1. Keep every original ZIP
Download every numbered part created by Google Takeout and keep those archives unchanged. A large export can place related files in different ZIPs, so selecting only one part produces an incomplete view of the library.
Takeout Rescue accepts the ZIP files directly. An already extracted Google Photos folder is also supported, but the original archives remain the best immutable backup.
2. Validate and inventory the export
The app opens archive entries and checks integrity before repair. It inventories media, supplemental JSON, album metadata, expanded size and available destination space, then shows the expected work before the long operation begins.
Unreadable entries are reported with their archive path. A corrupt part should be downloaded again rather than hidden behind a partial success count.
3. Match media and Google sidecars
Matching begins with local exact evidence, then considers Google JSON titles, known supplemental-metadata suffixes, numeric duplicate names and cross-folder candidates. A cross-archive match requires stronger evidence than two files sharing a common camera filename.
Ambiguous candidates stay unresolved. The app does not assign a date or GPS coordinate merely to improve a headline success percentage.
4. Reconcile duplicates, albums and dynamic media
Exact content hashes identify repeated album exports. Album relationships are preserved while byte-identical media is represented once in the organized library.
Live Photo and Motion Photo resources are evaluated separately from ordinary duplicates because the short video may be an intentional component rather than an expendable copy.
5. Write to a separate output and verify
The selected output directory receives copies or streamed archive entries; the source remains read-only. Supported dates, offsets, GPS, descriptions and device information are written to format-appropriate metadata.
Every supported write is read back before it is marked verified. The final JSON and CSV reports distinguish repaired, already healthy, unmatched, unsupported and failed items.
6. Inspect before importing or deleting anything
Compare file counts and report totals, then inspect representative screenshots, camera photos, videos, HEIC/MOV pairs, edited dates and several locations in the destination application. Keep the original ZIPs until the repaired library has independent backups.
A job can be resumed after interruption when the source and output match the saved task state. Existing destination files are skipped rather than silently overwritten.