Does copying a file change the date modified. Copy/paste using File Explorer gives me the prompt to overwrite and when I choose it, it overwrites the file and the Jul 9, 2011 · Does anyone know a foolproof way to do copy over these emails while preserving timestamps? EDIT: I can confirm that when I simply (single-)click on the file, its modified date is updated. E. Jun 27, 2024 · Take control of file timestamps now by learning how to change Date Created and Date Modified on Windows effortlessly. So in Copy, the content is not new but the file is new. For files and folders it changes the "modified" to todays date but SOMETIMES leaves the "date created" as it should be. In all examples, the modified date and time of a file does not change unless a property of the file has changed. Apr 9, 2020 · Can someone tell me if there is any way if we don't want to copy the files after the specified date. Like copying an individual file, the file date does not change nor should it but for some reason, the folder doesplease work your geek magic and use the same coding used for individual files and apply to date modified aka Folder dates when copying please. Jun 6, 2011 · That isn't unusual with copied files, when you copy a file the file's created date becomes the modified date and the current date (when the file is copied) becomes the created date, copy any existing file on your computer and you will observe this behaviour. Any decent image viewer should be using the "Date Taken" EXIF/IPTC/XMP date to sort images in chronological order and only fall back to the system timestamps ("Date Modified") if there is no EXIF/IPTC/XMP metadata in the image file to read. Date Created does not mean the Date you created the content. But, I agree with cloning a drive onto the new computer. The year 1970 didn't get preserved, the date just got updated to the current date/time! Notice though if I copy that file that has the old date stamp, to another location on C:, so the same drive. " Cumbersome as this seems, it will allow you to make a DeFacto "Copy" of your original files. /MINAGE:n : MINimum file AGE - exclude files newer than n days/date. Anyway, your modified date is probably the same as what you had on the original files thus you could change the created date to match that. So Modified date always refers, whether a change was made to the file content or name. My question is what can make the modified date to change? I actually thought the modified date was the created date first. The date and time at which you I'm giving a user a new laptop, but he is very particular, and needs all of the folders with their original date created/date modified. The date you need is in the exif data, and is shown as "content created" in your screenshot. Dec 4, 2024 · 1 I’m trying to organize photos and files stored on an SD card using file explorer apps on my smartphone. So, why doesn't "Date Created" changed after the copy/paste? Why is it keeping the value of the original file and not the one that overwrote it? Is this an indexing issue? How can indexing be forced if that's the case? Copying is the correct thing to do, that way if something happens, you still have the original and can recopy it. How to Change the Date Created, Date Accessed, and Date Modified Attributes Using PowerShell File Explorer doesn't allow changing critical attributes, such as the date a document was created, accessed, or modified. Under the Office tab, uncheck Use Office applications to sync Office files that I open. if i specify the date 10-MAY-2017 &amp; 11-MAY-2017 and folder has files for 10 &amp; 11 Ma In this video I will show you how to change the modification date of a file in Windows. I would like to know how I can tell Win7 to not change the original file date. To avoid this, you can leverage the command line to ensure original timestamps are maintained. I could easily tell you how to do that on Linux (some filesystems support created date) but on windows I think you would be looking at a powershell script. It will only check for filesize or date modified in order to detect change. (If n < 1900 then n = no of days, else n = YYYYMMDD date). Aug 28, 2018 · Since, you are moving it won’t show you modified “it” change the destination name and the creation time will be different. Unfortunately, my original photo library is not available so now all my photos have missing date modified data. --Edit-- Comment 1: Modified Date is always referring to the content, a kind of version for the content. Everything seems to be working well when Robocopy finishes until I found out that the access date hasn't been copied. the file retains all other information that has not changed/or has been forcefully modified. By using automated tools like Robocopy and rsync, you can simplify the process and reduce the risk of errors. Jul 12, 2019 · Wierd thing I've noticed recently. Merely opening a file for writing doesn't affect the mtime, assuming the file isn't created