diff --git a/server/src/services/metadata.service.spec.ts b/server/src/services/metadata.service.spec.ts
index 220216a2c8..1760c8a3d7 100644
--- a/server/src/services/metadata.service.spec.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/metadata.service.spec.ts
@@ -1017,12 +1017,44 @@ describe(MetadataService.name, () => {
       );
     });
 
-    it('should ignore duration from exif data', async () => {
+    it('should use Duration from exif', async () => {
       mocks.assetJob.getForMetadataExtraction.mockResolvedValue(assetStub.image);
-      mockReadTags({}, { Duration: { Value: 123 } });
+      mockReadTags({ Duration: 123 }, {});
 
       await sut.handleMetadataExtraction({ id: assetStub.image.id });
-      expect(mocks.asset.update).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ duration: null }));
+
+      expect(mocks.metadata.readTags).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(mocks.asset.update).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ duration: '00:02:03.000' }));
+    });
+
+    it('should prefer Duration from exif over sidecar', async () => {
+      mocks.assetJob.getForMetadataExtraction.mockResolvedValue({
+        ...assetStub.image,
+        sidecarPath: '/path/to/something',
+      });
+      mockReadTags({ Duration: 123 }, { Duration: 456 });
+
+      await sut.handleMetadataExtraction({ id: assetStub.image.id });
+
+      expect(mocks.metadata.readTags).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+      expect(mocks.asset.update).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ duration: '00:02:03.000' }));
+    });
+
+    it('should ignore Duration from exif for videos', async () => {
+      mocks.assetJob.getForMetadataExtraction.mockResolvedValue(assetStub.video);
+      mockReadTags({ Duration: 123 }, {});
+      mocks.media.probe.mockResolvedValue({
+        ...probeStub.videoStreamH264,
+        format: {
+          ...probeStub.videoStreamH264.format,
+          duration: 456,
+        },
+      });
+
+      await sut.handleMetadataExtraction({ id: assetStub.video.id });
+
+      expect(mocks.metadata.readTags).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+      expect(mocks.asset.update).toHaveBeenCalledWith(expect.objectContaining({ duration: '00:07:36.000' }));
     });
 
     it('should trim whitespace from description', async () => {
diff --git a/server/src/services/metadata.service.ts b/server/src/services/metadata.service.ts
index 746f62a944..9f5ce7654c 100644
--- a/server/src/services/metadata.service.ts
+++ b/server/src/services/metadata.service.ts
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ export class MetadataService extends BaseService {
       this.assetRepository.upsertExif(exifData),
       this.assetRepository.update({
         id: asset.id,
-        duration: exifTags.Duration?.toString() ?? null,
+        duration: this.getDuration(exifTags),
         localDateTime: dates.localDateTime,
         fileCreatedAt: dates.dateTimeOriginal ?? undefined,
         fileModifiedAt: stats.mtime,
@@ -457,19 +457,7 @@ export class MetadataService extends BaseService {
     return { width, height };
   }
 
-  private getExifTags(asset: {
-    originalPath: string;
-    sidecarPath: string | null;
-    type: AssetType;
-  }): Promise<ImmichTags> {
-    if (!asset.sidecarPath && asset.type === AssetType.Image) {
-      return this.metadataRepository.readTags(asset.originalPath);
-    }
-
-    return this.mergeExifTags(asset);
-  }
-
-  private async mergeExifTags(asset: {
+  private async getExifTags(asset: {
     originalPath: string;
     sidecarPath: string | null;
     type: AssetType;
@@ -492,7 +480,11 @@ export class MetadataService extends BaseService {
     }
 
     // prefer duration from video tags
-    delete mediaTags.Duration;
+    if (videoTags) {
+      delete mediaTags.Duration;
+    }
+
+    // never use duration from sidecar
     delete sidecarTags?.Duration;
 
     return { ...mediaTags, ...videoTags, ...sidecarTags };
@@ -934,6 +926,20 @@ export class MetadataService extends BaseService {
     return bitsPerSample;
   }
 
+  private getDuration(tags: ImmichTags): string | null {
+    const duration = tags.Duration;
+
+    if (typeof duration === 'string') {
+      return duration;
+    }
+
+    if (typeof duration === 'number') {
+      return Duration.fromObject({ seconds: duration }).toFormat('hh:mm:ss.SSS');
+    }
+
+    return null;
+  }
+
   private async getVideoTags(originalPath: string) {
     const { videoStreams, format } = await this.mediaRepository.probe(originalPath);
 
@@ -961,7 +967,7 @@ export class MetadataService extends BaseService {
     }
 
     if (format.duration) {
-      tags.Duration = Duration.fromObject({ seconds: format.duration }).toFormat('hh:mm:ss.SSS');
+      tags.Duration = format.duration;
     }
 
     return tags;