How to Fix the Wrong Date Taken on Photos (Windows, Mac, Phone)

To fix the wrong date taken on photos, edit the embedded EXIF "Date Taken" field (DateTimeOriginal), not just the file's modified date. Use Windows Properties, Apple Photos, Lightroom Classic or ExifTool to set the right date, or shift a whole batch by the same amount. Then check the result in a metadata viewer.

Why do my photos show the wrong date taken?

Most wrong dates come from one of four causes: the camera clock was never set, the time zone or daylight saving was off, the file lost its metadata, or an app is showing a different date than the one you expect.

Common causes:

• Camera clock reset. A dead battery or a first-time setup can leave a camera on a default date. Photos then carry that date, or a date that is hours or years off.
• Time zone or daylight saving. You travelled, or the camera stayed on home time. Dates may be right but times are shifted by whole hours, which can push photos onto the wrong day.
• Metadata stripped. Messaging apps, some social platforms and some editors remove EXIF data. Your computer then falls back to the date the file was created, saved or downloaded.
• Scans and copies. A scanned print carries the scan date. A copied or exported file can get a new "created" date even when the embedded date is intact.
• Edits that overwrite dates. Some editing or conversion tools write a new date instead of keeping the original.

What are the different dates stored on a photo?

A photo can hold several dates, and different apps show different ones. Fixing the wrong one is the most common reason a "fix" seems not to work.

Date	Where it lives	What it means
Date Taken (DateTimeOriginal)	EXIF, inside the file	When the shutter fired, per the camera clock. Most galleries sort by this.
Create Date (DateTimeDigitized)	EXIF, inside the file	When the image was digitised. Usually the same as Date Taken; differs on scans.
Modify Date	EXIF, inside the file	When the image data was last changed by software.
Date created / modified	File system (Windows, macOS)	When the file was copied, saved or changed on that device.
XMP / IPTC dates	Inside the file	Date fields written by editing and cataloguing software.
Offset time	EXIF, inside the file	The time zone offset recorded with the date, on newer devices.

For a broader look at these fields, see EXIF Data Explained: What It Is and How to Read It.

What do you need before you start?

You need copies of the photos, a way to see the current metadata, and one reliable reference for the correct date.

1. Make a backup copy of the folder. Date edits write into the file, so keep the originals until you are happy.
2. Find a reference. Use a photo with a known date (a receipt, a calendar entry, a message with the original timestamp) to work out how far off the clock is.
3. Work out the correction. Decide whether you need to set one exact date or shift everything by a fixed amount, such as +1 hour or +2 years.
4. Check the current metadata. The free photo metadata checker shows what is embedded in a file. How to Check Photo Metadata on Any Device (Free Methods) covers other options.

How do you fix the date taken, step by step?

Pick the method that matches your device and how many photos you have. For one or two photos, use the built-in tools. For hundreds, shift dates in bulk with Lightroom Classic or ExifTool.

1. Windows File Explorer (single photos)

1. Right-click the JPG and choose Properties, then the Details tab.
2. Find Date taken under Origin. Click the value and type the new date and time.
3. Click OK.

This works for many JPG files. HEIC and some other formats may not let you edit the field here. The Photos app in recent Windows versions may also offer an option to edit the date taken in its info panel; the menu varies by version.

2. Apple Photos on Mac, iPhone and iPad

1. On a Mac, select the photos, then choose Image > Adjust Date and Time.
2. On iPhone or iPad, open the photo, swipe up or tap the info (i) button, then tap Adjust.
3. Enter the new date and time. On a Mac you can also change the time zone, and with several photos selected the change is applied relative to the first one.

This changes how the photo is stored in your Photos library. Whether the new date is written into the file depends on how you export it, so always export a copy and verify it with a metadata viewer before relying on it.

3. Google Photos and Android galleries

1. Open the photo and open its details (swipe up or tap the info icon).
2. Tap the pencil next to the date and time.
3. Set the new date and save.

In Google Photos this edits the date in your Google Photos library. It does not necessarily rewrite the file on your device. Other Android gallery apps differ, so check the result in a metadata viewer if you need the file itself corrected. For more Android tips, see How to Geotag Photos on Android (Camera, Gallery, Browser).

4. Lightroom Classic (batches)

1. Select the photos in the Library module.
2. Choose Metadata > Edit Capture Time.
3. Choose to adjust to a specific date and time, shift by a set number of hours, days or years, or change to the file's creation date.
4. Click Change All. Save metadata to the files if you want the change written into the photos themselves.