or truncated. It should not change when you send it. I need to move some pictures from internal storage to the SD card, running out of space. Last modified date refers to the date it was last Written. In some cases, this is not a problem (for example if you only copy files to the FTP server). The issue with Windows appears to be that a new Folder is first created with that device's date then the files copied into it. Go to Help & Settings > Settings. This makes it impossible to compare the server vs local "Date Modified" and guarantee that our files are synced properly. Most of his files are set to always keep, but when I added a new folder without always keep, created Oct 2, 2014 · 4) After testing the copy/paste function, save as, and make a copy functions, I noticed that this issue is the same across the board for all files types. C Sep 19, 2021 · Looks like a modified date from the original file is being used also for the copy. That date should remain the same when you drag and drop copy to a USB stick regardless of whether it's formatted NTFS, FAT32, or ExFAT. This is quite annoying if you want to manage photos imported from digital camera or mobile phone by taken date. Jan 4, 2025 · Techniques to Avoid "Created On" Date Changes 1. Although new files are created within the folder or modified, the folders modified Oct 13, 2021 · The creation and modification date will be replaced by the flow run date. Example, I have a bunch of videos created on June 1, 2016 in drive D. If the answer is helpful, please click " Accept Answer " and kindly upvote it. Aug 27, 2024 · Preserve Date Created for file and Folder when Copying Files - posted in Windows 11: How to preserve Date Created for file and Folder when Copying Files in Windows? I want to keep history record. This will save you hours trying to locate the installation files/disc and authorization codes. Tap on the " Copy " button in the lower-right corner of the screen. Long-press on the file you want to copy to select it. FTP and WebDAV servers traditionally use the current system time for all incoming files. Is there a way that I can preserve the access date of a file? Apr 2, 2011 · I believe the created date would be preserved if you moved -- rather than created a copy of -- the files. As I wrote this I decided to add the last accessed date to the file display, and those dates happen to show the dates I expect to see. Aug 3, 2019 · Windows maintains three different date/timestamps for every file and folder. Creating a file sets its mtime to the current date as well. Mar 9, 2016 · 4 I'm using a file modified date as a base for file names in via C#. Users will May 14, 2020 · I know that if you copy an object to another drive (say, C:\ to D:), the created and modified dates remain identical to object on the source drive. If it were to do an md5 check on every file, the copier would be a lot slower. If you use a script, and robocopy is part of that script, make it delete that file before the copy starts so P. It seems to maintain the original modified date from the copied file. , NTFS). When I drag a copy to another medium the date created becomes the date the file was copied, not the original date. Jun 1, 2010 · "Date Modified" changes on original file when copying I spent some time searching the forums but did not find any post that answered my question so I am starting a new thread. May 28, 2010 · How to do that in Windows? Can it be done in Windows Explorer? Any GUI tool suggestions? It would be the best if I can keep the NTFS permissions and creation/modification/access time. xcopy modifiers /d – Copies source files changed on or after the specified date only. Then the date stamp is preserved. Any ideas? TIA Jun 21, 2024 · Now, WE changes the "Date Modified" of the file pasted on my local to the time that it was pasted. The modified date doesn't seem to update to the current time/day on the overwritten file. Jul 29, 2024 · Here are some possible reasons and steps to investigate why the modification date changed when copying files to the server: Ensure that both the local drives and the server drives are using the same file system (e. Jun 27, 2023 · Does copying a file change the creation date? Yes, copying a file changes its date of creation, no matter whether you copy the file to internal or external storage. If you do not include a MM-DD-YYYY value, xcopy copies all source files that are newer than existing destination files. Is there a setting that adjusts how "Date Modified" is handled in this scenario? My computer is full so I have been manually "option" copying my files to my dropbox. When I have need to have the old Folder dates in Sep 2, 2024 · Yes but here I am expecting the file in destination to be overwritten and have the same date modified as source. S. This method allows you to modify the file’s creation, modification, and last access dates and times through a command-line interface. Uploading any file from your machine to the Dropbox site would make the modification date to be that moment, even if the file was created on a different date. How does Windows Explorer determine the "Date Modified" field for folders? [Aside: I know this is asking from an explorer-specific perspective, but the behaviour could be useful to coding search/sort. The created date and time of the file changes depending on whether the file was copied or moved. Install overdrive, set new library to sync and copy folders to this library locally. Changing the date created and date modified attributes of files on Windows can be essential for organization, syncing files with others, or maybe you’re developing and need specific timestamps for testing. 