diff --git a/app/core/gimpimage-rotate.c b/app/core/gimpimage-rotate.c
index 36e8dbf792..535225c569 100644
--- a/app/core/gimpimage-rotate.c
+++ b/app/core/gimpimage-rotate.c
@@ -269,11 +269,12 @@ gimp_image_import_rotation_metadata (GimpImage    *image,
 
       if (policy == GIMP_METADATA_ROTATION_POLICY_ROTATE)
         gimp_image_metadata_rotate (image, context,
-                                    gexiv2_metadata_get_orientation (GEXIV2_METADATA (metadata)),
+                                    gexiv2_metadata_try_get_orientation (GEXIV2_METADATA (metadata), NULL),
                                     progress);
 
-      gexiv2_metadata_set_orientation (GEXIV2_METADATA (metadata),
-                                       GEXIV2_ORIENTATION_NORMAL);
+      gexiv2_metadata_try_set_orientation (GEXIV2_METADATA (metadata),
+                                           GEXIV2_ORIENTATION_NORMAL,
+                                           NULL);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/app/dialogs/metadata-rotation-import-dialog.c b/app/dialogs/metadata-rotation-import-dialog.c
index ec5f0461d2..307c79fc0a 100644
--- a/app/dialogs/metadata-rotation-import-dialog.c
+++ b/app/dialogs/metadata-rotation-import-dialog.c
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ metadata_rotation_import_dialog_run (GimpImage   *image,
   GExiv2Orientation  orientation;
 
   metadata    = gimp_image_get_metadata (image);
-  orientation = gexiv2_metadata_get_orientation (GEXIV2_METADATA (metadata));
+  orientation = gexiv2_metadata_try_get_orientation (GEXIV2_METADATA (metadata), NULL);
 
   if (orientation <= GEXIV2_ORIENTATION_NORMAL ||
       orientation >  GEXIV2_ORIENTATION_MAX)
diff --git a/libgimp/gimpimagemetadata.c b/libgimp/gimpimagemetadata.c
index ee83d649be..234e69150c 100644
--- a/libgimp/gimpimagemetadata.c
+++ b/libgimp/gimpimagemetadata.c
@@ -210,8 +210,9 @@ gimp_image_metadata_load_finish (GimpImage             *image,
 
   if (! (flags & GIMP_METADATA_LOAD_ORIENTATION))
     {
-      gexiv2_metadata_set_orientation (GEXIV2_METADATA (metadata),
-                                       GEXIV2_ORIENTATION_UNSPECIFIED);
+      gexiv2_metadata_try_set_orientation (GEXIV2_METADATA (metadata),
+                                           GEXIV2_ORIENTATION_NORMAL,
+                                           NULL);
     }
 
   if (flags & GIMP_METADATA_LOAD_COLORSPACE)
@@ -313,7 +314,7 @@ gimp_image_metadata_load_thumbnail (GFile   *file,
       gimp_image_insert_layer (image, layer, NULL, 0);
 
       gimp_image_metadata_rotate (image,
-                                  gexiv2_metadata_get_orientation (GEXIV2_METADATA (metadata)));
+                                  gexiv2_metadata_try_get_orientation (GEXIV2_METADATA (metadata), NULL));
     }
 
   g_object_unref (metadata);