Forum Discussion
Metadata for .mov files radically different to originals
My iPhone's photos and videos are backed up to OneDrive.
The files are al synced to my PC hard drive.
I'm just clearing off some of the larger .mov files from my iPhone as a quick way to make space. I reconcile that they've definitely been backed up by finding the file on my PC. Only, when I'm doing this the videos aren't there!
Thankfully, they are, but with completely different dates and timestamps. For example, a video I took at 0715 on 1 December 2025 shows on my PC as 2 December 2025 at 1458!
This is a nightmare scenario.
I've also tried Date Created, Date Modified and Date Taken (always blank for .mov files) but none accurately correspond with the correct date and timestamps on my iPhone.
Has anyone else experienced this or found a work around?
1 Reply
If you want your files on the PC to display the correct date in the main Explorer view (so you can sort them correctly), you need a tool to copy the internal "Media Created" date to the File System "Date Created".
Use metadata-aware tools, not Explorer.
You need a tool that reads embedded video metadata, not file system dates.
The industry standard tool for this is ExifTool. It is a command-line tool, but it is the only reliable way to batch fix this on Windows.
Or V L C Media Player, This often shows the correct timestamp even when Explorer doesn’t.
Before deleting videos from your phone:
- Verify using embedded metadata, not file dates
- Prefer:
ExifTool
VL C
3. Do not rely on:
Date Created
Date Modified
File name order
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
