Unpack each downloaded Google Photos ZIP into its own folder, then check photographs, videos and important notes. Keep the original packages and accompanying information until you understand the result.
A download can finish successfully while still leaving questions about a missing caption or an expected edit. Those are worth recording before you rely on the collection.
What you need
A Windows 11 computer and the complete set of ZIP files from your Takeout request. You need enough space for both packages and unpacked contents. Keep the Google Photos collection unchanged while you work.
1. Match the parts to your list
Press Windows key + E to open File Explorer. Open the folder containing your downloaded export.
Compare the filenames with the parts listed for that Takeout request. Mark any missing or unfinished part. If one is absent, the set is incomplete even if many pictures are already present.
Use a simple note with three entries for each part: received, unpacked, checked. Leave an entry unfinished until you have actually done it. This is especially helpful when the task spans several evenings.
2. Unpack one ZIP at a time
Right-click the first ZIP and choose Extract All…. Use Browse… to choose a new, empty destination folder, then select Extract.
Use a separate destination for each part, such as “Part 01 unpacked” and “Part 02 unpacked”. Keep the folder structure inside each part as it arrives. Do not drag all the photographs into one large folder yet.
If Windows asks to replace files, cancel and use an empty destination. If extraction fails, mark that part as failed and obtain a fresh copy before relying on it. A folder containing some pictures does not prove the damaged package was fully recovered.
3. Keep the information files
You may see files ending in .json alongside photographs. These can hold extra information, such as comments from Google Photos. Keep them with the export.
You do not need to edit these files for this first check. If you cannot find a family description, write “description not yet located” beside the relevant picture in your note. Do not run a cleaner that throws away everything except images.
The date Windows displays for a downloaded file can describe the download. It is different from the photograph’s date stored inside the image. Before changing dates, compare a known event with the photo’s available information.
4. Open a recognisable sample
From the unpacked folders, double-click several pictures from different years. Include an older photograph, a recent one, a scan, an edited favourite and a short video where available.
Check that each picture shows what you expect and that useful detail is present. Play the video and move towards the end. Compare the edited favourite with the appearance you intended to preserve.
For a picture with a family caption, check whether that information is present in the exported material. Record a gap honestly; an image that opens does not settle the caption question.
For a very small trial, inspect every item. In a large archive this remains a sample check, so it cannot guarantee that every file is intact.
5. Record the result and keep a copy
Write the account description without passwords, request date, selected scope, parts received, extraction results and sample findings. Keep private download links out of a general family note.
For example: “All three parts unpacked; five photos and two videos open; one birthday comment still not located.” This says more than “backup done”.
Retain the downloaded ZIPs and untouched extracted set. A working copy can be organised later, once you understand repeated pictures and associated information. Similar-looking files are not automatically safe to remove.
Check your result
You should know which parts opened, which sample items worked and what remains unresolved. If a file will not open, note its type and whether extraction succeeded. Keep it unchanged while checking compatible viewers.
An export is a dated copy. New photos added later will need another planned copy; they do not simply appear in this folder.
Next step
Copy your checked export to a portable drive and open a sample there too.
Sources and scope
Researched 9 September 2026: Google export and information-file guidance and Microsoft ZIP instructions. The review method is editorial guidance and has not been hands-on tested for this article.