OneDrive File Issues

Fix OneDrive Photos Losing Original Date Metadata on Mac

Maira Mehtab Sep 21, 2026 869 views

Question details

Users want to download photos uploaded from an iPhone to OneDrive onto a Mac without having the original creation date overwritten by the current download date.

Product: OneDrive
Device & OS: Mac, iOS
Scenario: Transferring and downloading iPhone photos to a Mac computer via Microsoft OneDrive.
Observed behavior: The downloaded photo files display the current download date and time instead of preserving the original date and time metadata from when the photo was taken.

Before you start

Verify if the original EXIF data is truly lost by opening the photo in an image viewer like Apple Preview and checking the detailed image properties; often, only the Mac file system creation date is altered.

Solution 1Recommended

Submit a Request via the OneDrive Feedback Portal

Since Microsoft OneDrive replaces the original creation date with the download date by design upon saving to a Mac, the official resolution is to submit this behavior as a feature request to Microsoft developers.

Testing confirms that downloading photos from OneDrive to a Mac system routinely assigns the download timestamp as the new file creation date. Microsoft currently considers this standard behavior for the OneDrive web interface and macOS interaction.

Access the Microsoft Feedback Portal

Navigate to the official OneDrive feedback portal at https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/forum/e3f04660-2c1c-ec11-b6e7-0022481f8472 using your web browser.

Sign in to your account

Click the 'Sign In' button at the top right and log in using your Microsoft account credentials.

Submit the metadata issue

Create a new feedback post detailing that photos downloaded from OneDrive to macOS fail to retain their original creation date metadata. Request an update to preserve the original file timestamp upon download.

EXIF Data Remains Intact: Although the file's creation date changes in Finder, the original EXIF metadata (which holds the original camera timestamp) usually remains completely intact inside the photo file.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why do downloaded photos show today's date instead of the date they were taken?

When you download a file from cloud storage via a web browser, the Mac operating system often registers the exact moment of download as the file's 'creation' date on that specific local hard drive, ignoring the original file creation metadata.

Is the original photo metadata lost permanently?

No. The EXIF data, which stores the original camera timestamp and location, is usually embedded inside the file and remains intact. Only the outer file system timestamp read by the Mac Finder is altered.

How can I restore the original creation dates on my Mac?

You can use third-party Exif-editing applications or Mac Terminal commands (such as 'touch' or 'SetFile') to batch-edit the Mac file creation dates so they match the internal EXIF camera timestamps.

Does using the OneDrive desktop app fix the date issue?

Using the native OneDrive desktop sync client for Mac is generally better at preserving original file metadata compared to downloading files manually through the OneDrive web portal.

Document & File Issues