Fix missing or incorrect dates on your photos and videos so they appear in the right order
Have you ever noticed that some of your photos or videos appear in the wrong order in your gallery? Maybe vacation photos from 2019 are mixed in with pictures from last week, or a batch of old scanned photos all show today's date.
This happens because the "date taken" information is missing or incorrect. Every photo and video has hidden information (called metadata) that tells your gallery app when it was taken. When this information is missing, the gallery has to guess — and it often guesses wrong.
Good news: In many cases, the correct date is hiding in the filename itself. A file named IMG_20190715_143022.jpg was clearly taken on July 15, 2019 at 2:30 PM. SyncGallery can read this date from the filename and write it back into the file's metadata, fixing the sort order permanently.
Common situations where dates go missing:
The Date & Time screen helps you detect, review, and fix these dates — so your photos appear in the correct chronological order everywhere.
SyncGallery looks for the date in three places, in order of reliability. It uses the first valid date it finds.
EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) is hidden information stored inside your photo files. When you take a photo with your camera or phone, it automatically records the exact date and time into the file.
EXIF metadata contains several date fields:
If EXIF date is present and correct, you typically don't need to change anything — your photos are already in the right order.
When EXIF is present: The date is already stored inside the file. Most gallery apps, cloud services, and social media platforms will read this date and show your photo in the correct position. No action needed.
This is the most useful feature for fixing dates. Many cameras and apps include the date and time in the filename when saving photos and videos.
Even when EXIF metadata is lost (through copying, editing, or transferring), the filename usually stays unchanged. SyncGallery can recognize date patterns in filenames and extract the original date.
Common filename patterns that SyncGallery can read:
IMG_20190715_143022.jpg — standard Android camera formatVID_20210301_120000.mp4 — standard Android video format2023-12-25 15.30.45.jpg — date-time with separatorsScreenshot_20220801-091500.png — screenshot formatWhen SyncGallery finds a date in the filename, it shows a green Filename chip next to that item. You can then write this date into the file's EXIF metadata to fix the sort order permanently.
Important: Not all filenames contain dates. Files renamed to something like vacation_photo.jpg or IMG_001.jpg won't have an extractable date. In these cases, the filename source will not be available.
Least reliable. The file modification date is when the file was last saved or copied — not when the photo was taken.
For example, if you copy a photo from your computer to your phone today, the file date becomes today's date, even though the photo might have been taken years ago. This is why file date is only used when no other source is available.
Be careful with file dates. Using file modification date as EXIF date can make the sort order worse, not better. Only use this if you're sure the file date is close to the actual date taken (for example, files that were never copied or moved).
SyncGallery checks these sources in order and uses the first available date:
| Priority | Source | Reliability | When to use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (highest) | EXIF | Very high | Already present — usually no action needed |
| 2 | Filename | High | Best option for fixing missing dates |
| 3 (lowest) | File Date | Low | Use only when no other source available |
If a photo already has a valid EXIF date, it appears with the EXIF chip and you don't need to do anything. The most practical case is when EXIF is missing but a date can be extracted from the filename — that's where this tool shines.
The Date & Time screen shows all your media files with their detected dates. Here's how to work with it:
Each item shows the filename, a thumbnail, the detected date, and a colored chip indicating where the date comes from: EXIF, Filename, File Date, or Manual. Items where the date was detected from EXIF are usually already correct.
Tap the filter icon in the top bar to show only items from a specific source. For example, filter by Filename to see all items where a date was extracted from the filename — these are the ones most likely to benefit from having the date written to EXIF.
Tap items to select them, or use Select All to select everything visible. Only selected (checked) items will be affected when you apply changes.
Tap the Set Date button to change the date source for all selected items at once. You can switch between File Date, Filename, or Earliest Date. You can also tap individual source chips on each item, or edit the date and time manually.
Tap Apply to write the dates into the files. You'll see a dialog letting you choose which EXIF date fields to write. After applying, the dates are permanently stored in the files and will be recognized by all gallery apps, cloud services, and other applications.
The most practical and common use of this screen is extracting dates from filenames and writing them as EXIF metadata. This fixes photos that show in the wrong order because their date metadata was lost.
When is this useful? You transferred photos from an old phone, SD card, or cloud service, and they lost their date information. But the filenames still contain the original date (e.g., IMG_20190715_143022.jpg). SyncGallery can read this date and permanently fix the file.
Navigate to the Date & Time screen from the gallery. SyncGallery will analyze all your files and detect available dates from each source.
Tap the filter icon and select only Filename. This shows only files where a date was successfully extracted from the filename. These are the files that can be fixed.
Look through the list and verify that the detected dates make sense. Each item shows the date that was found in its filename. If a date looks wrong, you can tap it to edit manually.
Use Select All to check all visible items, then tap Apply. In the write options dialog, keep the default settings (DateTimeOriginal is the most important field) and confirm.
The dates from the filenames are now permanently written into the EXIF metadata of each file. Your photos will appear in the correct chronological order in SyncGallery, Google Photos, and any other gallery app.
Tip: After applying, you can go back to the gallery and verify that the photos now appear in the correct order. The change is permanent — even if you copy the files to another device, the dates will be preserved.
The Set Date button in the bottom bar lets you change the date source for all selected items at once. This is faster than tapping individual source chips.
Sets the date for all selected items to the file's modification date. This is the date when the file was last saved or copied on disk.
Use with caution. File modification dates change when files are copied, moved, or re-saved. This option is only reliable for files that have never been transferred between devices.
Sets the date for all selected items to the date extracted from their filename. This only works for items where SyncGallery could find a date pattern in the filename. Items without a recognizable date pattern will not be affected.
Recommended. This is the most useful option for fixing dates in bulk. Filename dates are usually accurate because they were written by the original camera app at the moment the photo was taken.
For each selected item, compares all available dates (EXIF, filename, file date) and picks the earliest one. The idea is simple: the earliest date is most likely to be closest to the actual moment the photo was taken.
For example, if a photo has EXIF date of January 2024 (wrong, from re-saving), a filename date of July 2019 (correct, from original capture), and a file date of March 2024 (when it was copied), the earliest date — July 2019 — wins.
Good for mixed scenarios. When you have files from multiple sources and aren't sure which date is correct, earliest date is a safe choice — it picks the one closest to the original capture time in most cases.
When you tap Apply, SyncGallery writes the date into EXIF metadata fields inside the file. You can choose which fields to write in the options dialog. Here's what each field means:
| EXIF Field | What it means | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| DateTimeOriginal | The date and time when the photo was originally taken. This is the primary "date taken" field. | Google Photos, Samsung Gallery, SyncGallery, most gallery apps, social media platforms |
| DateTime | The date when the image was last modified. Some apps fall back to this field if DateTimeOriginal is missing. | Windows Explorer, some older apps, some cloud services |
| DateTimeDigitized | The date when the image was digitized (converted to digital format). For digital cameras, this is usually the same as DateTimeOriginal. | Professional photo tools, some printing services |
Recommendation: Keep all three fields enabled (the default). This ensures maximum compatibility — every app that reads photo dates will find the correct information, regardless of which field it checks.
For video files: Videos store dates differently than photos. SyncGallery updates the video's MediaStore entry (the system's media database) rather than writing EXIF tags. The effect is the same — the video will appear in the correct order in your gallery.