0, synchronization copy seems to change the file "modified" date/time to the time of the sync. May 20, 2022 · With shell copy, copying a file over another file always carries over the created date of the file you are replacing (it's as if you opened the existing file and changed its contents). I created two (emp Sep 16, 2023 · But with TCandroid even the file modification time/date is changed to the time of copying/moving – what absolutely does not make any sense as the file was not modified at all. Sep 6, 2024 · Changing the modified date of a file in Windows 10 might seem tricky, but it’s actually quite straightforward once you know the steps. Oct 20, 2023 · If you don't want the receiver to know the actual file attributes, here's how to remove or modify them. This is the date Photos (and pretty much any other photo management software) will use for sorting. edited and saved). Feb 17, 2024 · The Date Modified of a folder will always change to reflect the date of the copy or any change within the main level of the folder. Why is the modified date getting changed, but not the accessed date. The Indexing Service Jun 11, 2019 · Ever since version 13. Dec 23, 2023 · Grab the file name before copying it Separate at least the date (time is not that important) with regular expression or so After the file is at the destination place (PC) - modify the exif data, setting it as that date from the file name. So only access stamps needs change, created and modified remains same. Ignore file dates. Sep 22, 2022 · Is something changing your Created On Date for your files? Follow this guide to avoid Created On date change for files in Windows 11/10. e. Hello, We are cleaning up sites and downloading inactive files from SharePoint to local network storage. How can I force Windows 7 to keep the original date of June 1, 2016? (sorry if this is wrong sub) Double-Check Each File's Destination Timestamp After Copying. However there is another time stamp (invisible in Explorer) called MFT. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment". Copy files while preserving important timestamps with these simple steps. May 31, 2023 · Hi,the date in the system column "modified" for folders is not accurate. Same for moving but the old folder is deleted after being emptied. DateModified ): The date and time of the last modification to the item. The created date is when the file was originally created and the modified date is from the last time you've modified the file. Is there any method of retaining the original creation date? May 12, 2022 · And I noticed that this method preserved all of the date modified metadata. What do I need to add or change to make this work? Again- I only want new/ changed files beyond a certain date, which in turn are in subfolders of the "ImageWarehouse" folder. Just right clicking a folder (which opens the context menu) then closing it again will change its date modified to the current date and time. These include built-in command-line utilities, scripting with PowerShell, third-party software, and even manual approaches with advanced tools. Feb 24, 2021 · The date created should represent the date a movie or photo was created in the camera, not the date it was dragged from photos to a flash drive or hdd. If files are copied or moved to a different drive (i. 11 A modification affecting the file's mtime is a change of the file's data: a write of a nonzero amount of bytes, or a truncation that ends up modifying the file. This command-line option allows you to update files that have changed. Aug 31, 2024 · The Date Modified metadata that is displayed in the Windows Explorer typically does not change when moving or copying a file on the SAME DRIVE. Nov 29, 2021 · Hi @Ravi Chandran , By default Robocopy copies files that have changed (in size or modified date), if a file has not changed, Robocopy will skip the file. When you copy a file from one location to another on your computer, a new file is created with new timestamp. Aug 12, 2023 · Here are the steps to use the ES File Explorer to keep the date created when copying files on Android: Open the ES File Explorer app on your Android device. Test Example: Original File on Dropbox (modified timestamp is 2/27/2017) Aug 10, 2011 · I am