📅 How to Change the Date on a Photo

If a photo shows the wrong date — in the wrong spot in your camera roll, or all your imported photos bunched under one day — the fix is almost always simpler than it looks. This guide explains what's actually going on and how to correct it on any device, without uploading your photos anywhere.

There are really two different "dates"

Photos carry two dates, and confusing them is why so many fixes don't stick:

• The "date taken" (EXIF date) — written inside the photo by the camera when the shot is captured. This is the one Google Photos, Apple Photos and Windows use to sort your library.
• The file date — when the file was created or modified on your disk. Downloads, copies, AirDrop and messaging apps constantly reset this to "now".

So "my photo has the wrong date" usually means one of these two is off. Fix the right one and the problem disappears for good.

When to change the EXIF "date taken"

Change the EXIF date when a photo app shows the wrong date or sorts a photo to the wrong place. This is the most common case. Our Change EXIF Date tool sets the date taken on JPG photos in bulk — pick the correct date, drop your photos in, and download the fixed copies.

If your photos are all off by the same amount — say you crossed a time zone or your camera's clock was wrong — don't reset them one by one. Use Shift Timestamps to move every photo by a single offset (for example −3 hours) while keeping their order intact.

When to change the file date instead

If the photo opens with the right date inside it, but a folder sorts it wrong by "date modified", it's the file date that's off — common with downloads, WhatsApp and AirDrop. Our Change File Date tool reads each photo's real EXIF date and gives you a ZIP that restores the correct file date when you extract it.

Step by step

1. Check what's actually wrong. Open the photo in our EXIF viewer to see its real date taken. If that's correct but your folder shows a different date, it's the file date.
2. Pick the right tool from the choices above.
3. Add your photos — one or hundreds. Everything is processed in your browser.
4. Set the date (or offset) and download the corrected files, individually or as a ZIP.

A note on iPhone (HEIC) photos

iPhones save photos as HEIC, which our date tools don't edit directly. Convert them first with HEIC to JPG (it keeps the date), then set the exact date you want. Many people find JPG more convenient anyway because it opens everywhere.

Why nothing is uploaded

Every tool here runs in your browser using JavaScript, so your photos never leave your device. That keeps private photos private and means even a thousand-photo batch is fixed in seconds — there's no upload to wait for.