Dates · Batch · Mac
Fix wrong and broken photo dates, in bulk.
A camera clock that was never set, a trip across time zones, or a box of scanned prints all leave you with the wrong capture date. MetaScope corrects the dates across a whole shoot at once, in place, with your video clips fixed in the same pass and nothing else in the file touched.
The problem
Wrong dates scatter a library out of order and break every timeline built on top of it. Fixing them file by file is hopeless, and some tools re-encode the photo or wipe other fields the moment they touch a date.
Three common cases
What breaks a date, and the fix.
How it works
Three steps to correct a date.
- 01 Open your photos in MetaScope
Drag in a single file or a whole folder. MetaScope reads the current EXIF, IPTC and XMP dates so you can see what is wrong before changing anything.
- 02 Set or shift the date
Set an exact capture date, or shift the whole selection by a fixed offset for a bad clock or a time-zone change. Video is corrected in the same pass.
- 03 Write it in place
MetaScope updates only the date fields. The image data and every other metadata field are left untouched.
| Field | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| EXIF:DateTimeOriginal | 2026:02:11 09:14 | 1994:07:20 00:00 |
| EXIF:CreateDate | 2026:02:11 09:14 | 1994:07:20 00:00 |
| File modified date | 2026:02:11 | 1994:07:20 |
| Other metadata | Intact | Intact |
Good to know
How it writes.
macOS 15.4 Sequoia or later. Apple Silicon or Intel.
Only the date fields change. The image is not re-encoded.
MOV and MP4 date fields are shifted alongside your photos.
FAQ
Date questions
Will fixing the date change anything else in the photo?
No. MetaScope writes the date fields in place. The pixels are not re-encoded and the rest of the EXIF, IPTC and XMP metadata is left exactly as it was.
Does it fix video timestamps too?
Yes. MetaScope shifts the QuickTime date fields on MOV and MP4 video in the same pass as your photos, so a mixed set stays in sync. Most metadata editors ignore video entirely.
Can it fix a whole shoot at once?
Yes. Apply a fixed offset (for example plus two hours) across the whole selection, or set an exact date. It works on one image or on hundreds.
What if I do not know the exact date?
MetaScope can derive a missing date from a filename or a GPS timestamp, flag files whose dates disagree, and let you review before writing, so you are not guessing blind.
Go deeper
Get every date right, across the whole library.
