ModifyDate: What This Metadata Tag Means
ModifyDate records when software last changed a file. A ModifyDate later than the capture date usually means the photo was saved again.
Last updated: November 13, 2026
What it means
ModifyDate is ExifTool’s name for the EXIF DateTime field. It records the last time software changed the file, as opposed to when the picture was taken. XMP can hold its own ModifyDate as well.
Example
- Tag
- ModifyDate
- Group in ExifMeta
- EXIF, XMP
- Example value
- 2026:10:07 09:15:44
This is how the tag appears in ExifMeta’s results. The value in your file will differ.
Typical values
It uses the same YYYY:MM:DD HH:MM:SS format as the capture dates. On a file straight from the camera it normally equals DateTimeOriginal to the second. A gap of minutes, days, or years means software wrote the file later.
Where it comes from
Cameras usually set it to the capture time. Photo editors and some photo managers update it when they save or export the file.
What it is useful for
It is one of the quickest signs that a photo was edited or exported after capture. Read it together with Software and CreatorTool, which can name the program that saved the file.
Watch out for
A later ModifyDate shows that the file was saved again, not what changed: it can be a crop, a rotation, or a metadata edit. The dates in the File group, such as FileModifyDate, are different: they describe the uploaded copy, not your original.
Find it in your file
Upload a file to ExifMeta, then type ModifyDate into the “Search tags and values” box under All metadata. If nothing matches, the file does not contain this tag.
Learn more in the guide: How to Tell If a Photo Was Edited
See the tags in your own file
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