OneDrive File Issues

Fix Missing Date Taken Field for MP4 Videos in OneDrive

Bushra Parveen Sep 25, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user is experiencing an issue where OneDrive fails to display the 'Date Taken' field for certain MP4 video files, even though the metadata exists within the files.

How to Fix Missing Date Taken Field for MP4 Videos in OneDrive

Product: Microsoft OneDrive
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Organizing and viewing uploaded MP4 video files in OneDrive based on their original recording dates.
Observed behavior: The 'Date Taken' field appears for some MP4 videos but is completely missing for others, and re-uploading the original file does not always fix the problem.

Before you start

Before troubleshooting, use a metadata viewer like ExifTool to confirm that your MP4 files genuinely contain 'CreateDate' or 'MediaCreateDate' tags.

Solution 1Recommended

Re-upload the Original MP4 File

Sometimes OneDrive experiences a temporary parsing error during the initial upload, preventing it from reading the video metadata correctly.

Video processing tools or third-party transfer apps can alter how metadata is written. Uploading the completely unmodified file directly from the source device can sometimes prompt OneDrive to read the tags correctly.

Delete the problematic file

Locate the MP4 video with the missing Date Taken field in your OneDrive folder and delete it to prevent duplication issues.

Locate the original file

Find the original, unmodified MP4 file on your smartphone, camera, or local hard drive.

Upload directly to OneDrive

Drag and drop the original file directly into the OneDrive web interface or copy it into your synchronized local OneDrive folder and wait for the upload to complete.

Processing Delay: It may take a few minutes for OneDrive to index the newly uploaded file and display the 'Date Taken' metadata.

Solution 2

Contact OneDrive Support with Metadata Proof

If the metadata exists but OneDrive consistently fails to recognize it, Microsoft Support may need to investigate how their servers are processing your specific file format.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does ExifTool show the creation date but OneDrive does not?

OneDrive relies on specific metadata tags like 'CreateDate' or 'MediaCreateDate' structured in a standard way. Different devices and video editors write metadata in varying formats that third-party tools can read, but OneDrive's servers might fail to parse them correctly.

Can I manually add or edit the 'Date Taken' field directly in OneDrive?

No, OneDrive currently does not provide a feature to manually edit video metadata directly from its web interface or mobile app. You must edit the MP4 metadata locally using a third-party tool before uploading the file to the cloud.

Did my video editing software delete the 'Date Taken' metadata?

It is highly likely. Many video editing, compressing, or social media sharing apps strip original metadata to reduce file size or rewrite the creation date to the exact moment the new video file was exported.

Document & File Issues