How to Change File and Photo Dates on a Mac (2026)

Applies to macOS Ventura through macOS 26

The short answer: there are two completely different kinds of date on a Mac, and almost every date problem comes from confusing them. File-system dates (Created and Modified, the ones the Finder shows) live in the disk’s catalogue. Embedded dates (a photo’s EXIF “date taken”, a video’s recording date) live inside the file itself and travel with it. The Finder can show and sort by dates but cannot change them. Apple Photos can adjust a photo’s date taken. The Terminal can change either kind, with no preview and no undo. For anything in bulk, across RAW formats, or where you need to set one date from another, you’ll want a dedicated utility.

A disclosure before we start: I’m the developer of A Better Finder Attributes, a paid utility for changing file and photo dates that I’ve been working on for many years. You’d expect this to end by recommending it, so it starts with what the built-in and free tools genuinely do, and where each stops.

The one distinction that explains most date problems

Get this right and the rest follows:

• File-system dates are kept in the file system’s catalogue: Created (the birth date) and Modified (last changed). These are what the Finder’s “Date Created” and “Date Modified” columns show, and what it sorts by. They are easy to disturb: copying or downloading a file usually resets its created date to today.
• Embedded dates are stored inside the file as metadata: a photo’s EXIF DateTimeOriginal (the “date taken”), a video’s content-created date, a song’s tags. Because they’re part of the file, they survive copying. But an editing app may quietly rewrite or strip them when it saves, so always keep a backup of your originals before bulk edits.

A wrinkle worth knowing: Spotlight’s dates (and the “date” Apple Photos sorts on) are derived from the embedded metadata. You can’t set them directly. You change the underlying embedded date and Spotlight catches up.

What the built-in and free tools do

The Finder (shows dates, can’t change them)

The Finder displays Created and Modified, sorts by either, and that’s the limit. There is no built-in way to edit a file’s date from the Finder. So when photos sort in the wrong order because copying reset their created dates, the Finder can show you the problem but not fix it.

Apple Photos (can adjust a photo’s date taken)

For photos already in your Photos library, this is the genuine free option. Select the photos, then Image ▸ Adjust Date and Time, and you can set or shift the date taken. It works on the library’s copy; if you need the change written back into the file’s metadata, you have to export. It does not help with files sitting in folders, with videos in the same depth, or with file-system dates.

The Terminal (can change either kind, no safety net)

If you live in a shell, you can reach both kinds of date:

# set the modification date (and access date) to 15 Jan 2024, 12:00
touch -t 202401151200 photo.jpg
# set the EXIF "date taken" with the free ExifTool
exiftool "-DateTimeOriginal=2024:01:15 12:00:00" photo.jpg

The created date is the awkward one: there’s no plain command for it, but SetFile -d from Apple’s Command Line Tools still does it (it’s officially deprecated, but works). As with renaming from the Terminal, the catch is no preview and no undo, and you have to know exactly which of the several date fields you mean. Test on copies first.

Where the free tools run out of road

You reach the limit the moment you need to do any of these in one pass, with a preview:

• Change the date taken on hundreds of photos, including RAW formats (Sony ARW, Canon CR2/CR3, Nikon NEF), not just JPEGs.
• Sync a photo’s embedded date taken back to its file-system created date so it sorts correctly in the Finder.
• Set a file’s date from the date written in its filename (common with scans and downloads).
• Shift a whole shoot by a few hours after a timezone or camera-clock mistake.
• Lift original dates from a folder of untouched originals onto edited copies that lost them.

A dedicated tool for file and photo dates

This is the gap A Better Finder Attributes fills: a live preview of the new dates before any file is touched, every date field in one place, and the bulk operations above as repeatable actions. It’s currently version 7, US$29.95 / €29.95 as a one-time purchase (no subscription; minor updates are free, major upgrades are discounted), with a free trial so you can confirm it handles your files before paying. The things people actually buy it for:

• Change the date a photo was taken across JPEG and RAW, with a preview, then have everything sort correctly in Photos and the Finder.
• Fix Finder sorting by copying the embedded shooting date onto the file’s created date in one pass.
• Set dates from the filename, from another file of the same name in a different folder, or by incrementing along a sort order.
• Shift dates in bulk to correct timezone and camera-clock errors.
• Remove dates and other metadata (including location) before sharing files.

Changing the shooting date on a batch of photos, with a live preview of the result.

The main window lists each photo under Name with its new shooting date under Composite, so you can check the whole batch in a live preview before any file is changed.

Which tool for which job

Common pitfalls, whatever tool you use

• Editing apps can strip or rewrite metadata. Saving a photo in some editors discards or changes its embedded dates. Keep a backup of your originals before any bulk change.
• Copying resets the created date. A freshly copied or downloaded file is usually “created” today, which is why collections sort wrongly after a move. The fix is the embedded date, not the file-system one.
• You can’t set Spotlight or Photos dates directly. They’re derived from embedded metadata; change that and they follow.
• Created vs Modified must stay consistent. macOS won’t accept a modified date earlier than the created date; good tools reconcile this for you.

FAQ

What’s the difference between Created, Modified and “date taken”? Created and Modified are file-system dates in the disk catalogue (what the Finder shows). “Date taken” is an embedded EXIF date inside the photo. Copying a file resets its Created date but leaves the date taken untouched, which is why the two so often disagree.

Can the Finder change a file’s date? No. The Finder shows and sorts by Created and Modified, but has no option to edit them. You need the Terminal or a dedicated tool.

Can Apple Photos change the date a photo was taken? Yes, for photos in your library: select them and use Image ▸ Adjust Date and Time. It changes the library copy; export if you need the new date written into the file itself.

How do I set a file’s date from the date in its filename? Built-in tools won’t, but a dedicated tool can read a date like 2024-01-15 out of the name and write it to the file. This is a common need for scans and downloads.

Why did my photo’s date change when I edited it? The editing app rewrote or discarded the embedded metadata when it saved. Always keep the originals.

Can I change the creation date from the Terminal? touch -t sets the modification date, exiftool sets EXIF dates, and SetFile -d (Apple’s deprecated Command Line Tools) sets the creation date. There’s no preview and no undo, so work on copies.

Frank Reiff is the developer of A Better Finder Attributes and A Better Finder Rename, Mac file-management utilities in continuous development since 1996. Renaming files by their dates instead? See How to batch rename files on a Mac. Get in touch with a date problem this guide doesn’t cover.