How to fix Snapchat Memories metadata (dates, places and captions)
In Snapchat's export, photos have no date or place inside them, captions come as separate images and long videos are cut into 10-second pieces. The missing details are in a list that comes with the export, so they can be written back into every file before you back anything up.
Step by step
- Download your export Ask Snapchat for a copy of your data. The list of your memories comes with it. Our guide shows how.
- Add the ZIP files to BackupMemories As they are, without unzipping. We match each photo and video to its entry in Snapchat's list.
- Get them back fixed Every file carries its date, local time and place, captions are back on and split videos are joined. Then keep them wherever you like.
What’s wrong with the export
In the exports we’ve checked (November 2026):
| In Snapchat’s export | What it means for your backup | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Photos have no date or time inside them | They all land on the day you save them, mixed in with this week’s | Write the date and local time into each one |
| Places are only in a separate list | Nothing on the map, no search by place | Write the place into each photo and video |
| Videos often carry the wrong date | Out of order, sometimes by hours | Set every date inside the video right |
| Captions, stickers and drawings are a see-through image | Your Snaps without them, and a pile of loose captions | Put them back on (and keep a copy without, too) |
| Long videos are cut into 10-second pieces | One moment as a row of short clips | Join them into one video |
| File names use UTC, not your local time | A Snap from just after midnight in Sydney is named the day before | Name each file by its local date and time |
| Big exports come in several ZIP files | Unzipping and merging folders by hand | Read them all together |
| My Eyes Only memories are listed but not included | They’re missing, and nothing says so | Tell you how many, and how to get them |
What “metadata” means here
Metadata is the detail stored inside a photo or video file: when it was taken, where, and which way up it goes. Photo apps like Google Photos and iPhone Photos sort, map and search your photos by it, not by the file name or the folder. Snapchat keeps those details in a list that comes with the export, memories_history.json, instead of in the files. So the files need them written back in before a photo app can use them.
Can you fix it yourself?
You can, with some patience. iPhone Photos and Google Photos both let you change one photo’s date and time, which is fine for a handful. For more, there are free scripts on GitHub that read Snapchat’s list and write the dates in, if you’re happy running them on a computer. Check what they cover: the local time rather than UTC, places, captions, split videos, and videos as well as photos. There’s a comparison of the ways to export Snapchat Memories.
Is it safe to upload them?
Your files are processed on our servers in the EU, with no human access and no AI used on them. The uploads go as soon as your memories are fixed, and the fixed files 72 hours later. There’s more in is BackupMemories safe?
Waiting for Snapchat's email?
Snapchat usually takes a day or two to send your export, sometimes up to a week. Leave your email and we'll send you one reminder, with what to do next.