How to change the creation date of a file on Android

The question of editing data timestamps on mobile devices arises among users quite often. This may be required to restore gallery history after data migration or to meet specific corporate workflow requirements. The standard interface of the operating system Android does not provide an explicit “Change date” button in the properties of an object, which often misleads beginners.

Nevertheless, the problem is completely solvable using third-party software or computer utilities. It is important to understand the difference between the last modified date and the original creation date, since file systems such as FAT32 or ext4store these settings differently. In this guide, we will look at the most effective methods for making edits without the need to obtain root access.

It is worth noting that some system applications may ignore your changes and forcefully pull data from EXIF (for photos) or internal document tags. Therefore, before you begin large-scale editing, it is better to test the method on one test file to ensure that it displays correctly in your gallery or Explorer.

⚠️ Attention: Changing system metadata may cause files to be hidden from view in the standard Gallery or Music applications if the sorting algorithms rely strictly on the creation attribute rather than the content.

Using specialized file managers

The easiest and most accessible way for the average user is to install an advanced file manager from the store Google Play. Applications like CX File Explorer, Solid Explorer or Material Files have built-in attribute editing functions that are hidden in the standard Explorer.

After installing the application, you need to find the desired object in the directory list. Typically, the function for changing metadata is hidden in the context menu, which is called up by long pressing the document icon. In the menu that opens, select “Properties” or “Information”, where there is often a button for editing time stamps.

The interface of such apps is intuitive: you simply select the desired date and time through the built-in calendar and confirm the action. The process takes just seconds and does not require a connection to a computer. However, make sure that the application has write rights to the directory where the file is located, otherwise the system will block the change.

• 📱 Download a proven file manager with a high rating in the application store.
• 📂 Find the target file and open its properties with a long press.
• ✏️ Click the date edit button and select the desired value in the calendar.
• 💾 Save the changes and check the display in the system.

Some managers allow you to change the date in batches, that is, for a group of selected objects at once. This is extremely convenient when sorting large volumes of photos taken with an old camera or transferred from another medium. The bulk editing feature saves time and reduces the risk of manual entry errors.

⚠️ Attention: If you use cloud storage, synchronization can overwrite a locally modified date with the one stored on the server. Disable synchronization before editing.

Editing metadata via a computer (Windows)

If you don’t have a suitable smartphone application at hand, you can use a personal computer. Connect the device to the PC via USB cable in file transfer mode (MTP). This method is especially effective when you need to edit a large number of documents or media files at the same time.

The operating system Windows there are built-in tools for working with dates, but they do not work with all types of files. For a universal solution, it is recommended to use free utilities, such as BulkFileChanger from NirSoft or Attribute Changer. These apps allow you to flexibly configure time attributes: creation time, last access time and last modification time.

After connecting the phone, open its internal memory or memory card as a regular disk. Launch the utility on your computer, drag the necessary files into it from your smartphone, or select them through the app’s built-in browser. In the utility interface, you can set specific values for all selected objects and apply changes with one button.

File path: E:\DCIM\Camera\IMG_20230515.jpg
New creation date: 05.15.2023 14:30:00

In this case, you will need to restart the device or clear the cache of the Gallery application so that the new metadata is displayed correctly.

Changing the creation date for photos and videos (EXIF)

Graphics files deserve special attention video recordings. For them, the concept of “creation date” is often replaced by the concept EXIF data (Exchangeable Image File Format). Even if you change the system attribute of the file through Explorer, the gallery may continue to sort images by the shooting date hardcoded within the image itself.

To change this information, you will need special metadata editors, such as Photo Exif Editor or Metadata Editor. These apps open the file's technical information and allow you to overwrite the Date Taken or DateTimeOriginal field.

The process goes like this: You open the photo in the editor, find the timestamp section, and make edits. After saving, the file receives new internal time coordinates, and any smart gallery will automatically move it to the desired day of the calendar. This is the only working method for “smart” sorting of media.

Data type	Where it is stored	What to edit	Impact on sorting
System date	File system	File manager	Sorting by name/date in Explorer
EXIF Date Taken	Inside a JPEG/RAW file	EXIF Editor	Sorting in Gallery and Google Photos
ID3 Tags	Inside an MP3 file	MP3 Tag Editor	Sorting in music players
PDF Properties	Inside a PDF document	PDF Editor	Displaying document properties

Be careful when editing RAW formats, as incorrectly changing headers may cause some apps to the file will no longer be opened to develop the photographs. Always check the result on several files before mass processing.

