When was this photo taken?
Drop a photo to see when it was taken
Original photos from a phone or camera work best (JPEG, HEIC, RAW, PNG)
Works with JPEG HEIC PNG RAW
or paste an image or link (Ctrl+V) Paste a link
How it works
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Drop your file in the box above, or tap to choose one.
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We read the information saved inside it. This takes a few seconds.
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The answer appears right away, with a link you can share and the full details if you want them.
Which date is the real one?
A photo can carry several dates. The one that matters is the moment the phone or camera took the picture. It's saved inside the photo and stays the same when the file is copied, renamed or emailed.
The date your computer or phone shows in a file list is often just when the file arrived on that device. That's why downloaded photos all seem to be taken "today". This tool reads the original date from the photo itself.
- Date and time
- Time zone when saved
- Edited or not
- iPhone, Android and cameras
Questions and answers
How can I tell when a photo was taken?
Drop the photo into the box above. We read the date and time the phone or camera saved inside the file, and show the time zone when it was recorded.
Why is the date different from the one on my computer?
Your computer usually shows when the file was created or copied on that computer. The date taken is saved inside the photo by the camera, so it doesn't change when the file is copied or downloaded.
Can the date taken be wrong?
Yes. The camera writes whatever its clock says, so a camera whose clock was never set can be years off. The date can also be changed with editing software, so treat it as a strong hint, not proof.
Why doesn't my photo have a date?
Screenshots, images made by apps and photos sent through WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram usually have no date taken. Those services remove the camera details. The original file from the phone or camera keeps it.
Does it show the time zone?
When the photo saved one, yes. Recent iPhones, Android phones and many cameras record the time zone. Older cameras save only the clock time.
What happens to my file?
Your file is sent over an encrypted connection, read on our servers and deleted automatically after about 24 hours. The answer is kept on a page with its own link, so you can share it. Tool result pages are never listed in search engines.