Keywords are unioned
Windows XPKeywords, XMP dc:subject and IPTC keywords are read and combined, case-insensitively, so a tag stored in one place is not lost because another tool used a different field.
Reads the metadata you have
The story is already in the file.
Keywords, star ratings, dates, camera details and GPS are often already inside the photo or its sidecar. Live Gallery reads them instead of asking you to start again — and never writes into your source folders.
- Keywords
- Ratings
- Local index
An illustrative metadata card. The values come from the image, not an account.
Metadata continuity
Read the old library. Do not make people retype it.
Live Gallery reads the places metadata actually lives: Windows keywords, XMP and IPTC, EXIF, WLPG face regions and Picasa sidecars. The goal is continuity, not a new silo.
Old libraries are considered
The reader understands Windows Live Photo Gallery face regions, people and tags, plus Picasa .picasa.ini sidecars with star ratings and album names. Both are ready now.
Read-only by design
The source folders are read-only. The app does not write XMP or IPTC back into originals; new tags, ratings and descriptions live in the local SQLite database under app data.
Scan the original
The metadata pass reads EXIF, XMP, IPTC, Windows properties and supported sidecars.
Build the local record
The values are stored with the image in the local catalogue, with the source fields kept distinct.
Find through the library
Use the people, tags, ratings, locations and date surfaces to find photos. The metadata is the input, not a cloud index.
The honest part
Read is not write
- Your source directories are never modified. Metadata write-back into the original will not be supported; export is a separate coming-soon tool that writes new copies.
- Tags, ratings and descriptions added in Live Gallery are stored in the app database under app data.
- Metadata search is facet-based: people, tags, folders and dates. There is no free-text search box.
Good questions
Photo metadata, answered.
Does Live Gallery write metadata back to my files?
No. It reads XMP, IPTC and EXIF but stores new tags, ratings and descriptions in SQLite. It does not write those changes back into the original file.
Does it read Picasa metadata?
Yes. The reader understands Picasa .picasa.ini sidecars, including stars, album names, face regions and rotation. Picasa albums are imported as tags; there is no Album entity.
Does it read Windows Live Photo Gallery people and tags?
Yes. WLPG face regions, people names and tags stored in the files are read during the scan. If the old library never wrote them into the files, they cannot be recovered from the app alone.
Can I search all metadata?
Not as free text. The current surfaces are filters for people, tags, folders and dates, with the metadata read into those facets.
Keep exploring
Related features.
Tags
Tags that survive the app.
Read existing keywords, add your own tags, and filter with real counts.
Star ratings
Five stars. One quick decision.
Rate 1–5, import xmp:Rating, and find the keepers with Ctrl+R.
Browse the library
Browse by face, tag and location.
Dedicated people, tags and locations views, plus folder and date filters. Search and object recognition are coming.
See it on your own library
Bring the folder.
Keep the originals.
Download the free beta, point it at a folder and try this on your own photos. No account, no upload, no card.
Windows 11 · Free 5,000-photo beta · No account needed