How to Change a Photo's Date on Android (Free, No App)

Quick answer: The easiest way to change a photo's date on Android is Google Photos: open the photo, tap the three-dot menu, choose Edit date and time, and set the new date. But that only changes the date inside Google Photos, not the EXIF date written in the file. To change the date in the file itself, so it stays correct everywhere, upload the JPEG to a free browser EXIF date editor, set the new date, and download. It works in Chrome on Android with no app to install.

Android has a hidden catch when it comes to photo dates: there are two different "dates," and most methods only change one of them. Here is how to change the date the right way.

Method 1: Google Photos (quick, but app-only)

1. Open the photo in Google Photos.
2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top corner.
3. Choose Edit date and time.
4. Set the new date and time, then Save.

This fixes the date you see in Google Photos and in its timeline. The catch: it does not rewrite the EXIF DateTimeOriginal in the actual file. If you send that photo to someone, or open it in another app, the old date can reappear. Good for organizing your own library, not for fixing the file.

Method 2: Browser EXIF date editor (writes the file itself)

To change the date inside the file, so it is correct everywhere the photo goes:

1. Open our EXIF date editor in Chrome on your Android phone.
2. Upload the JPEG.
3. Type the new date and time.
4. Tap Apply and download the new file.

This writes DateTimeOriginal directly into the JPEG. It runs in your browser, so the photo never uploads to a server, and there is no app to install. This is the method to use when the date needs to stick: for evidence, for sorting by real capture time, or for files you will share.

Method 3: A gallery app

Some third-party gallery apps (and file managers with an EXIF editor) can change the capture date too. They work, but most ask for broad storage permissions and some upload your photo to their servers to process it. If privacy matters, the browser editor above does the same job without uploading anything.

Why the date was wrong in the first place

Common reasons an Android photo shows the wrong date:

• Transferred or downloaded. Copying a photo to a new phone, or saving it from WhatsApp or a download, often resets the file date to today. The original capture date may still be in EXIF, or may be gone.
• Camera clock wrong. A camera or phone with the wrong date or timezone stamps every shot incorrectly.
• Scanned print. A scan of an old photo gets stamped with the scan date, not the date the photo was actually taken.

To check what date a photo currently has, see how to see when a photo was taken.

The short version

Google Photos changes the date in the app; a browser EXIF date editor changes the date in the file. For a fix that sticks everywhere, use the browser editor: it writes DateTimeOriginal directly, runs in Chrome on Android, and never uploads your photo. For other platforms, see how to change the date on a photo.