How to Geotag Photos From a CSV Spreadsheet (Step by Step)

To geotag photos from a CSV spreadsheet, make one row per photo with the exact filename, latitude and longitude in decimal degrees, plus any title, description or keywords. Save it as CSV (UTF-8), load your photos into a tool that supports CSV import, match rows to files, check a few results, then save the tagged copies.

This method suits you when you already know where each photo was taken. That might be a list of job addresses, property locations, store branches or survey points. It is faster than tagging photos one by one, and it needs no GPS track.

What do you need before you start?

You need your photos, a spreadsheet app, and a coordinate for every photo (or for every group of photos taken at the same place).

• Photos. JPG, HEIC, PNG or WebP files. Keep the original filenames, because the spreadsheet will refer to them.
• A spreadsheet app. Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers or LibreOffice all work. You only need to export a CSV.
• Coordinates. Latitude and longitude for each location. If you only have addresses, you will need to look them up first (step 2).
• A tool that imports CSV. Geotagr's editor has CSV import, which is a paid feature (see pricing). Desktop tools such as ExifTool can also read CSV files, but they work from the command line.

If you have only a handful of photos, adding GPS coordinates online one at a time may be quicker than building a spreadsheet. If your photos were taken along a route and you have a GPS log, GPX matching is a better fit than a CSV.

What should the spreadsheet look like?

Use one header row, then one row per photo. Each column holds one kind of information. Exact column names depend on the tool, so check what your import screen expects before you build a big file.

A typical layout:

filename	latitude	longitude	title	description	keywords
IMG_1042.jpg	40.712776	-74.005974	Kitchen remodel, Brooklyn	Finished cabinets and countertop	kitchen remodel; cabinets
IMG_1043.jpg	40.712776	-74.005974	Kitchen remodel, Brooklyn	New backsplash tiles	kitchen remodel; tile
IMG_1051.jpg	34.052235	-118.243683	Roof repair, Los Angeles	Replaced shingles on south slope	roof repair; shingles

Photos taken at the same place can share the same coordinates. Only the filename has to be unique.

The example values are placeholders. Keyword separators (commas, semicolons) also vary by tool, so confirm which one yours uses.

How do you geotag photos from a CSV? (Step by step)

1. List your photos. Put every filename in the first column. On Windows you can copy filenames from File Explorer (select files, hold Shift, right-click, "Copy as path") and paste them in, then remove the folder part. On a Mac, a Terminal ls of the folder gives a clean list. Include the file extension.

2. Add latitude and longitude. If you have coordinates from a GPS device or survey, paste them in. If you have addresses, look each one up. In Google Maps, right-click the exact spot and click the coordinates to copy them. For long address lists, a batch geocoding service can fill the columns, but check its terms and spot-check the results. Geocoders sometimes place a point at the street centre or the wrong town.

3. Use decimal degrees. Write coordinates as plain numbers like 40.712776 and -74.005974. South latitudes and west longitudes are negative. Do not add letters, degree symbols or spaces. If your data is in degrees-minutes-seconds, convert it to decimal first.

4. Add the descriptive fields. Fill in title, description and keywords if you want them written into the photo too. Keep titles short and factual. Describe what the photo shows, not a string of search terms.

5. Clean the data. Check for duplicate filenames, stray spaces, blank coordinate cells and typos. Sort by latitude and longitude to find outliers. A single minus sign dropped from a longitude can put a photo on another continent.

6. Export as CSV. In Excel choose Save As > CSV UTF-8. In Google Sheets choose File > Download > Comma Separated Values. UTF-8 keeps accented characters in titles and descriptions intact.

7. Open your photos in the tool. In the Geotagr editor, add the photos you listed. Everything is processed in your browser, and photo files are not uploaded to Geotagr's servers.

8. Import the CSV and check the matching. Load the file and confirm each row has been matched to the right photo. Open three or four photos from different rows and check that coordinates, title and keywords are what you expect.

9. Save the tagged photos. Export the files. HEIC, PNG and WebP images are converted and saved as JPG, so the saved filename ends in .jpg. Keep your original files untouched as a backup.

10. Verify the result. Drop a few saved photos into the free metadata checker and confirm the GPS and text fields were written.

How precise do the coordinates need to be?

Five decimal places is roughly one metre on the ground, and four is roughly eleven metres. For most business uses, such as a job site, a storefront or a listing, five or six decimals is plenty.

