diff --git a/builder/googlecompute/config.go b/builder/googlecompute/config.go
index df55d99d2..7c78a93cd 100644
--- a/builder/googlecompute/config.go
+++ b/builder/googlecompute/config.go
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	Subnetwork                   string                         `mapstructure:"subnetwork"`
 	Tags                         []string                       `mapstructure:"tags"`
 	UseInternalIP                bool                           `mapstructure:"use_internal_ip"`
+	MetadataFiles                map[string]string              `mapstructure:"metadata_files"`
 	Zone                         string                         `mapstructure:"zone"`
 
 	Account            AccountFile
diff --git a/builder/googlecompute/config_test.go b/builder/googlecompute/config_test.go
index 4db82040b..f562d4b8f 100644
--- a/builder/googlecompute/config_test.go
+++ b/builder/googlecompute/config_test.go
@@ -431,7 +431,8 @@ func testConfig(t *testing.T) (config map[string]interface{}, tempAccountFile st
 		"image_licenses": []string{
 			"test-license",
 		},
-		"zone": "us-east1-a",
+		"metadata_files": map[string]string{},
+		"zone":           "us-east1-a",
 	}
 
 	return config, tempAccountFile
@@ -484,6 +485,21 @@ func testAccountFile(t *testing.T) string {
 	return tf.Name()
 }
 
+const testMetadataFileContent = `testMetadata`
+
+func testMetadataFile(t *testing.T) string {
+	tf, err := ioutil.TempFile("", "packer")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
+	}
+	defer tf.Close()
+	if _, err := tf.Write([]byte(testMetadataFileContent)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %s", err)
+	}
+
+	return tf.Name()
+}
+
 // This is just some dummy data that doesn't actually work (it was revoked
 // a long time ago).
 const testAccountContent = `{}`
diff --git a/builder/googlecompute/step_create_instance.go b/builder/googlecompute/step_create_instance.go
index 5ed854670..6004c2fab 100644
--- a/builder/googlecompute/step_create_instance.go
+++ b/builder/googlecompute/step_create_instance.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ type StepCreateInstance struct {
 func (c *Config) createInstanceMetadata(sourceImage *Image, sshPublicKey string) (map[string]string, error) {
 	instanceMetadata := make(map[string]string)
 	var err error
+	var errs *packer.MultiError
 
 	// Copy metadata from config.
 	for k, v := range c.Metadata {
@@ -41,10 +42,24 @@ func (c *Config) createInstanceMetadata(sourceImage *Image, sshPublicKey string)
 	if c.StartupScriptFile != "" {
 		var content []byte
 		content, err = ioutil.ReadFile(c.StartupScriptFile)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
 		instanceMetadata[StartupWrappedScriptKey] = string(content)
 	} else if wrappedStartupScript, exists := instanceMetadata[StartupScriptKey]; exists {
 		instanceMetadata[StartupWrappedScriptKey] = wrappedStartupScript
 	}
+
+	// Read metadata from files specified with metadata_files
+	for key, value := range c.MetadataFiles {
+		var content []byte
+		content, err = ioutil.ReadFile(value)
+		if err != nil {
+			errs = packer.MultiErrorAppend(errs, err)
+		}
+		instanceMetadata[key] = string(content)
+	}
+
 	if sourceImage.IsWindows() {
 		// Windows startup script support is not yet implemented.
 		// Mark the startup script as done.
@@ -55,7 +70,10 @@ func (c *Config) createInstanceMetadata(sourceImage *Image, sshPublicKey string)
 		instanceMetadata[StartupScriptStatusKey] = StartupScriptStatusNotDone
 	}
 
-	return instanceMetadata, err
+	if errs != nil && len(errs.Errors) > 0 {
+		return instanceMetadata, errs
+	}
+	return instanceMetadata, nil
 }
 
 func getImage(c *Config, d Driver) (*Image, error) {
@@ -98,7 +116,13 @@ func (s *StepCreateInstance) Run(ctx context.Context, state multistep.StateBag)
 
 	var errCh <-chan error
 	var metadata map[string]string
-	metadata, err = c.createInstanceMetadata(sourceImage, string(c.Comm.SSHPublicKey))
+	metadata, errs := c.createInstanceMetadata(sourceImage, string(c.Comm.SSHPublicKey))
+	if errs != nil {
+		state.Put("error", errs.Error())
+		ui.Error(errs.Error())
+		return multistep.ActionHalt
+	}
+
 	errCh, err = d.RunInstance(&InstanceConfig{
 		AcceleratorType:              c.AcceleratorType,
 		AcceleratorCount:             c.AcceleratorCount,
diff --git a/builder/googlecompute/step_create_instance_test.go b/builder/googlecompute/step_create_instance_test.go
index e56159138..33f0371fb 100644
--- a/builder/googlecompute/step_create_instance_test.go
+++ b/builder/googlecompute/step_create_instance_test.go
@@ -325,3 +325,20 @@ func TestCreateInstanceMetadata_noPublicKey(t *testing.T) {
 	// ensure the ssh metadata hasn't changed
 	assert.Equal(t, metadata["sshKeys"], sshKeys, "Instance metadata should not have been modified")
 }
+
+func TestCreateInstanceMetadata_metadataFile(t *testing.T) {
+	state := testState(t)
+	c := state.Get("config").(*Config)
+	image := StubImage("test-image", "test-project", []string{}, 100)
+	content := testMetadataFileContent
+	fileName := testMetadataFile(t)
+	c.MetadataFiles["user-data"] = fileName
+
+	// create our metadata
+	metadata, err := c.createInstanceMetadata(image, "")
+
+	assert.True(t, err == nil, "Metadata creation should have succeeded.")
+
+	// ensure the user-data key in metadata is updated with file content
+	assert.Equal(t, metadata["user-data"], content, "user-data field of the instance metadata should have been updated.")
+}