A Google Photos migration works best when you treat one Takeout export as a complete set. A photograph, its details and its album membership can be spread across different ZIP files. Keep the export intact and let Frameleaf’s dedicated importer join those pieces.
Before you export
Choose a migration window and record a small sample to compare afterwards: an old photo with a known date, a captioned photo, a location, a favourite, an album, a video and a Live Photo. Decide whether you want archived and Locked material in the destination and make sure the account owner will review private examples.
Download every ZIP file from the same Google Takeout export. Keep the ZIP names and sidecars. Avoid flattening all files into one folder, deleting JSON files or combining partial exports from different dates. Keep an untouched copy of the export until the destination has been checked and backed up.
Allow space for the uploaded ZIPs and the imported library, in addition to your normal free-space headroom. Check your account quota as well as the disk’s available space.
Upload the complete set
- Open Settings → Import & protection → Google Photos import → Import from Google Photos….
- Choose Choose the ZIP files… and select all ZIPs belonging to the export together.
- Keep the page open until upload finishes. If the connection drops, reopen this import under Your imports, choose the same files and let it resume.
- After upload, the check runs on the server. You can close the browser while it reads the export.
Frameleaf checks uploaded parts against the selected files when resuming. A different archive with the same name is refused rather than combined with the original import.
Review the import decisions
When the import is Ready to import, check the counts before adding items:
- Keep album memberships is on by default. Existing matching photos can join the imported albums without a second stored copy.
- Choose albums lets you omit unwanted albums. Google’s year folders start unticked; they are not necessarily albums you want to recreate.
- Fill in missing details on photos you already have is off by default. Enable it when you want missing dates, places and descriptions filled, while keeping details already present.
- Trash is excluded unless you choose to include it.
- If a photo has two competing sidecars, use the option to review both when you know which details are right.
Dates, descriptions, locations, favourites and archived state come across through the importer. Google’s Locked Folder items arrive Locked and do not join albums. Unlock your own session to review those examples.
Choose Import N photos. Importing runs on the server and can be paused and resumed. Keep the original export while any failures are being resolved.
Validate meaning, not just totals
Compare your sample with Google: capture date, caption, location, album membership and playback. Confirm a Live Photo’s motion belongs to the right still. If a pair is ambiguous, both files can arrive separately; review pairing in Library Care.
Download the CSV report with Download report. It explains new items, existing matches and failures. A lower new-item count can be correct when the originals already exist in Frameleaf. Use the report to reconcile those categories before retrying the whole collection.
For failed items, fix the reported cause and choose Try again. Previously added items remain, and exact existing files are matched rather than duplicated. Finish with a database and media backup of the destination.
For large server-side exports
Administrators can use Advanced: import from a folder on this server and select a Permitted import location. The operator must mount and allow that location through FRAMELEAF_IMPORT_ROOTS on the server and workers. Keep the export separate from managed library storage and use the documented server-folder setup.
Reply with the size of your export, the number of ZIPs, the stage you are on and the report’s failure reason if you need help. Remove private filenames and location information before sharing a report publicly.
Reference: Import from Google Photos