copying a large amount of files from cd's and dvd's to an external/portable hard drive to back them up, but I've found that the 'date created' and 'date modified' options (in Windows Explorer) are showing as yesterday's date (the date I copied them to my external hard drive and not when they were actually created and modified years ago). Some engineer thought this was a good system. Lastly, as the name suggests, the Date Accessed tells us of the last Since the release of KB5039212 on June 11, 2024 the modification date of files changes when copied from a network for example from a network attached storage (NAS) with Windows File Explorer. At a minimum, I need to preserve the modification date for the files and the directories. I usually just sync the desktop/documents to a user's company Onedrive, and restore it on the new computer, but doing this would change all of those dates to the date I transfer them. To change the Date Created, Date Modified, and Date Accessed file properties using PowerShell, I'd recommend checking out this website here. They are “Date Created,” “Date Modified,” and “Date Accessed. His computer is a relatively new installation and he is patched up to February's updates. If you move a file from C:\fat16 to D:\NTFS, it keeps the same modified date and time and keeps the same created date and time. May 21, 2017 · Wrong file date? File Date Corrector enables to restore original modification and creation date of your documents, pictures, videos and audio files. Aug 26, 2022 · So I am trying to copy files with all their file attributes including timestamps. The files you pasted in were, in fact, created on the date you pasted them. Test this, first though. It says in the documentation for robocopy that a date in yyyymmdd will be accepted. For example, files extracted from a downloaded zip file using Explorer's built in zip handler will have Date modified dates that are the same as the download date and time. If you want to keep the original information, you must copy it by yourself. DateCreated ) The date and time the item was created on the file system where it is currently located. This means that all updated files are declared as different during the next "Modified Date and Size" compare. Last accessed is unpredictable. This is not the case when photos are uploaded into sharepoint, but documents lose their properties. Dec 14, 2023 · After copying 100,000+ documents to SharePoint Online from a local file server, how do I change the modified date to match the file server's dates? Ask Question Asked 1 year, 10 months ago Modified 1 year, 10 months ago Nov 4, 2023 · - Apple Community), and repeated by me just now, using a script to change the date back fails because iCloud insists that changing the modified date of a directory equals modifying the directory, and changes the date modified BACK to the moment the change (to the date modified!) was made. The Indexing Service friendly name is "create". Dec 23, 2024 · It is our requirement that all meta data (creation date, modified date, and access date) are preserved during the migration from Dropbox to SharePoint using the SharePoint Migration Manager tooling and I have found that timestamp dates are modified. Maybe you can use that column to sort by instead. You should look at changing / keeping correct the "DateTimeOriginal" or "CreateDate" exif / xmp tag inside the image. Dec 7, 2020 · * This seemed to copy 3 files, but I know there are more than 3 files that are newer than the MAX AGE date the subfolders of the"ImageWarehouse" folder. Many of the tools I use to organize and edit these files use the Created date to sort or to build timelines so correcting each file manually was time consuming and laborious. By the end, you’ll be able to easily change the modified date and time of any file on your Windows 10 system. Jan 24, 2022 · The Date Modified is the date the file was last changed (e. " Mar 13, 2019 · Hi all, We have windows 10 1709 with OneDrive files on demand enabled One of my users have an issue where if he opens and closes a file the changes the date modified. This property is automatically promoted by the file system. Cut & paste can avoid this problem, but you might have to recover lost photos if the transfer is accidentally interrupted. The Last Modified Date for OneDrive will be updated when one of the following events is triggered: To view this date in Windows, go to [Right-click > Properties > Details tab > Date Taken]. Feb 4, 2024 · I've not found file dates/times to be changed when copied from drive to drive but the Folder dates do become the current date displayed by the device. Robocopy does not support this however. In some instances this makes total sense. Dec 18, 2023 · Similarly, Date Created is the date and time when an item was first created. When the attributes are changed they don't affect the data that you stored in file, and therefor Last modified remains same. Some of the scenarios that can