Rollmend“.supplemental-metadata.json” files, explained
Newer Google Photos exports name the JSON sidecar IMG_1234.jpg.supplemental-metadata.json instead of IMG_1234.jpg.json. Tools written for the old names often miss them – and the photos keep the wrong dates.
What’s inside
The same as before: title, photoTakenTime, creationTime, geoData, description and some Google-specific fields. Nothing in it is needed by other apps except the date, place and caption.
Why names get cut off
File names in Takeout are limited in length. With the long suffix, the limit is hit quickly, so you see names like Screenshot_20190616-101010_LongApp.png.supplem.json, ….supplemental-me.json or even ….png.s.json. Duplicates add a number at the end: IMG_0007.jpg.supplemental-metadata(1).json belongs to IMG_0007(1).jpg.
How Rollmend handles them
Rollmend strips the full or partial suffix, reads the duplicate number and matches the result to the photo. When a name is too short to be sure, it compares the JSON’s title and only accepts an unambiguous match. The report shows exactly how each file was matched.
Questions and answers
Can I delete the .json files afterwards?
After you’ve checked the exported photos, yes – their information is inside the photos then. Keep your original Takeout zip as a backup if you can.
Last updated: 2026-10-26