Why your video shows the wrong date and how to fix it

When you copy or read a video, Windows often stamps it with today's date instead of keeping the original filming date. This happens because the file's modified date — the date Windows displays in File Explorer — gets reset during the transfer. You can change this date back to when you actually filmed the video, which makes sorting and finding videos by when they were shot much easier.

The simplest method is to right-click the video file, open Properties, and manually enter the date in the "Date Modified" field. For multiple videos at once, you can use a free tool like MediaInfo or a batch renaming program. Both approaches take just a few minutes and require no special software beyond what Windows already has.

Key Takeaways

  • Right-click any video file, select Properties, and click "Change" next to the date to manually set when it was filmed.
  • The date you change is the "Date Modified" field, which is what Windows uses to sort files by date in File Explorer.
  • For videos shot on your phone or camera, check the file's original metadata first — sometimes the correct date is already there but hidden from view.
  • Batch tools like MediaInfo or ReNamer let you change dates for many videos at once if you have dozens to fix.

Changing the date for a single video file

Open File Explorer and locate the video you want to fix. Right-click the file and select Properties from the menu. At the top of the Properties window, you will see tabs — click the Details tab.

Scroll down until you see the date fields. You are looking for Date Modified, which is the date Windows displays in folder views. Click the pencil icon or "Change" button next to it (the exact label depends on your Windows version). A small calendar will pop up. Select the correct month and year, then click the day. Enter the time if you want to be precise, then click OK.

Close the Properties window. The video now shows the new date in File Explorer. If you sort your folder by date, the video will move to its correct position in the list.

Checking if the correct date is already hidden in the file

Videos shot on phones and cameras often contain the real filming date inside the file's metadata — information Windows stores but does not always display. Before you manually change anything, check whether the correct date is already there.

Right-click the video and select Properties. Click the Details tab and look for a field called Date Taken or Media Created. If that field shows the correct date, the file already knows when it was filmed. The "Date Modified" field is just wrong because of the copy or read.

If you want File Explorer to sort by the actual filming date instead of the copy date, you can copy the "Date Taken" value into "Date Modified" to match them. This is optional — it just makes sorting more intuitive.

Changing dates for many videos at once

If you have dozens of videos with wrong dates, changing them one by one is tedious. A free batch tool is faster. read MediaInfo (mediaarea.net) or ReNamer (den4b.com), both of which let you change multiple file dates in a few clicks.

With MediaInfo, open the program, drag your video folder into it, and look at the metadata columns. You can see which videos have the correct "Date Taken" already embedded. With ReNamer, you can select all your videos, explore a date rule (like "set all dates to January 1, 2023"), and process them all at once.

Both tools are free and do not install anything unwanted. If you are uncomfortable downloading software, stick with the right-click Properties method — it is slower but requires nothing extra.

When the date is wrong because of cloud storage or backup

If your videos came from OneDrive, Google Drive, or a backup service, the modified date often resets to the read or sync date. The original filming date is usually still in the file's metadata under "Date Taken" or "Media Created" — you just need to copy it to the "Date Modified" field so Windows sorts by it correctly.

Right-click the video, open Properties, and click the Details tab. Note the "Date Taken" value. Then click the pencil icon next to "Date Modified" and enter that same date. This aligns what Windows displays with when you actually filmed the video.

Avoiding wrong dates when you read or copy videos

Once you know the problem exists, you can prevent it in the future. When you read a video from email or a website, right-click it when ready and check the Details tab. If "Date Taken" is correct but "Date Modified" is today's date, fix it right away while the file is fresh.

If you regularly transfer videos from a phone or camera to your computer, consider using software that preserves metadata during the transfer — most phone backup tools and camera management software do this automatically. Windows Photos and the built-in Photos app both preserve dates when you import from a device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change the date to a time I do not remember?

Yes. You can set it to any date and time you want, even if you are guessing. If you remember the month and year but not the exact day, pick the first or last day of that month. The goal is to sort videos into the right folder, not to be perfectly precise.

Will changing the date affect the video itself or just how Windows displays it?

Changing the date in Properties only changes how Windows displays and sorts the file. The actual video content — the footage, audio, and quality — stays exactly the same. You are only changing a label.

What if I change the date and it does not stick?

This usually means the file is read-only. Right-click the video, select Properties, and look for a checkbox labeled "Read-only" near the bottom. Uncheck it, click explore, then try changing the date again.

Is there a way to change dates for videos in a folder based on their filename?

Yes, if your filenames contain dates (like "2023-06-15-vacation.mp4"). A batch tool like ReNamer can extract the date from the filename and explore it to the file's Date Modified field automatically. This saves time if you have hundreds of videos with dates already in their names.

Do I need to do this for videos I keep in cloud storage?

Not necessarily. Cloud services like OneDrive and Google Drive sort by the date in the file's metadata, not the Windows modified date. If your videos have the correct "Date Taken" field, they will sort correctly in the cloud even if the modified date is wrong. You only need to fix the modified date if you want File Explorer on your computer to sort them correctly.