MacOS Photos import doesn't maintain the changed date of an iOS photo.

Question

Level 2

158 points

MacOS Photos import doesn't maintain the changed date of an iOS photo.

If I use my iPhone to take a picture of a physical photo print from 1993, then on iPhone I go to Adjust Info > Adjust Date & Time and change the year to 1993, and then connect my iPhone to Mac via USB-C cable, and import the photo, in my macOS Photos Library view and Import view, the date of the photo is today, the date of capture, instead of what I would expect which is the *adjusted* date.

MacOS photo imports from iPhone should maintain the adjusted date of the photo, shouldn't it?

Posted on Sep 15, 2026 10:21 AM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

léonie

Level 10

204,657 points

Sep 15, 2026 10:44 AM in response to marcresure254

The best way to transfer photos with the adjusted dates is syncing with iCloud Photos, not the manual syncing with the USB cable. iCloud Photos will sync the adjusted dates to a Mac.

When you sync with a USB cable the unmodified original will be transferred. There may also be a second version with an "E" in the filename. Have you checked, if an edited version is also there? Does it have the adjusted date?

Which system version is running on your Mac and on your iPhone? The syncing via USB may differ, depending on the system versions.

Reply

Answer 2

Sep 16, 2026 6:54 AM in response to marcresure254

How do you use the "USB-C cable" to "import the photo?" Do you use Finder, or do you wait for the phone to pop up in Photos, or do you use Image Capture? There are lots of ways !

Dates and things aren't really stored with the pictures-- they are stored in the "database," and they may or may not be included with the picture in exports. I've seen that a file with an "E" is edited, but it does not have the new database metadata.

As léonie suggests, using iCloud Photos automatically transfers Photos' database information, so it works every time.

Reply