DateTimeOriginal

2021:08:15 14:23:35 written

0x0002 GPSLatitude

40.7128 N written

0x0004 GPSLongitude

74.0060 W written

Binary Integrity: 100% Valid Recomp: None (Raw)

Sponsor AreaWhile we're waiting for ads to appear, here's a premium feature you might like:

🚀

Upgrade to Premium

Faster processing • Larger archives • Priority support

Ready to restore your Google Takeout metadata?

Upload your Google Takeout folder and start restoring your photos locally in your browser.