Date column in Windows Explorer Details view: time / time zone difference b/w photo and video

redhonker 5 Reputation points
2026-10-13T01:06:05.8833333+00:00

Hi,

I just noticed this difference in Windows Explorer Details view.

Photo has EXIF tag Date/Time Original. It may or may not contain time zone. In Explorer, it always show the time as recorded in the tag without time zone adjustment. For example, Date/Time Original = 08:00:00 or Date/Time Original = 08:00:00+1 will show 08:00:00 while the PC has time zone -4.

MP4 from mobile phone has "Media Crate Date" or "Media Modify Date" which appears to be in UTC without timezone saved. Windows Explorer will adjust it to the local time zone to display. 08:00:00 -> 04:00:00

MP4 from a camera has both the above plus Date/Time Original. However, it's saved in local time, not UTC, and it does not have time zone. Windows Explorer appears to treat it as UTC and adjust to the local time zone as well.

This caused a bit of confusion. It seems Windows treat the data differently based on file type. Can it be changed to be consistent based on the tag?

If (Date/Time Original exists) {

Display it without any adjustment

} else if (Media Create Date exists) {

Adjust from UTC to local time zone and display it

}

Thanks

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Settings
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  1. Emma1-N 13,695 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-10-13T07:50:37.6633333+00:00

    Hello redhonker,

    Thank you for documenting the difference with specific photo and MP4 examples.

    Microsoft documents the Windows photo “Date taken” property as the date the photo was taken, read from the camera's EXIF metadata. However, I couldn't find an official setting that allows File Explorer users to configure a rule that prioritizes “Date/Time Original” over “Media Created” or independently controls their time-zone conversion.

    Because your proposed logic concerns how File Explorer should choose and display media timestamps, the best route would be to submit it through “Feedback Hub” by pressing “Windows + F”. Your feedback will be forwarded to the appropriate team for review and consideration in future updates.

    Official Microsoft documentation: System.Photo.DateTaken

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