What are the “-main” and “-overlay” files in a Snapchat export?
When you export Memories, each Snap comes out as one or two files that share a name:
| File | What it is |
|---|---|
2016-08-12_6513…-main.jpg | The original photo, without text or stickers. |
2016-08-12_6513…-overlay.png | A transparent layer with your caption, stickers and drawings, the same size as the photo. |
2019-07-14_AE97…-main.mp4 | The original video. |
2019-07-14_AE97…-overlay.png | The caption layer for that video. |
Merging captions back
For photos, Restamp stacks the overlay on the main image at full resolution and saves one JPEG with the real date and location in its EXIF. You can keep a caption-free copy too. For videos, Restamp keeps the original video stream untouched (only the header gets the date and GPS) and saves the caption layer next to it as …_caption.png.
Files without an overlay
Many Memories have no overlay at all. That simply means you didn’t add text or stickers to that Snap.
Restore your export in your browser
Drop the Snapchat ZIP parts and get every Memory back with its real date, place and captions. Nothing is uploaded.
Open my exportFAQ
What is the -overlay.png file in my Snapchat export?
It is a transparent image with the caption, stickers and drawings you added to that Snap. Stacked on top of the matching -main file, it recreates what you saw in the app.
Can I delete the overlay files?
Only if you do not care about the captions. Once merged onto the photo (Restamp does this for you), the separate overlay is no longer needed.