Date Modified: top-level folder not showing accurate date

Question

Level 1

16 points

Date Modified: top-level folder not showing accurate date

I see this happen frequently: a subfolder will be modified in some way (usually by adding or removing a file contained in said folder), but itss parent folder's date modified will not update.

Shouldn't the top level/parent folder's date update to reflect that something inside that folder has been modified? I'm on Monterey 12.4 but I feel like I've been seeing this issue for quite some time. See the screenshot for an example.

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.4

Posted on Jul 26, 2022 10:18 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Best reply

dialabrain

Level 10

122,627 points

Jul 26, 2022 10:28 AM in response to brian_c

I can't tell you what it should or shouldn't do but, to change "Date Modified" for "top level folder", you have to actually modify it. In other words, drop a file/folder into it or remove a file/folder from it.

Reply

Answer 2

Jul 26, 2022 10:36 AM in response to brian_c

This is how it has been for years and years, probably decades, maybe forever since folders got timestamps of their own. And probably on most platforms, including Windows and Linux.

If you are into scripting, then you could automate changes cascading up.

Reply