cause the modification date to update are: When the content of the file is modified: If the contents of a file are changed, the modification date will be updated to reflect the current time. It explains how to change the Date Created/Modified/Accessed file properties for a single file, for all files in a given folder, or even for a folder itself. But that is only true fo file system timestamps. Navigate to the folder containing the files that you want to copy. I'm noticing that there is no way to preserve the original created date from SharePoint after the file is copied. But when I do the file date changes to the date I move it, which is not helpful. The created date will change, but the copied files should still retain the correct "Date Modified. Thank you, Brian Dec 15, 2024 · See from above, that the file when copied to H:, gets an update date stamp to today's date, today's year 2024. Jul 29, 2021 · I can see moving a locally stored document to onedrive folder on the C drive retains the date created and date modified time however, when viewing the same file on onedrive online, the date created is the current date of upload, not the original date as on the local computer. This article will guide you through the process, using a simple method that involves using Command Prompt. Using the Command Prompt and copy /b Method One traditional technique involves using the copy command in Windows Command Dec 24, 2021 · Robocopy is a utility build with speed in mind. So the timestamp on the FTP server becomes different from the Last Modified time on your computer. OneDrive Client version is the latest. /e – Copy subdirectories, including any empty ones. Generally, if a file in the Dropbox folder, and is then edited and saved, the modification date of the file would change to the current time. Robocopy is a command-line utility that can be used to copy files and directories. It can also be used to synchronize directories, and to copy only new and changed files. Created date by definition is constant. I could not possibly be editing the contents of the file while moving it or saving it! (could I? heheh) Dec 19, 2013 · When file is moved it's created date and modified date does not change (it changes when copy paste is done). Is this happening because the old modified date is newer than the creation date? Creation date of files is OK for Onedrive to change. Jan 9, 2025 · Learn how to maintain the modified time attribute of a file when moving it using drag and drop in File Explorer for Windows 11. Windows Explorer is changing my original file's date when I do a drag-and-drop copy operation. In general the "MODIFIED" means that the file in the in the destination is older than the file in the source, so Robocopy has copied the file changes. You can add the "Created" column in OneDrive Online to track the original timestamp. Jul 12, 2024 · After a Compare "Modified Date and Size" and subsequent copying of the different files to the target drive, the modification date is now changed under Windows 11. g. Unfortunately, Windows does not provide native options for changing the date and time attributes of any file Nov 9, 2016 · However, the date modified does not change, because, well, nothing inside the file changed while I was copying it (or saving it to a new location). on the same server or even between PC and Server), the Date Modified can change. It will keep any software installations. Apr 3, 2024 · Another method to change file date and time on Windows 10 is by using the Command Prompt. The Date Modified would still be the last date they were modified. Feb 27, 2023 · The Date Modified is actually the date when the file was created. ---------- If the reply was helpful please don't forget to upvote and/or accept as answer Jun 26, 2025 · Methods to Change the Modified Date of a File in Windows The process of modifying a file’s timestamp involves various methods. I just went into one of my client folders and noticed that each and every file now have a revised "date modified" changed to the date I put the files on dropbox! This is a minor disaster - I didn't realize how much I relied on those dates. But the created date is changing when I move the file from USB to harddrive. Jul 1, 2020 · The "official" definitions are quite brief: Date Created: ( System. Dec 21, 2022 · Once the files have been "Moved," you open your Teams Site in SharePoint -- go into your "Trash" Folder -- and "Recover" the Files you actually wanted to "Copy. May 21, 2014 · The date modified starts off being changed to today’s date WHILE the file is copying…but the second the copy completes (or at some point during the copy) the date modified corrects itself. This should preserve the date and OneDrive will upload files Does copying a file change the date modified? If you copy a file from C:\fat16 to D:\NTFS, it keeps the same modified date and time but changes the created date and time to the current date and time. When I copy the