OneDrive File Issues

Fix File Creation and Modification Dates Changing When Moving to OneDrive

Elise Williams Oct 22, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to know why a Word document's creation and modification dates changed after uploading it to OneDrive without any edits.

Why File Creation and Modification Dates Change When Moving to OneDrive

Product: OneDrive / Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Uploading a local Word document to a new OneDrive cloud folder.
Observed behavior: The file's creation and modification timestamps reflect the upload date rather than the original document creation date.

Before you start

Ensure you have the OneDrive desktop application installed on your computer, as using the web interface can alter file metadata during uploads.

Solution 1Recommended

Move Files Using the Local OneDrive Sync Folder

Copying or moving files using File Explorer preserves the original creation and modification dates instead of resetting them to the upload time.

When you upload a file via the OneDrive website, the system often interprets this as creating a brand new file on the cloud server, assigning the current date and time as the creation and modification date.

By using the desktop sync application, files are processed as local file transfers which natively retain their original metadata.

Install OneDrive

Download and install the OneDrive desktop application if it is not already set up on your PC.

Open File Explorer

Press the Windows Key + E to open File Explorer and locate your original Word document.

Move the file

Drag and drop or copy and paste the document directly into your synchronized OneDrive folder located in the left navigation pane.

Wait for sync

Allow OneDrive a few moments to sync the file to the cloud. The original dates will be preserved.

Move Files Using the Local OneDrive Sync Folder

CreateDate Field: If you still need to verify the original creation date of a Word document, you can often check the internal 'CreateDate' field within the document properties.

Solution 2

Verify the Internal Document Creation Date

If the file system date has changed, you can still find the original creation date saved inside the document's metadata.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does downloading a file from OneDrive change its creation date?

Yes, when you download a file from the OneDrive website to your local drive, the operating system may stamp the download time as the new creation date. Moving files via the local sync folder avoids this issue.

How can I view the original creation date of a Word document if the file date changed?

You can view the original creation date by opening the document, going to File > Info, and checking the internal document properties, which track metadata independently from the Windows file system.

Can I fix the modified dates of files already uploaded via the OneDrive web interface?

Once uploaded via the web interface, the system assigns the upload time as the modification date. To restore the original dates, you will need to delete the web copies and re-upload the original local files using the OneDrive desktop sync folder.

Document & File Issues