When we write a document or edit an image on the computer, the creation date, as well as the date of the last modification, are automatically stored by the operating system. Sometimes, it may be useful to modify the file creation date or last modification, in a completely arbitrary way. In this guide I’ll show you how to change the date and time of a file on both Windows and Mac.
How to change date of file creation on Windows and Mac systems
If you find yourself reading this guide, it means that you are looking for a way to change the creation date of a file of any format. Well, you’ve come to the right place! If you continue reading, you will discover how to change the date of file creation on Windows and Mac.
How to change file creation date on Windows
If you use a computer with a Windows operating system, you can easily change the date of any file on your PC with the help of a convenient and simple program. This is a free application called BulkFileChanger that allows you to change the creation, modification and even last access date of any type of file.
It is very simple to use. After starting the application, the first thing you need to do is add the files you want by clicking on the first yellow folder icon (top left) or dragging them directly into the window. At this point, select the files you want to edit and then go to “Actions” and select “Change Time/Attributes“.
You can change the date of creation, last modification and access by putting the check mark next to the related items and typing in the adjacent text head the date and time you prefer. Once all is done, you will not have to press the “Do it” button. Simple, no?
You can download BulkFileChanger for free from the official program page.
How to change file creation date on Mac
If you own Mac, you can change the date of any file using the Terminal. Let’s look how.
After opening the Terminal, you can change creation date with the following codes:
Code to change creation date and last modification:
touch -t AAAAMMGGhhmm
- instead of AAAA, enter the year;
- instead of MM enter the month;
- instead of hh enter the time;
- instead of mm enter the minutes.
After typing the code with the date you want, leave an empty space and drag the file you want to edit, then press enter to save.
With this little trick, you can control the time of modification and creation.