Understanding XMP Files

What Are XMP Files?

XMP files (Extensible Metadata Platform) are small text files that store important details about your photos. These files are saved next to the images they reference in your file system and help keep your photo organization intact. They include information like ratings, keywords, face tags, and location details. Mylio Photos follows industry-standard metadata formats, including guidelines from the Family History Metadata Working Group, ensuring that your metadata remains accessible and compatible with widely used tools and platforms.

Why Are XMP Files Important?

XMP files play a key role in how Mylio Photos manages and syncs your metadata. Any changes you make—such as adding keywords, labels, or locations—are written into XMP sidecar files.

Using XMP files makes syncing between devices faster and more efficient because they are much smaller than photo files. Instead of resyncing large images, Mylio Photos only needs to update these small text files, ensuring that your changes are quickly reflected across all devices. XMP files also serve as the source of truth for metadata.

What Do XMP Files Contain?

XMP files store essential details about your photos, including:

• Edits
• Keywords for organization and search
• Labels and Ratings
• Face-recognition tags
• Geolocation tags
• Other metadata for better photo management

Embedding Metadata into a File

Some image file types, like JPG, DNG, and TIFF, allow metadata to be saved directly inside the file. Mylio Photos offers a Save Metadata to File feature to embed metadata, ensuring that key details stay with the image.

This embedded metadata can include:

• Camera settings (EXIF data)
• Descriptions
• Keywords
• Star ratings
• Copyright information
• IPTC creator fields
• Face tags
• Location tags

How to Embed Metadata to a File

1. Select the photo(s) you want to embed metadata into.
2. Open the Photo menu in the top menu bar.
3. Choose Save Metadata to File.

*NOTE: Saving metadata to a file does not remove the XMP file.

*NOTE: Embedding metadata to an image can only be done from a computer. This option is not available on mobile devices.

What Happens If an XMP File Is Deleted?

Avoid deleting XMP files! They are essential for keeping your metadata intact and in sync.

If an XMP file is deleted:

• Metadata added in Mylio Photos may be lost.
• Mylio will attempt to rebuild and resync the XMP from another device if possible.
• Missing XMP files will be recreated when you interact with or modify the photo, but some metadata may not be recoverable.

XMP files help Mylio Photos keep your metadata organized and synced across devices. They speed up synchronization, preserve important details, and ensure your photo collection remains well-organized. Keeping these files intact ensures a seamless experience, so it’s best not to delete them.