TL;DR: Google's automated transfer tools fail catastrophically with large libraries (200GB+). The manual route using Google Takeout + MetadataFixer + careful MacBook selection takes time but actually works - unfortunately if your library is 520GB+ expect this to take about a month.
Why Google's Automated Transfer Fails
I discovered what many users learn the hard way: Google Takeout has severe limitations when trying to export to a 3rd service also in the cloud, including network errors that stop transfers mid-process with no ability to resume, archiving limits of only 2-3 attempts per day with a maximum of 7 per week, and limited retry attempts where download links expire after 5-6 failed attempts.
First, Google seems to have an unknown error with my export:
This is the error you get from Apple it detects no new data:
Why “what should work” doesn’t
I’m sure majority of user this works very well however if you have a large photos, the automated one size fit all does not work very well and give you more dramas.
I was also quite excited when Google told me I could painlessly and seamlessly transfer all my photos, unfortunately, the reality does not match the promise, I have tried this automation quite a few times and it seems to fail all the time on incorrectly transferring videos, or just terminating the transfer for no apparent reason.
I don’t see the option to transfer data only download?
Yes, if you are part of the advanced protection program with Google, this transfer service is disabled because it’s class as third-party off-boarding.
If you are using Enhanced Protection you will notice this when you look at your Google account of the account tab:
The 30% Failure Wall
Users consistently report that Google Takeout transfers to iCloud fail around the 30% mark, especially with libraries over ~200GB. Here's why this happens:
API Rate Limiting: Google's API has a quota limit that triggers "429 Too many requests" errors when transferring large volumes of data. This isn't a bug—it's an intentional throttle - however, I find it quite peculiar when it’s from their own service?
Memory and Processing Constraints: Google only allows archiving files up to 2GB and 500 files per folder, and exceeding these limits causes export errors.
Network Instability Compounding: If you lose internet connection during transfer, the process stops and cannot be resumed—you must start from scratch.
What does get transferred before it fails?
It does not completely fail it seems to get so far through the transfer and then decide for one reason or another it’s given up so you may get 35% of your photos add a couple of hundred videos - then Google will tell you the transfer has failed - what is really frustrating is when it does fail iCloud doesn’t inform you that anything’s gone wrong.
The first time this happened I thought it was just bad luck so I thought let’s try it again, without deleting everything, I simply started another export, which gave me another couple of thousand photos and possibly 70 videos then the failure happened again.
I would also like to point out that if at any point during the transfer you accidentally or intentionally turn off iCloud Photo Library the iCloud transfer will immediately fail, but that does not stop Google attempting to send your data to iCloud with it not expecting that data.
When I got hit with the second failure, the only option was to attempt to start this again, so in iCloud photo library you have to delete and disable your library, you then have to wait 30 days before your library becomes permanently purged on iCloud - however, I found myself waiting 32 days for this purge to complete.
When the purge was complete from iCloud, I thought I would give it one last go, this time it seemed to get a little bit further, giving me approximately 57% of my photos and 36% of my videos this was monitored by looking at the iCloud photo library data size which day on day would increase - until it stopped increasing, I observed no additional photos or videos, and I had a silent failure.
If you are looking to move your Google Photos data off the Google platform or even just replicating them with iCloud, Google do not make it easy for you to get your data off their platform via this method.
Proven Manual Migration Strategy
Let’s get started on the very manual and somewhat archaic way of doing this, where you have to download your own data, process it yourself, and re-upload it to the destination cloud
Phase 1: Takeout Configuration (Day 1)
- Request Multiple Smaller Archives: Ask for 10GB ZIP files instead of 50GB ones. Larger archives are more prone to corruption and download failures.
- Use Google Drive Delivery: Instead of browser downloads, send Takeout files directly to Google Drive, then sync with Google Drive for Desktop. This makes downloads resumable and far more reliable.
- Set Realistic Expectations: Google Takeout has a limit of 2-3 export attempts per day, maximum 7 per week, you can also only download the file 4x times before it expires
Phase 2: Download & Metadata Processing (Days 2-7)
The MetadataFixer Solution
MetadataFixer.com is a specialized tool that fixes EXIF metadata from Google Takeout by finding each media file and its corresponding JSON file and merging them to create properly time stamped photos and videos.
Key Features:
- Retrieves original timestamps, file names, descriptions, tags, and GPS coordinates
- Adjusts timezone based on GPS coordinates so trip photos show correct local time
- Supports all file types that ExifTool supports: JPG, PNG, GIF, TIFF, MOV, MP4
Process:
- Download MetadataFixer for Mac/PC
- Purchase the paid for version for unlimited photos and videos
- Process all your ZIP files in batches
- The tool outputs processed photos ready for import into Apple Photos in correct chronological order
Phase 3: iCloud Upload (Weeks 2-4)
Upload Time Estimates
Based on research, here are realistic timeframes for 520GB, considering Apple's fair-use throttling policies:
With 5-10 Mbps Upload Speed:
- At 5 Mbps, 40GB takes 18-20 hours
- 520GB estimate: 10-14 days of continuous uploading
With 25-50 Mbps Upload Speed:
- Theoretical: 520GB in 1-2 days
- Apple throttled reality: 3-5 days due to fair-use limitations
With 100 Mbps+ Upload Speed:
- Theoretical: 520GB in 12-24 hours
- Apple throttled reality: 2-4 days (Apple won't allow single users to max out iCloud infrastructure)
With Gigabit+ Internet (1-2 Gbps):
- Theoretical: 520GB in 2-4 hours
- Apple throttled reality: Still 2-3 days (Apple's servers impose per-user limits regardless of your connection speed)
Key Reality Check: Even with ultra-fast broadband, Apple implements fair-sharing policies that prevent any single user from saturating their iCloud infrastructure. Expect actual upload speeds to plateau around 50-100 Mbps sustained, regardless of your connection capacity.
Critical Upload Tips:
- Keep device plugged in and disable Low Power Mode
- Use Wi-Fi
- Keep Photos app in the foreground
Total Cost Breakdown
- MetadataFixer: £25
- iCloud Storage (2TB plan): £8.99/month
The Bottom Line
Migrating 520GB from Google Photos to iCloud isn't a weekend project—it's a commitment. The automated tools fail because they weren't designed for power users with massive libraries. But the manual route, while time-intensive, delivers complete control over your digital memories.