videos over to drive E today, date created shows July 20, 2019. Apr 6, 2010 · The modified files are not getting backed up again as "changed", apparently because the "Date Created" field hasn't changed. Feb 20, 2025 · Hi @ Per Rihed, You can use SharePoint migration tool to move files from a file server to a SharePoint Online library. The date on the folder will change, but the files within should remain in tact. Creating a copy sets the date-created of the new file to the current date. 1. Although the access date of the object on the destination drive does change. Different file systems can handle metadata differently. Does the accessed date change only when the files are opened or read, changed or not? Mar 14, 2025 · Copying modified files is an essential task that can help you streamline your workflow and ensure that your files are up-to-date. May 23, 2020 · Move the folder. This will lead you with a few options. The created date shows as the date the file was downloaded. Date modified: ( System. May 19, 2025 · Click the OneDrive icon in your taskbar. This means every time I perform a Mirror sync (file time and size) between two drives, files on the target drive is considered a newer copy than one in the source, even if no actual change is performed. However, I’m facing an issue where simply moving files to another location within the SD card using these file explorer apps causes the creation date of the files to change. Also it says that minage and maxage exclude dates older or newer than the supplied date so if I am applying the Aug 18, 2023 · I’m a stickler for correct meta data so seeing the dates / timestamps get clobbered to the current date / timestamp when copying or transferring was a point of frustration. ” You may have to change the modified, created, or last accessed timestamp of a file or folder in some situations. This article provides a tutorial on how to use robocopy to copy only new and changed files. This does not change when you make changes to an item, nor does copying it to another storage device. If the modified timestamp is internal to the file, then this will obviously change the hash of the file, as the contents of the file itself has changed. As per my test, it keeps the original modified date after migrating. Am i missing something here? /MAXAGE:n : MAXimum file AGE - exclude files older than n days/date. Want to keep original taken date after coping photos to new destination? Learn how to copy files without changing date stamp in Windows 10. Even if I copy the files. I need to identify which files were moved on a particular date. Copy the users and dates While it might be possible to change the Created, Created By, Modified, and Modified By with an HTTP request, you shouldn’t do that. Use the Created Date Instead – While the modified date is changing, the created date remains intact. So I had to use the modified date which has the correct, untoched date. Oct 17, 2017 · Thus, a file with date created or modified as in year 2013 loses its 2013 date inherently in the file if it is uploaded into SharePoint in 2017 and supports same properties of 2017. Aug 30, 2017 · I am copying over folders to a new backup drive and it keeps changing the date "created" and "modified" to todays date. When the file is renamed: Renaming a file in Windows 10 will result in a modification date update. Whatever your reason, Windows gives you the ability to alter these dates, although it No because that would defeat the purpose of the Created Date field. Aug 22, 2022 · You are correct in your assumption that change to a modified date shouldn't result in a change of the files hash. When both the files in source and destination are identical, the overwrite does not seem to happen and the destination file continues to retain its older timestamp. It is showing the date that Robocopy has finished copying. Windows Explorer's copy does not preserve the modification date for Jul 26, 2024 · One should be able to copy without changes of any sort. Using Copy-Paste with Command Line When using File Explorer to copy files, often the "Created On" date will change. In Windows, when copying files using File Explorer, the file date modified gets preserved, however the file date created gets reset to the date that it was copied. When you change any property/attribute, MFT changes of course. However, if you make a new copy of an existing file or a folder, the Date Created is automatically updated for the new copy to the current time. Therefore the issue must be that the Linux command cp does not even try to retain date modified data when copying files from Samba shares. Btw: specially with photos that have EXIF-data integrated changing the modification time/date does not make sense at all. Apr 9, 2024 · Date modified does not change when copying files from one volume to another, but depending on the software involved, it may change for downloads. vonlajr hhoa 39seg f7jc szqkwd rixo jj8d btoklm 6b6 45l79hm