Forum Discussion
OneDrive changing dates
OneDrive Mobile App is not ideal for keeping metadata intact — especially when it uploads in bulk.
When you upload photos to OneDrive from your phone — especially in bulk — OneDrive sometimes replaces the original “Date Taken” with the “Date Modified” or Upload Date.
This happens because:
OneDrive Mobile App (especially Android) doesn’t always preserve metadata on upload.
File system date (Created / Modified) is not always the same as the EXIF metadata (the real "Date Taken").
Depending on how the files are uploaded (manually, camera roll sync, or drag-and-drop), OneDrive may use the date of upload instead of the embedded metadata.
DO NOT use "Camera Upload" via OneDrive for your existing photo archive.
Instead:
Install the OneDrive desktop app on your PC or Mac.
Connect your phone via USB or use an SD card adapter.
Copy the photos manually into a local folder that’s synced with OneDrive (like Pictures > Family Archive).
That way, Windows will preserve the original EXIF “Date Taken”.
This avoids OneDrive Mobile stripping dates or modifying metadata during upload.
If You Still Want to Use Mobile Upload.
Try using the Google Photos app to back up the originals (it preserves date metadata better), then sync from Google Photos to PC, and upload that set to OneDrive from desktop.
My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!
Hope this will help you.
Was the answer useful? Mark as best response and like it!
This will help all forum participants.
Well, it's a year later, and a new Beta Photos app for Onedrive is out there. An opportunity to capture Exif data on import -- was it taken, or squandered? And if not now, when will Microsoft Team correct this obvious error, now a year old?
It’s a very valid question, especially given how long this issue has been around.
Just to clarify upfront, I’m not a Microsoft employee — just a fellow OneDrive user like you. So I can’t provide any official statements or timelines on if or when this will be fully addressed.
From what’s been discussed in Microsoft’s own Q&A forums, this doesn’t appear to be a simple bug but rather part of how OneDrive currently works. It often treats uploaded files as new files, meaning the “Date Created” reflects the upload time, even though the EXIF “Date Taken” may still exist in the file.
At the same time, multiple users report that OneDrive ignores or inconsistently uses the “Date Taken” metadata for sorting, especially after uploads or certain actions.
So while newer features (like the Photos experience) may display EXIF data better, the underlying behavior hasn’t really changed in a consistent way.
The most reliable workarounds are still:
- Avoid using the mobile app for large archival uploads
- Transfer files via PC into a OneDrive-synced folder (this tends to preserve metadata better)
- Or use third-party tools/apps if you need more control over dates
Unfortunately, there’s still no clear indication that a full fix (like a “preserve EXIF dates” option) is coming anytime soon. If you want to push for change, the best route is to submit feedback through OneDrive or vote on existing threads in Microsoft’s feedback portal.
Hope that helps clarify things a bit🙂