“Date taken” in File Explorer comes from metadata inside the photo, mainly the EXIF DateTimeOriginal field written by the camera, so it is blank whenever a file has no such field: screenshots, many images saved from the web or chat apps, scans and exports that dropped their metadata. “Date created” and “Date modified” are different. They are file-system dates that describe the copy of the file on your drive, not the moment the photo was taken. MetaForge from Automata Labs reads capture dates from EXIF to sort photo libraries into date folders on your PC, with a preview before any file moves.
Sort a photo library by when the pictures were taken, not when the files were copied.
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What is the difference between Date taken, Date created and Date modified?
They come from two different places.
| Column in File Explorer | Where the value comes from | What it really means |
|---|---|---|
| Date taken | Metadata inside the image file, mainly EXIF | When the camera or phone recorded the photo |
| Date created | The file system | When this copy of the file was created on this drive |
| Date modified | The file system | When this copy of the file was last written |
Microsoft’s documentation for the Windows property behind the first column, System.Photo.DateTaken, describes it as “the date when the photo was taken, as read from the camera in the file’s Exchangeable Image File (EXIF) tag.” Its property ID is 36867, which is the EXIF tag number for DateTimeOriginal.
The other two are ordinary file times. Microsoft’s page on file times explains that “the system records file times when applications create, access, and write to files.” They say nothing about the camera. A photo taken in 2015 and downloaded today can have a 2015 Date taken and a Date created of today.
Where exactly does Windows look for Date taken?
Windows reads the value through its imaging component. Microsoft’s photo metadata policy for System.Photo.DateTaken lists the places it reads, in order. For JPEG files:
- EXIF tag 36867 (DateTimeOriginal)
- The IPTC “date created” field
- The XMP
xmp:CreateDatefield - EXIF tag 36868 (the digitized date)
- The IPTC “date created” field again, by another path
- The XMP
exif:DateTimeOriginalfield
TIFF files follow a similar list. For PNG files the policy lists one source: a text chunk named “Creation Time.”
This explains most of the confusion. If a file has none of those fields, Windows has nothing to show. If an editing app wrote only XMP dates and removed EXIF, Windows can still find a date further down the list. And because Windows tries several fields, two programs can disagree about a photo’s date if they read different fields.
Why is Date taken blank for some of my photos?
The field is missing or empty. Common reasons:
- Screenshots. A screenshot is created by software, not a camera, and PNG screenshots often have no “Creation Time” text chunk.
- Images saved from websites and social apps. Many services remove metadata from uploaded images, so what you download back may have none.
- Images received through messaging apps. Some apps strip or rewrite metadata when they send photos.
- Exports and edits. Some editors and converters write a new file without copying the original metadata unless you ask them to.
- Scans. A scanner records when the scan was made, if it records anything.
- Metadata removal. If you or a tool stripped all metadata for privacy, the capture date went with it.
Before you blame Windows, check the file itself. Right-click it, choose Properties, open the Details tab, and look under Origin. If Date taken is empty there, the field is not in the file.
Why is Date taken wrong, or off by a few hours?
A few causes are common:
- The camera clock was wrong. Cameras write whatever time their clock says. A camera never set after a battery change, or not changed after travel, records the wrong time faithfully.
- Time zones. DateTimeOriginal is a plain date and time with no time zone. Newer files may carry a separate offset field, which ExifTool’s EXIF tag reference lists as OffsetTimeOriginal (tag 0x9011). Software that ignores it, or files without it, can be several hours off after travel.
- Different fields. As shown above, Windows can fall back to IPTC or XMP dates. If those were written by an editor, they may be the edit time.
The fix for a wrong camera clock is to shift the dates with a metadata editor. Make a copy first, and check a few files before you change a whole folder.
How do I see and sort by Date taken in File Explorer?
- Open the folder and switch to Details view.
- Right-click any column header and choose More….
- Tick Date taken and click OK.
- Click the Date taken header to sort.
Files with a blank Date taken will sort together, usually at one end. That group is your list of files that need attention.
If you want to check other fields while you are there, such as GPS location, our guide to checking whether a photo has location data on Windows uses the same Properties panel. For background on the three metadata families involved, see EXIF vs IPTC vs XMP.
Why not just sort photos by Date created?
Because Date created describes the copy on your drive. Copy a folder of old photos to a new PC, restore them from a backup, or download them from cloud storage, and the creation dates can all become the day you moved them. That is how ten years of photos end up looking as if they were all taken on the same afternoon.
Date modified is no better for this: rotating a photo, editing a tag, or re-saving it can update it.
Sorting by Date taken, which travels inside the file, is the reliable choice. The catch is that you need a tool that reads it.
How does MetaForge help?
MetaForge is an offline photo metadata tool for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Its Microsoft Store listing describes three jobs in one app:
- Smart organization: “Auto-sort photos into folders by date, camera model, file type, or your own routing rules,” using EXIF values rather than file-system dates.
- Preview before you commit: “Simulate every move, rename, and metadata change before a single file is touched.”
- Privacy scrubbing: remove GPS, altitude, device serial numbers and owner fields in bulk, including “the XMP location data the built-in Windows tool leaves behind.”
- Batch copyright and author tags across thousands of files.
- RAW-safe handling with non-destructive XMP sidecars for CR2, NEF, ARW, DNG and more.
- Results you can act on: open or reveal any processed file in Explorer, with “a clear reason for anything that needs attention.”
- Formats: JPEG, PNG, TIFF, WebP, HEIC and common camera RAW formats, with no cloud uploads, telemetry or account.
Two honest notes. First, MetaForge reads the dates a file has. It cannot recover a capture date that was never written or was removed. Second, if you use privacy scrubbing, decide whether you want to keep capture dates before you run it, and try it on copies first. Use the preview to see how your own files, including the ones with blank dates, are handled.
Preview the whole folder plan by EXIF date, then let MetaForge move the files.
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What is a sensible way to clean up a messy photo folder?
| Step | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copy the folder, or confirm you have a backup | Organizing moves files |
| 2 | Add the Date taken column and sort | See how many files have no capture date |
| 3 | Move blank-date files to their own folder | Screenshots and downloads need different handling |
| 4 | Check a few dated photos for clock or time zone errors | Fix them before sorting |
| 5 | Run a simulated organize by EXIF date | Review the folder plan first |
| 6 | Apply, then spot-check | Make sure the result matches what you expected |
For the folder structure itself, see organizing photos by EXIF date on Windows 11. If your library is raw files with sidecars, read what an XMP sidecar file is before you move anything, so sidecars stay with their raw files.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add a Date taken to a file that has none?
Yes, with a metadata editor that writes EXIF dates. Use a date you actually know, such as one from a file name or an album, and work on copies.
Why does my phone show a date that Windows does not?
Your phone’s gallery may use its own database or other fields, while File Explorer reads the fields listed in Microsoft’s metadata policy. If those fields are missing from the copied file, Windows shows nothing.
Does copying a photo change Date taken?
No. Date taken is inside the file and travels with it. The file-system dates are the ones that can change when you copy or download.
Is Date taken stored in UTC?
Not in the main EXIF field, which has no time zone. Some newer files include a separate offset field.
Does MetaForge upload my photos?
No. Its listing says it runs entirely on your PC with no cloud uploads, telemetry or account.
Try MetaForge
Get MetaForge from the Microsoft Store. It is a one-time purchase with no subscription, and the Store listing shows the current price.
Organize by real capture dates, strip what you do not want to share, and keep it all offline.
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Windows is a trademark of the Microsoft group of companies. MetaForge is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.
Last updated 22 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.