OneDrive File Issues

How to Fix OneDrive Grouping Videos by Upload Date Instead of Date Taken

Maira Mehtab Sep 20, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user is looking for a way to retain the original date metadata for videos migrated to OneDrive, as the platform is currently organizing them by the date they were uploaded.

Product: OneDrive
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Migrating a large batch of photos and videos (around 200 GB) to OneDrive storage.
Observed behavior: While photos are correctly grouped by their original dates, videos are grouped by their upload date, and the original video metadata appears to be lost when the files are downloaded.

Before you start

Before attempting to fix the grouping issue in OneDrive, check the original video files on your local drive to confirm that their 'Date Taken' or 'Media Created' metadata is still intact.

Solution 1Recommended

Organize Videos into Date-Specific Folders Before Transfer

By placing videos into folders named after their recording dates, you can bypass OneDrive's metadata limitations and ensure chronological organization.

OneDrive's media parser sometimes struggles to read creation metadata embedded in video containers (like MP4 or MOV), causing it to fall back to the file creation or upload date. Using a structured folder system is the most reliable workaround.

Create Date Folders

On your local computer, create new folders and name them using a chronological format, such as 'YYYY-MM-DD' (e.g., '2023-10-25').

Move Original Videos

Sort your original video files on your local drive by date, then move them into their respective date-named folders.

Upload Folder Structure

Drag and drop the entire folder structure into the OneDrive desktop application or web interface. You can now browse your videos chronologically by navigating the folders.

Preserving Organization: This method ensures that even if OneDrive strips the internal metadata, your files remain strictly organized by date.

Solution 2

Append the Recording Date to Video Filenames

Manually adding the original date to the beginning of the filename ensures chronological sorting regardless of the internal metadata.

Solution 3

Restore and Embed Metadata Using ExifTool

Use a specialized metadata editing tool to properly embed the 'Date Taken' attribute into your video files so OneDrive has a better chance of reading it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Why does OneDrive recognize photo dates but not video dates?

Photos typically use standard EXIF metadata for the 'Date Taken' property, which OneDrive reads easily. Videos, however, use varying metadata standards (like QuickTime metadata or XMP) that OneDrive frequently struggles to parse, causing it to fall back on the upload or file creation date.

Can I edit the 'Date Taken' directly in OneDrive online?

No, OneDrive's web interface does not currently offer a built-in tool to manually edit the embedded metadata or 'Date Taken' property for uploaded video files.

Does downloading the video from OneDrive restore its original date?

If the metadata was successfully embedded before upload, downloading the file might retain it. However, if OneDrive stripped or ignored the metadata during the sync process, the downloaded file will usually reflect the date it was downloaded or originally uploaded.

Document & File Issues