What to do if the EXIF ​​data does not change?

Some smartphones (for example, Xiaomi or Samsung) may block writing to DCIM system folders by third-party applications. Try moving the photo to another folder, edit it, and then return it back.

Using the ADB command line for advanced users

For those who are not afraid of the technical interface, there is the most powerful tool - Android Debug Bridge (ADB). This method does not require installing unnecessary applications on the phone, but requires a computer and a configured environment for debugging.

Using the command touch you can assign any date and time to a file. First, you need to enable USB debugging in the “Developer Options” menu on your smartphone. Then connect your device to your PC and open a command prompt or terminal in the ADB tools folder.

The command syntax requires a timestamp in the format YYYYMMDDhhmm. For example, to change the date to January 1, 2026 at 12:00, the command will look specific. This method allows you to script the process and change the dates of thousands of files in one second.

adb shell touch -t 202601011200 /sdcard/Download/document.txt

However, it is worth considering the limitations of the file system. On modern versions Android with encryption enabled and use FBE (File Based Encryption), access to some system paths via ADB without root access may be limited. The command will be executed, but the file may remain invisible to the media scanner.

• 💻 Install ADB platform tools on your computer.
• 🔌 Enable USB debugging in the phone settings.
• ⌨️ Enter the touch command with the desired time stamp in terminal.
• ✅ Check the result through the file manager on the device.

⚠️ Attention: The interface and available ADB commands may vary depending on the Android version. Always check the command syntax for your specific firmware version in the official documentation of the developers.

The nuances of working with different file files systems

The success of the operation directly depends on where the file is physically located: in the internal memory or on an external memory card microSD. The internal memory of modern smartphones is usually formatted into a file system ext4 or f2fsthat support extended time attributes.

External drives often use a file system FAT32 or exFAT for compatibility with other devices. These systems have limitations: they may not support time accuracy down to the second, or they may have different formats for storing creation and modification dates. When copying a file from FAT32 to ext4 and back, the timestamps may be reset to the current ones.

If you are faced with the fact that after editing the date returns to the original one, try moving the file to another directory. Sometimes the problem lies in access rights to a specific system folder, which is protected by a security mechanism SELinux.

There is also a problem with instant messengers. When sending a file via WhatsApp or Telegram as “Document”, the original creation date may be preserved, but when sending as “Photo” or “Video”, the messenger server will compress the file and assign a new date to it - the sending date. In this case, you can return the old date only using the methods described above after the fact.

Why is the date reset when copying?

When copying a file (Copy-Paste), the operating system creates a new copy file, assigning it the current creation time. To save the date, you need to use the “Move” function (Cut-Paste).

Solving problems with display in the gallery

It often happens like this: you changed the date, checked the properties - everything is correct, but in the gallery the photo is still out of place. This happens because the Android media scanner caches file information for performance and does not scan the storage every time you open the application.

To force a refresh of the media database, you can use the Rescan Media application or similar. Such utilities send a system (broadcast), forcing the service MediaScanner to re-read the metadata of all files on the drive.

An alternative, more crude method is to clear the data of the “Gallery” or “Multimedia Storage” application in the system settings. This will force the phone to rescan all memory. Be prepared for the fact that at the time of scanning, the device may work slower, and thumbnails will temporarily disappear from the gallery.

If all else fails, check to see if sorting by file name rather than by date is enabled in the gallery settings. Sometimes the user accidentally changes the display type, thinking that the problem is in the metadata.

Is it possible to change the creation date of Android system files?

Technically, this is only possible if there is root access. Without them, the system will block writing to partitions containing system files for security reasons. An attempt to change them may lead to unstable operation of the device.

Will the creation date be reset when the phone is rebooted?

No, correctly changed file attributes are permanently saved in the file system. Rebooting, turning off the power, or updating applications does not affect the creation date unless the file is deleted and recreated.

Does changing the date affect the file size?

No, changing metadata (EXIF or file system attributes) does not affect the main content of the file. The size of a document, photo or video will remain the same down to the byte.

How to change the date of a file on a memory card without a computer?

Use a file manager with the function of editing properties directly on your phone. Make sure the memory card is not locked by a physical write-protect switch (if using an SD adapter) and is mounted correctly.

Why does Google Photos show the wrong date after editing?

Google Photos often uses the shooting date from EXIF, ignoring the file date. If the EXIF ​​is empty or incorrectly modified, the service may use the cloud upload date. Try changing the date directly in the Google Photos web interface or through the Google Photos application on your phone in information editing mode.