How to arrange photos in chronological order on MacBook Photos App?

I am trying to arrange photos in chronological order. I am new to Apple. I had pics airdrop to me. But they are not in order. I also want to transfer to external drive after I finish. But when I transfer they are all jumbled up in no chronological order. I created a folder in photos, but when I move the folder I have the same issue.


[Re-Titled By Moderator]

MacBook Air 15″, macOS 14.5

Posted on Aug 10, 2024 5:32 PM

Reply
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Aug 10, 2024 9:38 PM

Do the photos bear proper capture data in their internal metadata? If you create an Album with the photos in it and sort the Album by capture date, are they in the order you expect?

If so, you can use File > Export Album with the File Name > Sequential or Album Name With Number option to assign file names that will sort externally in the order you expect.

Similar questions

4 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Aug 10, 2024 9:38 PM in response to Rybrytra

Do the photos bear proper capture data in their internal metadata? If you create an Album with the photos in it and sort the Album by capture date, are they in the order you expect?

If so, you can use File > Export Album with the File Name > Sequential or Album Name With Number option to assign file names that will sort externally in the order you expect.

Aug 11, 2024 6:47 AM in response to Rybrytra

As markwmsn said, if your pictures have retained their capture date in their metadata, then you can sort your pictures in an album using View>Sort, like this:


If the dates are not accurate, this may be because people often remove metadata before sending out pictures. If you know the dates, you can adjust them with the file menu Image>Adjust Date and Time...


The Recents view shows all your pictures in the order they were added to Photos. When a bunch pictures is imported together, the order of import within the bunch is pretty random.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

How to arrange photos in chronological order on MacBook Photos App?

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.