Installation and Setup - Xentraxx/GooglePhotosTakeoutHelper GitHub Wiki

Installation and Setup

This guide will walk you through installing Google Photos Takeout Helper (GPTH) and setting up all necessary components for optimal performance.

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

  • Operating System: Windows 10/11, macOS 10.14+, or Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+)
  • RAM: 4GB minimum (8GB+ recommended for large collections)
  • Storage: At least 2x the size of your Google Takeout data.
  • Disk Space: Additional space for temporary extraction and processing

Recommended Requirements

  • RAM: 16GB+ for collections over 50,000 photos
  • CPU: Multi-core processor for faster processing
  • Storage: SSD for significantly better performance
  • Network: Stable internet connection for downloading ExifTool and updates

Installation Methods

Method 1: Download Pre-built Executables (Recommended)

This is the easiest method for most users.

Step 1: Download GPTH

  1. Visit the Releases page
  2. Download the appropriate executable for your platform:
    • Windows: gpth-windows.exe
    • macOS: gpth-macos
    • Linux: gpth-linux

Step 2: Make Executable (macOS/Linux only)

# macOS
chmod +x gpth-macos

# Linux
chmod +x gpth-linux

Step 3: Optional - Add to PATH

For easier command-line access, add the executable to your system PATH:

Windows:

  1. Create a folder like C:\Tools\GPTH
  2. Place gpth-windows.exe in this folder
  3. Add C:\Tools\GPTH to your system PATH environment variable
  4. Rename gpth-windows.exe to gpth.exe for convenience

macOS/Linux:

# Move to a directory in your PATH
sudo mv gpth-macos /usr/local/bin/gpth
# or
sudo mv gpth-linux /usr/local/bin/gpth

Method 2: Package Managers

Arch Linux (AUR)

yay -S gpth-bin

Note: The AUR package is maintained by TheLastGimbus and does not include the latest features from this fork.

Homebrew (macOS) - Community Maintained

# This package may not be available yet - check Homebrew search
brew search gpth

Method 3: Build from Source

For developers or users who want the latest features:

Prerequisites

  • Dart SDK: Version 3.8.0 or later
  • Git: For cloning the repository

Build Steps

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Xentraxx/GooglePhotosTakeoutHelper.git
cd GooglePhotosTakeoutHelper

# Install dependencies
dart pub get

# Build executable
dart compile exe bin/gpth.dart -o gpth

# Optional: Build for specific platform
dart compile exe bin/gpth.dart -o gpth-windows.exe  # Windows
dart compile exe bin/gpth.dart -o gpth-macos        # macOS
dart compile exe bin/gpth.dart -o gpth-linux        # Linux

Required Dependencies

ExifTool Installation

ExifTool is required for full functionality, especially for metadata writing and GPS coordinate handling. GPTH will work without it but with significantly reduced capabilities.

Windows Installation

Option 1: Automatic Installation with Chocolatey (Recommended)

# Install Chocolatey if not already installed
Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force; [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol = [System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072; iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

# Install ExifTool
choco install exiftool

Option 2: Manual Installation

  1. Download ExifTool from exiftool.org
  2. Extract the ZIP file
  3. Rename exiftool(-k).exe to exiftool.exe
  4. Choose one of these placement options:
    • System PATH: Copy exiftool.exe to a folder in your PATH (e.g., C:\Windows\System32)
    • Same Directory: Place exiftool.exe in the same folder as gpth.exe
    • Custom PATH: Create a tools folder (e.g., C:\Tools) and add it to your PATH

Verification:

exiftool -ver

macOS Installation

Option 1: Homebrew (Recommended)

# Install Homebrew if not already installed
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

# Install ExifTool
brew install exiftool

Option 2: MacPorts

sudo port install p5.34-image-exiftool

Option 3: Manual Installation

  1. Download the macOS version from exiftool.org
  2. Extract the DMG file
  3. Copy exiftool to /usr/local/bin/ or another directory in your PATH

Verification:

exiftool -ver

Linux Installation

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install libimage-exiftool-perl

CentOS/RHEL/Fedora:

# CentOS/RHEL
sudo yum install perl-Image-ExifTool

# Fedora
sudo dnf install perl-Image-ExifTool

Arch Linux:

sudo pacman -S perl-image-exiftool

Manual Installation (All Distributions):

# Download and extract
wget https://exiftool.org/Image-ExifTool-12.70.tar.gz
tar -xzf Image-ExifTool-12.70.tar.gz
cd Image-ExifTool-12.70

# Install
perl Makefile.PL
make test
sudo make install

Verification:

exiftool -ver

Post-Installation Verification

Test GPTH Installation

Run GPTH to verify it's working correctly:

# Test basic functionality
gpth --help

# Test with version info
gpth --version

Test ExifTool Integration

GPTH will automatically detect ExifTool. To verify the integration:

# Start interactive mode and check for ExifTool warnings
gpth

Expected Output:

  • ✅ ExifTool found and working