Photo archive guide

How to change a photo date on a Mac

A photo can carry several dates. Finder shows filesystem creation and modification times, while photo libraries usually organize images using embedded EXIF capture dates. Changing the wrong one may not move the photo in your library.

Identify the date your library uses

For JPEG and HEIC photos, look for EXIF DateTimeOriginal first. DateTimeDigitized and TIFF DateTime may also exist. A reliable metadata editor updates related embedded dates consistently.

Choose set, shift or sequence

Set one date when you know the exact moment. Shift when a camera clock was consistently wrong. Use a sequence when a scanned stack has a known order but not an exact time for each print.

Preview the final value

EXIF commonly stores local-looking text such as YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS, with timezone information handled separately. Verify the displayed date in the destination photo library before processing the whole archive.

Write a new copy

Keep the original image unchanged, preserve pixel dimensions and record both old and new metadata. ExifBatch exports copies and a JSON manifest for this reason.