BYTETOOLS

EXIF Date Editor

Change the date taken stored inside a JPEG by rewriting its EXIF DateTime, DateTimeOriginal and DateTimeDigitized fields in place.

Drop a JPEG to change its EXIF datesThe file is edited byte by byte in your browser — it is never uploaded

Photo libraries sort by the EXIF date, not the file date, so a scan or an export with the wrong timestamp lands in the wrong place. Choose a JPEG to see and rewrite its date fields.

What is the EXIF Date Editor?

Photo libraries sort by the date inside the file, not the date on disk. A scan, an export, a camera with a flat clock battery or a screenshot of a screenshot can all end up in completely the wrong place in your timeline.

  • Rewrites DateTime (0x0132), DateTimeOriginal (0x9003) and DateTimeDigitized (0x9004)
  • In-place edit keeps the file byte-length identical, so no other EXIF offset breaks
  • Reads both little-endian and big-endian TIFF blocks, and follows the Exif sub-IFD pointer
  • Shows each field's existing value before you overwrite it
  • Writes a minimal EXIF block when the photo has none, and tells you it did
  • Fully local — the photo and its metadata never leave your browser

How to use the EXIF Date Editor

  1. 1

    Drop a JPEG onto the upload area.

  2. 2

    Review the date fields the tool found and their current values, and untick any you do not want changed.

  3. 3

    Pick a new date and time with the picker, or type the exact EXIF value yourself.

  4. 4

    Click Write new dates — or Use right now to stamp the current moment.

  5. 5

    Download the edited JPEG and re-import it into your photo library.

About the EXIF Date Editor

Photo libraries sort by the date inside the file, not the date on disk. A scan, an export, a camera with a flat clock battery or a screenshot of a screenshot can all end up in completely the wrong place in your timeline. This editor rewrites the EXIF date fields so the photo lands where it belongs.

The edit is surgical. The tool walks the JPEG's marker segments to the APP1 Exif block, reads the TIFF header and the IFD entries, and overwrites only the 19 ASCII characters of each date value. Because EXIF date strings are always exactly that length, every other offset in the file stays valid — the compressed image data, the camera settings, the GPS tags and the thumbnail are untouched, byte for byte.

If a JPEG has no EXIF block at all, a minimal one carrying all three date tags can be written for you instead; the tool says clearly when that happens. Everything is done in your browser with the File API, so the photo is never uploaded — which matters, because photo dates are personal data.

Frequently asked questions

How do I change the date a photo was taken?

Drop the JPEG here, pick a new date and time, and click Write new dates. The tool rewrites the EXIF fields that photo apps sort by, then hands the file back for you to re-import.

What is the difference between DateTimeOriginal and DateTime?

DateTimeOriginal is when the shutter fired, DateTimeDigitized is when the image was digitised, and DateTime is when the file was last modified. Most photo libraries sort by DateTimeOriginal, so change that one at minimum.

Does editing the EXIF date re-compress the photo?

No. Only the 19 characters of each date string are replaced, so the JPEG's compressed image data is bit-for-bit identical to the original. There is no quality loss whatsoever.

Why can I only edit JPEG files?

The in-place edit relies on the JPEG APP1 Exif structure, where date values sit at fixed, known offsets. PNG, HEIC and RAW files store metadata differently and would need the whole container rewritten, which risks corrupting them.

Does the EXIF date include a time zone?

The classic date fields do not — they store plain local time with no offset, which is why the same photo can appear at different times in different apps. Newer OffsetTime tags record the zone separately and are left untouched here.

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