ZipCombinerWhy the dates are wrong
- Some photos have no date inside. Pictures saved from messaging apps, screenshots, scans and some edited copies often carry no date taken. Google Photos knew it; the file doesn't.
- The file date is the download date. Unzipping gives every file the date it was extracted or the date stored in the zip, which is when Takeout packed it.
- Apps fall back on the file date. Without a date taken inside the photo, Apple Photos, Lightroom and File Explorer sort by the file's date.
The fix
- Open ZipCombiner and extract your Takeout zips, or click Restore Google Photos Metadata… and choose a Takeout folder you already unzipped.
- Click Restore when it asks about your photos.
- Import the folder into Apple Photos, Lightroom or wherever you keep your pictures. They now sort by the day they were taken.
ZipCombiner writes the date taken into JPEG, PNG, MP4 and MOV files and sets every file's own dates to the day it was taken, so the photos sort correctly everywhere, including formats like HEIC.
Already imported into Apple Photos?Restore the dates on the Takeout folder first, then import again. Apple Photos reads the date when a photo is imported.
Questions
Why do my Google Takeout photos show today's date?
Many photos have no date taken inside them; Google Photos kept it in a separate .json file. Without it, apps use the file's date, which is the download date.
Will fixing the dates change my photos?
Only their information: the date taken is added where it's missing and the file dates are set. The pictures themselves aren't touched.
Does it work for videos?
Yes. MP4 and MOV videos get their creation date, and every file's dates are set to the date taken.
Why are some times off by a few hours?
Dates are written in your computer's time zone, so photos taken in another time zone show the time at home.