How to Download Google Takeout (The Reliable Way)

Tired of Google Takeout downloads failing halfway through? Large photo libraries can produce multi-gigabyte exports that browsers struggle to download reliably. This guide shows you how to download your Takeout files with automatic resume and faster speeds.

Why Takeout Downloads Fail

Google Takeout exports for photo libraries are often several gigabytes each. When downloading through your browser, several things can go wrong:

• Massive file sizes: Takeout exports can be up to 50GB each. Browser downloads weren't designed for this.
• Connection timeouts: Browser downloads don't handle intermittent connectivity well. A brief WiFi dropout can kill a multi-gigabyte download.
• No resume support: If your browser download fails at 80%, you start over from 0%.
• No verification: When a browser download "completes," you have no way to know if the file is intact. A corrupted zip will fail silently until you try to extract it.
• Session expiration: Download links can expire during long transfers.

If you have a 50GB photo library split into 25 files, failing and restarting even a few downloads wastes hours. There's a better way.

The Solution: Use rclone

Rclone is a free, open-source tool for managing cloud storage. It connects directly to Google Drive and downloads files with:

• Automatic resume: If a download fails, it picks up where it left off.
• Checksum verification: Rclone verifies each file's checksum after download, guaranteeing the file on your disk matches what's on Google's servers byte-for-byte. No more corrupted zips.
• Parallel transfers: Download multiple files simultaneously.
• Progress tracking: See real-time speed and ETA.

Step 1: Save Takeout to Google Drive

When creating your Google Takeout export, choose "Add to Drive" as the delivery method instead of "Download via link." This saves your export files directly to your Google Drive.

Once the export completes, you'll find a "Takeout" folder in your Drive containing zip files like takeout-20260201T120000Z-001.zip.

Need help creating the export? See our guide on how to export images from Google Photos .

Step 2: Install rclone

Rclone is a command-line tool, which means you'll type (or copy-paste) commands into your computer's terminal. Don't worry if you've never done this before — just follow along and copy the commands exactly as shown.

macOS

Install using Homebrew:

brew install rclone

Windows

Install using winget, or download the installer:

winget install Rclone.Rclone

Linux

curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash

Step 3: Connect to Google Drive

Run the configuration wizard:

rclone config

Follow these steps:

1. Type n for new remote
2. Name it drive
3. Select drive (Google Drive) from the list
4. Leave client_id and client_secret blank (press Enter)
5. Choose scope 1 for full access
6. Leave root_folder_id blank
7. Leave service_account_file blank
8. Type n for advanced config
9. Type y to auto config
10. Sign in with your Google account in the browser window that opens
11. Type n for shared drive
12. Type y to confirm, then q to quit

Step 4: Download Your Takeout Files

First, let's verify rclone can see your files. Copy and paste this command into your terminal and press Enter:

rclone ls drive:Takeout

You should see a list of your Takeout zip files with their sizes, something like:

    82800 takeout-20260201T120000Z-001.zip
2145844835 takeout-20260201T120000Z-002.zip

Now download them to your Downloads folder:

Mac/Linux:

rclone copy drive:Takeout ~/Downloads/takeout/ --progress

Windows:

rclone copy drive:Takeout %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\takeout\ --progress

The --progress flag shows real-time transfer speed and progress.

Speed Up with Parallel Transfers

Download multiple files at once for faster total throughput:

Mac/Linux:

rclone copy drive:Takeout ~/Downloads/takeout/ --progress --transfers=4

Windows:

rclone copy drive:Takeout %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\takeout\ --progress --transfers=4

Resume a Failed Download

If your download is interrupted, just run the same command again. Rclone automatically skips completed files and resumes partial ones. Just use the same command from above.

What You'll Get

After downloading, you'll have one or more zip files like:

takeout-20260201T120000Z-001.zip
takeout-20260201T120000Z-002.zip
takeout-20260201T120000Z-003.zip

Inside each zip, your photos are organized by year or album. Each photo and video has an accompanying JSON sidecar file containing the original timestamps, GPS coordinates, and camera information that Google stripped from the actual files.

You don't need to extract them. Metadata Fixer processes the zip files directly.

Already Downloaded Via Browser?

If you already have your Takeout zip files from a browser download, you can skip straight to fixing the metadata. Even if some downloads failed or files are incomplete, Metadata Fixer handles partial exports gracefully and processes whatever files are intact.

For future exports though, consider using rclone. The checksum verification alone is worth it — you'll know your files are intact before spending hours processing them.

Next Step: Fix Your Metadata

Your photos are now on your computer, but they're missing their EXIF metadata. If you import them into Apple Photos, Google Photos, or any other library now, they'll all show today's date instead of when they were actually taken.

To restore the original dates, locations, and camera information, you need to merge the JSON metadata back into your photos.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the download take?

It depends on your library size and internet speed. A 50GB library typically takes 1-3 hours on a decent connection. The good news: you can close your laptop and resume later.

Can I pause and resume later?

Yes. Just close the terminal window or press Ctrl + C. When you run the same command again, rclone picks up where it left off.

Do Takeout files count against my Drive storage?

Yes, Takeout files saved to Drive count against your storage quota immediately. Make sure you have enough free space before starting the export. Once you've downloaded and verified the files locally, delete them from Drive to reclaim the space.

What if rclone shows errors?

Common issues: Make sure you selected "Add to Drive" when creating the Takeout (not email delivery), and that the export has finished processing. Check that your Drive folder is named exactly "Takeout". If you renamed it, adjust the command accordingly.