PHOTO DATE TAKEN
When was this photo taken? Read the date from the file
Phones and cameras write the moment the shutter fired into the file. Upload the photo and the report shows the date, the time and, if stored, the time zone.
Choose a photo or video
Photos: JPG, TIFF, HEIC, WebP, PNG, AVIF (up to 50 MB). Video: MP4, MOV, M4V, WebM (up to 200 MB).
ANALYSIS READY
Preparing preview…
SHARING CHECK
Privacy check
FILE LOCATION
File location
Open in mapDOMINANT COLORS
Dominant colors
EMBEDDED THUMBNAIL
Embedded thumbnail
A separate thumbnail stored inside the file; it may not match the main image after editing.
Download thumbnailWhich field is the real capture time?
| Field | Value in the test file | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| DateTimeOriginal | 2026:08:14 19:42:07 | The moment the shutter fired. Usually the date you are looking for. |
| OffsetTimeOriginal | +03:00 | The time zone at that moment, telling you which clock the time is on. |
| CreateDate | 2026:08:14 19:42:07 | When the digital file was created; on phones usually the same as capture. |
| ModifyDate | varies by file | When the file was last edited; changes when an app saves the file. |
Values come from the EXIF Scanner report for a test JPEG we tagged like a phone photo.
Why your computer shows a different date
The "created" or "modified" date in your file browser is when the file was copied or saved on that computer, not when the photo was taken. The capture time lives in the DateTimeOriginal field inside the EXIF data.
Dates in videos
Phone videos usually store the date in UTC. Our test video recorded 16:42 UTC, which was 19:42 in Istanbul; keep that offset in mind when reading the time in the report.
When no date is found
Screenshots, files passed through messaging apps and files whose metadata was stripped may carry no capture date. Date fields can be edited, so the report shows what the file says, not proof that it is true.
Frequently asked questions
Can I change a photo's date taken?
Yes. The edit option in the report lets you change DateTimeOriginal, CreateDate and ModifyDate and download a new copy.
Can I remove the date before sharing?
Yes. "Prepare for sharing" removes every date field along with the location and keeps the camera details.
Why is the capture time off by a few hours?
If no time zone is stored, or the file keeps UTC time (common in videos), the time in the report can differ from local time.