Tip: for a batch from one camera, fix one photo first, then use the shift option so the sequence between photos is preserved.

5. ExifTool (batches, free, command line)

ExifTool is a free tool that edits date fields across whole folders. Test on copies first.

• Set an exact date on one file: exiftool "-AllDates=2024:06:15 10:30:00" photo.jpg
• Shift all dates by one hour for every JPG in a folder: exiftool "-AllDates+=0:0:0 1:00:00" -ext jpg folder
• Match the file system date to the corrected date: exiftool "-FileModifyDate<DateTimeOriginal" folder

Use -= instead of += to shift backwards. ExifTool keeps a backup copy of each original file by default, with _original added to the name.

How do you correct a whole batch that is off by the same amount?

Work out the offset from one photo, then apply it to every photo from that camera. Do not set one fixed date on all of them, or you lose the order they were taken in.

For example, if a photo of a clock or a timestamped message shows the camera was 2 hours 14 minutes behind, shift the batch forward by exactly that. Use the shift options in Lightroom Classic or ExifTool above.

If you travel with more than one camera, fix each camera separately, because each has its own offset.

Why does a correct date matter for geotagging?

If you match photos to a GPS track, the match depends on the photo time lining up with the track time. A camera that is an hour off will place photos at the wrong points on the route.

Fix the date and time first, then add location. In the Geotagr editor you can write GPS coordinates, a title, description, keywords and business details into JPG, HEIC, PNG and WebP photos, and processing happens in your browser, so files are not uploaded to Geotagr's servers. GPX track matching and CSV import are paid features; see pricing. Geotagr is built for location and descriptive metadata, so use one of the tools above for correcting the date itself.

For a bulk workflow once dates are right, see How to Batch Geotag Photos: 4 Methods and a Simple Workflow.

Is it okay to change the date taken?

It is fine to correct a clock error, but do not use it to misrepresent when something happened. If photos serve as records, such as before-and-after job photos, inspection images or listing photos, keep the originals and note any correction.

Teams that rely on dated photos should set camera and phone clocks to automatic time, and think about keeping untouched originals. Our guides for contractors and real estate listings cover photo workflows for those cases.

Troubleshooting: the date still looks wrong

• The gallery still shows the old date. It may be sorting by file modified date or using a cached value. Check which date it uses, then refresh or re-import the photo.
• Windows shows the new date, but a website does not. The site may read a different field or may have removed metadata on upload. Some platforms strip metadata, so the uploaded copy may show the upload date.
• The Date Taken field is empty or greyed out. The file may have no EXIF data, or the format may not support editing in that tool. Use ExifTool or Lightroom Classic instead.
• The date is right but the time is off. Check the time zone and daylight saving setting. Shift by whole hours.
• Times changed on some photos but not others. Photos from a phone and a camera have different offsets. Process each source separately.
• The change disappears after export. Some apps keep edited dates in their own library. Export a copy, then check the file with a metadata viewer.
• Dates changed after a format conversion. Check the converted file. If you convert HEIC, PNG or WebP files to JPG, verify the date in the result before deleting originals.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between date taken and date modified?

Date taken is stored inside the photo by the camera and records when the picture was captured. Date modified belongs to the file on your device and changes whenever the file is saved or edited. A photo can have the correct date taken and a recent date modified.

Why does my photo show today's date instead of when I took it?

The photo probably has no embedded date, or the app is reading the file's created date. This often happens with images saved from messaging apps, downloaded from websites, or screenshots. If the original file still exists, copy it from the camera or phone again.

Can I fix the date taken on many photos at once?

Yes. Lightroom Classic's Edit Capture Time and ExifTool can shift the date and time of many photos by the same amount. Apple Photos on Mac can also adjust several selected photos together. Work on copies first.

Does changing the date taken affect the GPS location?

No. The date and the GPS coordinates are separate fields, so editing one does not change the other. If you match photos to a GPX track by time, though, the corrected time will change which track point each photo matches.

How can I check the date taken in a photo?

Open the file's properties on Windows, use Get Info or Photos on a Mac, or view it in a metadata viewer. The free photo metadata checker lets you inspect a photo's embedded metadata in your browser.

Can I recover the original date if I overwrote it?

Only if you have a backup or the original file. ExifTool keeps _original copies by default, and cloud or phone backups may hold the earlier version. Otherwise you can only estimate the date from other evidence and set it manually.