What Is Supplemental JPEG Data? The .jpg JSON Files Explained
What is supplemental JPEG data? Files like IMG_1234.jpg.supplemental-metadata.json from Google Takeout hold each photo's date and place. Keep or delete?
"Supplemental JPEG data" is not part of the JPEG image. It is what people call the files named like IMG_1234.jpg.supplemental-metadata.json that Google Takeout puts next to each photo. Each one is a small text file with that photo's date taken, GPS location, caption and original name. The photo opens without it, but the date and place in it are often stored nowhere else.
The search is often typed as "suplemental jpeg data", with one "p". It is the same thing. The correct word is "supplemental", meaning "extra".
Why the files look like JPEG data
On Windows, File Explorer hides known file extensions by default. It hides .json at the end, so IMG_1234.jpg.supplemental-metadata.json appears as IMG_1234.jpg.supplemental-metadata, with the type "JSON File" or "JSON Source File". The .jpg in the middle makes it look like a piece of the photo.
On a Mac, Finder usually shows the full name. Long names can be cut off in the middle with "…", which also makes them look strange.
The rule for reading the name is simple: everything before .supplemental-metadata.json is the name of the photo the file belongs to.
| File you see | What it is |
|---|---|
IMG_1234.jpg | The photo |
IMG_1234.jpg.supplemental-metadata.json | The data file for IMG_1234.jpg |
IMG_1234.jpg.json | The same kind of file, from an export made before 2024 |
PXL_20240311_183022711.jpg.supplemental-metada.json | The same, with the name cut off by Google at 46 characters before .json |
IMG_1234.jpg.supplemental-metadata(1).json | The data file for IMG_1234(1).jpg, a second photo with the same name |
HEIC photos, PNG screenshots and videos get the same kind of file: IMG_5512.HEIC.supplemental-metadata.json, VID_0412.mp4.supplemental-metadata.json.
What is inside
Open one with Notepad on Windows (right-click, Open with, Notepad) or TextEdit on a Mac. It is plain text in JSON format. The important fields:
photoTakenTime: when the photo was taken, as a Unix timestamp in seconds, UTC. It includes any date you corrected in Google Photos.geoData: the latitude and longitude Google Photos showed, including a place you set by hand.0.0means no location.geoDataExif: the location that was in the photo's own EXIF data when it was uploaded.description: your caption.title: the original filename.creationTime: when the photo was uploaded to Google, not when it was taken.
supplemental-metadata.json: what it is goes through every field and every naming variant.
Why Google adds it
A JPEG can store a date and a location inside itself, in its EXIF block. Many photos in Google Photos do not have them there: screenshots, images from WhatsApp, scans, and photos whose date you changed in Google Photos. Google keeps those values in its own database. When you export with Takeout, Google does not write them into the photos. It writes them into these separate files instead.
So the supplemental data is the extra information that Google knew and the photo file does not contain.
Do I need it to open my photos?
No. Every photo opens without its .json file, at full quality. The file contains no image data and no program code.
What you need it for is the date and place. Without it, most programs show the day you downloaded or unzipped the export, and your photos sort in the wrong order. Apple Photos, Windows Photos, File Explorer, Finder and phone galleries never read these files, so the information must be written into the photos to be useful.
Can I delete the supplemental JPEG data?
Yes, but only after its date and location are inside the photos. Delete it first, and the photos without an EXIF date keep the download date for good. The only way back is a new Takeout export.
The safe order:
- Write the data from each
.jsonfile into its photo. - Check a few photos that had no date before, such as screenshots.
- Delete the
.jsonfiles.
Can I delete JSON files from Google Takeout? shows each step on Windows and Mac.
How to put the data into the photos
Free, with the command line. exiftool copies photoTakenTime into the photo with one command per naming style. It misses the cut-off names and the (1) duplicates unless you add extra steps; the exiftool guide shows how. GooglePhotosTakeoutHelper Neo does the matching for you, also free.
Without the command line, on Windows or Mac. Takeout JSON Metadata Fixer reads every .json file, including the cut-off and (1) names, and writes the date and GPS into each photo:
- Open the app and choose the Takeout zips or the unpacked folder.
- Choose an output folder, and folders by year and month if you want them.
- Run a dry run to see the plan, then run.
The app runs offline on Windows, Mac and Linux. The first 500 photos are free, and Premium is $19.99 once.
Frequently asked questions
Is supplemental JPEG data a virus?
No. It is a text file that Google writes into your own export. Windows may show a generic icon for it because no app is set to open .json files.
Why does every photo have one?
Google writes one file per photo and per video, whether or not the photo already has a date inside it.
Why do some photos have no supplemental file?
Live Photo video clips, some old uploads and edited copies (-edited) usually have none of their own. Why some photos have no JSON file explains.
Is it the same as supplemental-metadata.json?
Yes. "Supplemental JPEG data" is a description people use for .jpg.supplemental-metadata.json files. The files for HEIC photos and videos are the same kind.