More digits do not make the location more accurate than your source. If you copied a coordinate from a map by clicking roughly near a building, extra decimals only look precise. For why phone GPS itself can drift, see the existing guide on how accurate phone GPS is in photos.

A practical note for spreadsheets: Excel and other apps can display fewer decimals than the cell holds, and a CSV export may save what is shown. Before exporting, widen the number format so all decimals appear.

Can one CSV cover photos from many locations?

Yes. That is the main strength of the method. Each row has its own coordinates, so a single file can tag photos from dozens of sites in one pass.

Some examples:

• Real estate: one row per listing photo, with the property's coordinates and a title like "Living room, 12 Oak Street". See geotagging real estate listing photos.
• Contractors: one row per job-site photo, using the address of each job. See geotagging job-site photos.
• Multi-location businesses: a row for every branch photo, each with that branch's coordinates and business details.

For other ways of tagging in bulk, including copying one location across a folder, see how to batch geotag photos.

What can go wrong? (Troubleshooting)

Some photos were not matched. The filename in the CSV must match the file exactly. Check capitalisation (IMG_1042.JPG vs .jpg), hidden spaces, and the extension. If you renamed photos after building the sheet, the names will no longer line up. Also remember that HEIC, PNG and WebP files are saved as JPG, so keep a record of the original names and check how your import matches them.

Photos landed in the wrong place. Look for a missing minus sign, or latitude and longitude swapped. Latitude comes first and runs from -90 to 90. Longitude runs from -180 to 180. If a value in the latitude column is above 90, the columns are swapped.

Coordinates look like dates or got rounded. Some spreadsheet apps change values on opening or saving. Format the coordinate columns as Number (not General or Date) with enough decimals before you export.

Decimals show as commas, or all columns are in one cell. In some regional settings, Excel writes 40,712776 with a decimal comma and separates columns with semicolons. The importer may then misread the file. Switch your decimal separator to a point, or export from Google Sheets, which produces comma-separated files with decimal points.

Accented characters look garbled. The file was probably saved in a legacy encoding. Re-export as CSV UTF-8.

The import option is greyed out or locked. In Geotagr, CSV import is a paid feature. Check pricing for what each plan includes.

The location is correct, but the platform still shows no GPS. Many platforms strip metadata when you upload. This is a platform behaviour, not a problem with your file. Check the saved file in the metadata checker first, and see the guide on geotagging for Google Business Profile for what to expect there.

Should you geotag with a CSV or another method?

Use a CSV when you know the locations in advance and want repeatable, reviewable tagging. It also gives you a record: the spreadsheet documents what you wrote into each file.

Use another method when the data is not in a table:

• GPX track matching when you walked or drove a route with a GPS logger and photo times line up with the track.
• Manual or map-based tagging for a few photos.
• Phone location when photos are taken on-site with location services on.

Whichever route you take, keep expectations realistic. Google has not published how it uses photo metadata, and geotagging is not a guaranteed way to improve rankings. For the evidence, read does geotagging help local SEO.

Frequently asked questions

Can I geotag photos from a CSV for free?

Not in Geotagr, where CSV import is a paid feature. Free options exist, such as command-line tools like ExifTool, which can read tag values from a CSV file. They take more setup and care, and you must follow their exact column naming rules.

What columns does the CSV need?

At minimum you need a column identifying the photo (the filename) and columns for latitude and longitude. Title, description and keywords are optional extras. Exact header names differ by tool, so check the import instructions before building a large file.

Do I need addresses or coordinates in the CSV?

Use coordinates. GPS metadata stores latitude and longitude, not street addresses. If you only have addresses, convert them to coordinates first with a map or geocoding service, then check a sample on a map.

Will the CSV method work with HEIC, PNG or WebP files?

In Geotagr you can open JPG, HEIC, PNG and WebP files. HEIC, PNG and WebP are converted and saved as JPG, so the exported file has a .jpg extension. Keep your original files as a backup.

Are my photos uploaded when I tag them from a CSV?

In Geotagr, all processing happens in your browser, and photo files are never uploaded to Geotagr's servers. Uploading the finished photos to a website or social platform later is a separate step, and some of those platforms remove metadata.

How do I check that the GPS data was written?

Open a saved photo in a metadata viewer. The free metadata checker shows the GPS coordinates and text fields in the file. Check a few photos from different rows, not just the first one.