How to Remove Date and Time from a Photo's EXIF Data

The Date/Time EXIF category records the exact moment a photo was taken — down to the second. Removing it is straightforward: load the JPEG into the Free EXIF Editor, check the "Date/Time" category for removal, click Apply, and download a copy where the timestamps are gone. Zero quality loss — the pixel data is never touched. The whole process takes under 30 seconds.

One important distinction before you start: this tool removes date metadata entirely. It cannot change the date to a different value. If you need to set a new date (for example, to correct a wrong camera clock or backdate a photo's timestamp), that requires a different tool — ExifTool or DigiKam. If your goal is simply to make a photo's timestamp disappear from the file, read on.

What Date and Time Data Lives Inside a Photo

The Date/Time EXIF category contains several distinct timestamp fields:

• DateTimeOriginal — the exact date and time the shutter fired, as recorded by the camera's internal clock
• DateTimeDigitized — when the image was digitized (usually identical to DateTimeOriginal for modern cameras)
• DateTime (Modify Date) — the last time the file was modified, updated by editing software
• OffsetTime — the UTC offset for the timezone where the photo was taken
• SubSecTimeOriginal — sub-second precision timing, used by high-speed cameras

Removing the Date/Time category strips all of these at once. The file no longer contains any embedded timestamp information. File system dates (Date Modified, Date Created on the hard drive) are separate from EXIF dates — stripping EXIF timestamps doesn't affect how your operating system displays the file's modification date in Finder or File Explorer.

Why Remove the Date and Time from a Photo

The most common reasons for stripping date metadata:

Timeline privacy. A photo reveals not just where you were (GPS) but when — sometimes revealing daily routines, absences from home, or patterns you didn't consciously choose to share.

Sensitive timing. If you photograph a document, a notice, or a scene at a specific time, that timestamp travels with the file. Recipients can verify when the photo was taken by checking EXIF data in any image viewer.

Old photos shared out of context. Sharing an old photo from years ago with original EXIF timestamps can create awkward context — the date displayed in metadata viewers may not match when you're sharing it.

Publication embargoes. Editorial and news photography sometimes has timing restrictions. Removing the capture date before sharing a preview prevents recipients from confirming when the photo was taken.

Personal privacy baseline. Some people prefer to strip all personal identifying information from every file they share publicly, including date. This is a valid privacy posture — the date when you took a photo is your information to share or not.

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How to Remove the Date Using the EXIF Editor

Open the EXIF Editor in any browser. Drop your JPEG file onto the upload area. The tool reads the file and shows all five metadata categories. Look for the "Date/Time" section — it will show a green "Keep" badge by default, since date removal isn't enabled by default.

Click the "Date/Time" section header to expand it and see the specific timestamp fields stored in your photo. Then toggle the checkbox to mark it for removal (the badge changes to red "Remove").

If you also want to keep GPS, Camera Info, and Settings intact, leave those sections as-is. If you want to strip everything, toggle all five sections. Click "Apply Changes," then download the modified file.

The file you download has no EXIF date fields. Every other tag — GPS coordinates, camera model, ISO, aperture — remains exactly as it was in the original, unless you also toggled those sections.

Important: This Removes the Date, It Cannot Change It to a New One

The EXIF editor is a removal tool, not a value editor. You can choose which categories to strip — but you cannot type a new date and write it into the file.

If you need to change the date a photo was taken (to correct a camera with the wrong clock set, or to accurately tag a scanned physical photo with the date it was originally shot), you need a different tool:

• ExifTool (free, command line): exiftool -DateTimeOriginal="2026:01:15 14:30:00" photo.jpg sets a new original date
• DigiKam (free, GUI app for Windows/Mac/Linux): select a photo, go to Metadata, and edit the DateTimeOriginal field directly
• Apple Photos (Mac): select a photo, go to Image > Adjust Date and Time, and set a new capture date

For the "remove it entirely" use case, the browser tool handles it instantly with no install required. For "change it to a specific value," ExifTool or a desktop app is the right tool.

Confirming the Date Was Actually Removed

After downloading the modified file, verify the date is gone:

1. Open the EXIF Viewer and drop in the new file. Look for the Date/Time section — it should either be absent or show empty values.
2. On Mac: open the file in Preview, go to Tools > Show Inspector, and check the EXIF and More Info tabs for date fields.
3. On Windows: right-click > Properties > Details — "Date Taken" should be blank if the EXIF date was removed.

Note: your operating system may still show a "Date Modified" or "Date Created" on the file — these are file system attributes, not EXIF. They're separate from EXIF metadata and are not touched by this tool. If you need to change or strip file system timestamps, that requires a different approach (on Mac: touch -t in Terminal; on Windows: third-party tools like BulkFileChanger).

Frequently Asked Questions

Does removing EXIF date affect how the photo looks?

No. EXIF date fields are stored in the file header, separate from the image data. Removing them has zero effect on image quality, dimensions, or appearance. The photo looks identical — only the hidden timestamp tags disappear.

Can I remove the date from HEIC photos?

The EXIF Editor works with JPEG/JPG files. If you have HEIC photos from an iPhone, convert them to JPEG first, then use the editor to strip the date. Alternatively, ExifTool handles HEIC files directly: exiftool -DateTimeOriginal= file.heic removes the original date field.

Will the photo still show in the correct order in Apple Photos or Google Photos after removing the date?

Photos apps sort by EXIF DateTimeOriginal when available. If you remove the date, the app falls back to the file's creation date for sorting. The photo may appear out of chronological order in the library. If you just want privacy when sharing without disrupting your own library, only strip the date from the copy you're sharing, not from the original.

How do I remove the date from photos on Android?

Open the EXIF Editor in Chrome on your Android phone. Drop in your JPEG, toggle the Date/Time category for removal, and download the clean file. Everything runs in the browser — no app install needed.