Google Photos is cloud storage. PhotoMove is a Windows program that sorts photos and videos into date folders on your PC. This page explains how to bring a Google download into PhotoMove and get the right dates.
PhotoMove works on your computer only. It does not upload your photos to the cloud.
What Google Takeout is
Takeout is Google’s way to download a copy of your Google Photos (and other Google data). You request an export from Google. Google builds zip file(s). You download them and unzip them on your PC. Start here if you have not used it yet: takeout.google.com (sign in with your Google account).
Inside that unzipped folder you will see photos and videos. Next to many of them you will also see small text files ending in .json. Those are companion files. People call them sidecars — a sidecar sits beside the photo and holds extra information about it.
Google often stores the real date taken in that JSON file (in a field called photoTakenTime), not only inside the photo itself. Older PhotoMove versions — and many other tools — ignored those JSON files. So Takeout dumps looked like “no date” or the wrong date.
In one sentence: When you get a Google Takeout and unzip it, the photo file is the picture; the .json file is Google’s note about when it was taken.
Free PhotoMove does the sorting step. PhotoMove Pro can also write the recovered date into the photo or video file so that the correct date taken is now stored in the photo. The sidecar files will no longer be needed.
Feature 1a — Sort using Takeout JSON (Free)
When you click Find, PhotoMove does this:
- First it looks for a normal date inside the photo or video (EXIF / media date). EXIF means date and camera info stored inside the file.
- If that date is missing or unusable, it looks for a sibling Takeout JSON next to the file.
- It reads
photoTakenTimefrom that JSON (orcreationTimeif needed). - It uses that date to choose the destination folder.
It matches common Google names, such as:
photo.jpg.jsonphoto.jpg.supplemental-metadata.json- truncated names, where practical
In the app there is a checkbox (default On):
Use Google Takeout JSON dates when EXIF date is missing.
Leave that checkbox on for Takeout folders.
What happens to the .json files
PhotoMove does not copy or move .json files (or similar non-media files like .txt). They stay in your Takeout / source folder.
After Find, you will see them listed under something like Not Img/Video… Will Not be Moved or Copied.
Important: Feature 1a only decides which folder the photo goes into. It does not change the date stored inside the photo file. File Explorer and other apps that only read the embedded date may still show a missing or wrong date until Feature 1b.
Feature 1b — Write the date into the file (Pro)
Pro can do an optional next step: after recovering the date from the JSON, PhotoMove updates the file’s date metadata. Then other programs can see the correct date taken.
Free still gets Feature 1a sorting. Writing the date into the file is the Pro Takeout value-add.
Soft link if you want that write-back: Upgrade to PhotoMove Pro ($8.99 one-time).
Short how-to
- Request a Takeout at takeout.google.com. Choose Google Photos (and only what you need). If you only need part of your library, put those photos in a Google Photos album first, then export that album. Google does not offer a simple “export only this date range” for the whole library.
- Download the zip file(s) and unzip them on your PC.
- In PhotoMove, set the source folder to the unzipped Takeout folder (the one that contains the photos and the
.jsonfiles). - Set a destination folder outside the Takeout folder. Do not sort into the same Takeout tree.
- Leave Use Google Takeout JSON dates when EXIF date is missing turned On.
- Click Find. Check that photos show sensible dates. Confirm that
.jsonfiles are listed as not moved/copied. - Click Copy first (safer than Move). Look at the destination folders.
- When you are happy with the result, you can delete or archive the Takeout folder if you no longer need it.
Need PhotoMove? Start with PhotoMove Free. Step-by-step for the main screen: Using PhotoMove — Step By Step.
FAQ
Do I need to Takeout my whole library?
No. You can export a smaller set. A practical way is to put the photos you care about into a Google Photos album, then Takeout that album. Google does not give a clean “only these dates” export for everything at once.
Will PhotoMove delete my JSON files?
No. Feature 1a leaves .json files in the source folder. They are not copied and not moved.
After Copy, can I delete the Takeout folder?
Yes — after you have checked the destination and you are sure the photos are where you want them. Keep a backup of the Takeout zips until you are comfortable.
Why does File Explorer still show the wrong date?
Feature 1a only places the file in the right dated folder. It does not rewrite the date inside the file. File Explorer often shows the embedded date (or the file date), not the folder name. Feature 1b (Pro) updates the file’s date metadata so other programs can see the correct date taken.
Should I use Copy or Move?
Use Copy first. That leaves the Takeout folder untouched while you check the result. Use Move only when you are sure.
What if a photo has both EXIF and JSON?
PhotoMove prefers a usable date inside the file. It uses the Takeout JSON only when that inside date is missing or unusable.
What if the JSON is missing or broken?
Then PhotoMove cannot recover a Takeout date for that file. The photo may fall into the same “no usable date” handling as other files without EXIF. Pro has extra options for files with no EXIF date — see Pro options for no EXIF date files.
Does PhotoMove upload my Takeout to the cloud?
No. PhotoMove runs on your Windows PC. Your Takeout stays local unless you copy it somewhere yourself.