Why do my photos show today's date in the Immich timeline after uploading Takeout?

Google Takeout stores the real capture date in separate .json sidecar files, not in the photo's EXIF. If you upload the raw Takeout files, Immich reads the missing or wrong EXIF date and shows everything as taken today. FolioSort writes the correct DateTimeOriginal into each file before upload, so the Immich timeline is perfect.

What is the best way to upload a large library to Immich?

For large migrations the immich-go CLI is the most reliable — it handles 100,000+ files efficiently with built-in duplicate detection. The web uploader works well for folders under about 5,000 files, and you can also scan an external library folder directly if Immich runs on a NAS.

Migrate Google Photos to Immich — Self-Hosted Photo Server Migration Guide

Why people are choosing Immich over Google Photos

Immich is an open-source, self-hosted photo and video backup solution that looks and feels like Google Photos — without the privacy trade-offs.

100% Private

Your photos stay on your hardware — a home server, a NAS, or a VPS. No Google scanning your images. No AI training on your memories.

Google Photos UI

Immich has a mobile app and web UI that feel familiar. Timeline view, albums, search by face and location — without the subscription.

No Storage Limits

Google Photos gives you 15 GB free, then charges monthly. Immich is limited only by your hard drives. A 4 TB drive costs under €80.

Open Source

Immich is actively developed and free to use. No vendor lock-in. You own your data format and your server.

The challenge: Takeout breaks your metadata

Before you can upload to Immich, you need to fix the fundamental problem with Google Takeout exports.

1

Export from Google Takeout

Go to takeout.google.com and request a Google Photos export. Download all zip files when ready. Most libraries take 1–3 days to prepare.

2

Fix metadata with FolioSort

Extract the zips, open FolioSort and select Google Photos (Beta) in the sidebar. Point it at your Takeout folder and click Scan. It reads every .json sidecar, restores real timestamps and GPS coordinates into EXIF, and resolves duplicates. This is the critical step most guides skip.

3

Organize into a clean structure

In the same panel, turn on Organise into date folders, pick a template like {YYYY}/{MM} {Month}/, then click Process. Every photo lands in the correct year and month based on its actual EXIF date — ready for Immich to ingest with perfect timeline order.

4

Upload to Immich

Use Immich's built-in uploader, the mobile app, or the immich-go CLI tool to upload your organized, properly-dated library. Immich preserves your EXIF dates for it its timeline.

How to upload to Immich after organizing

Once FolioSort has fixed your metadata, you have several options for getting files into Immich.

📱 Immich Mobile App

Auto-backup from your Mac's photo library
Best for ongoing backups after migration
Limited for bulk historical uploads
Free, official Immich app

🌐 Immich Web Uploader

Drag & drop in the browser
Good for folders under ~5,000 files
Preserves EXIF dates from your fixed files
No extra tools needed

⚡ immich-go CLI (Recommended)

Purpose-built for large migrations
Handles 100,000+ files efficiently
Duplicate detection built in
Works perfectly with FolioSort-organized files

🖥️ Direct NAS Upload

Move files directly to Immich's library folder
Use FolioSort's SMB/AFP transfer to a Synology
Run Immich's "Scan External Library" option
Best for users running Immich on a NAS

Why FolioSort is the missing piece

Most Immich migration guides skip the metadata problem. FolioSort solves it.

Correct Dates in Immich Timeline

If you upload Takeout files without fixing them first, your Immich timeline will show everything as "today." FolioSort fixes that permanently by writing real dates into EXIF before upload.

GPS Restored — Location Search Works

Immich's "Explore by location" feature works only if photos have GPS in EXIF. FolioSort restores GPS from Takeout's JSON sidecars so your Immich map view is populated.

No Duplicates in Immich

Google Takeout duplicates photos across album folders. Without deduplication, Immich shows the same memory multiple times. FolioSort handles this before upload.

Checksum-Safe Transfer

Whether you move files to a NAS or an external drive for Immich ingestion, FolioSort verifies every file with a checksum. Zero corrupted images arrive in your Immich server.

FolioSort preview showing a Google Takeout library organized into Year/Month/Camera folders with restored dates, ready to upload to Immich

Dates restored, GPS recovered, duplicates resolved — exactly what Immich needs to build a perfect timeline.

Frequently asked questions

Migrating Google Photos to a self-hosted Immich server, answered.

How do I migrate my Google Photos library to Immich?

Export your library with Google Takeout, extract the .zip files, then run FolioSort to restore the real dates and GPS from the JSON sidecars and organize everything into clean Year/Month folders. Finally upload to your Immich server with the web uploader, the mobile app, or the immich-go CLI. The full workflow is in the steps above.

Why do my photos show today's date in the Immich timeline?

Takeout stores the real capture date in separate .json sidecar files, not in the photo's EXIF. If you upload the raw files, Immich sees the missing or wrong date and shows everything as taken today. FolioSort writes the correct DateTimeOriginal into each file before upload, so your Immich timeline is perfectly ordered.

Does GPS location search work in Immich after migrating?

Yes. Immich's "Explore by location" and map view only work when photos carry GPS in their EXIF. FolioSort restores GPS coordinates from Takeout's JSON sidecars, so your Immich map view is fully populated after upload.

What's the best way to upload a large library to Immich?

For large migrations the immich-go CLI is the most reliable — it handles 100,000+ files efficiently with built-in duplicate detection. The web uploader is fine for folders under ~5,000 files, and if Immich runs on a NAS you can point it at an external library folder directly.

Is FolioSort free, and does it upload my photos anywhere?

FolioSort is free to download and processes up to 100 files per operation on the free tier — enough to test the whole workflow. It runs 100% locally on your Mac; nothing is uploaded to any server. Pro (€14.99, one-time — no subscription) removes the file limit and adds duplicate detection.

Will FolioSort create duplicates in Immich?

No — the opposite. Google Takeout duplicates photos across album folders, which would show the same memory multiple times in Immich. FolioSort detects and resolves these duplicates by content hash before upload, so Immich receives a clean library.

Does this work on Windows too?

Yes — FolioSort runs on both macOS 14+ and Windows 10+, with the same Takeout import and folder organization. This guide is written for Mac, but every step applies on a Windows PC as well.

More migration guides

📦 Google Photos Takeout — Complete Guide

The full deep-dive: what Takeout breaks, how JSON sidecars work, and the complete FolioSort workflow. Start here if you haven't already.

🖥️ Google Photos → Synology NAS

Running Immich on a Synology? This guide covers moving your organized library directly to your Synology via SMB with FolioSort.

🔒 Google Photos → Nextcloud

Prefer Nextcloud over Immich? Same process — FolioSort fixes your Takeout files and you upload to Nextcloud's Photos app.

Migrate Google Photos to Immich — Without Breaking Your Timeline