How to Fix Dates on Scanned Old Photos on a Mac

By Game Osborne · September 15, 2026 · Mac · Apple Photos, Finder, scanned photos

Replace misleading scan dates with real or estimated dates so family photos appear in a useful order in Apple Photos and Finder.

Why scanned photos have the wrong date

When you scan an old photograph, your Mac usually sees the day it was scanned—not the day Aunt Mary stood beside that 1957 Chevrolet. That is why treasured pictures from decades ago can appear among this year’s photos.

You can correct the date inside Apple Photos. For pictures kept as ordinary files in Finder, the safest beginner-friendly method is to put the date at the start of each filename.

These instructions assume a recent version of macOS. A menu or button may look slightly different on an older Mac, but the reliable paths described below should still be there.

First, decide what date to use

Use the exact date if you know it. If you know only the month, choose the first day of that month. If you know only the year, choose one consistent placeholder, such as July 1 at noon. Noon avoids occasional time-zone surprises around midnight.

An estimate is still useful. You can record the uncertainty in a caption later by writing something like “Around 1962” or “Summer 1974.” The goal is honest, helpful organization—not pretending the family archive is perfect.

1. Write down the real date or your best estimate before changing the photo.

Change a scanned photo’s date in Apple Photos

This changes how the picture is placed in the Photos timeline. It does not print a visible date onto the image.

Start with one photo until the process feels comfortable. You can repeat it for the rest once you see the first picture move into the right part of your library.

1. Open the Photos app on your Mac.
2. Click the scanned photo whose date you want to correct.
3. Choose Image from the menu bar at the very top of the screen.
4. Choose Adjust Date and Time.
5. Enter the intended date in the Adjusted field.
6. Enter a sensible time, such as 12:00 PM, if the real time is unknown.
7. Choose the nearest city on the time-zone map if Photos asks for one.
8. Click Adjust.

An alternative way to reach the date

The Info window is a small panel containing details about the selected photo. This route can be easier if you also want to see the filename, caption, or location.

1. Select the photo in Apple Photos.
2. Click the Info button in the toolbar, which usually looks like a lowercase “i” inside a circle.
3. Double-click the date shown in the Info window.
4. Enter the corrected date and time.
5. Click Adjust.

Keep honest notes about estimated dates

Apple Photos needs a complete calendar date to position a picture. A caption lets you explain that the chosen date is approximate.

For example, the adjusted date might be July 1, 1962, while the caption says “Estimated year: 1962, possibly taken in spring.” Future family members will understand what you knew—and what you did not.

1. Select the photo in Apple Photos.
2. Press Command-I to open the Info window.
3. Click the caption field in the Info window.
4. Type a short note explaining that the date is estimated.

Put scanned photos in date order in Finder

Finder is the Mac app that displays files and folders. Its Date Created and Date Modified columns usually describe the digital file, not the age of the scene in the photograph. Changing the date in your Photos library also should not be relied upon to reorganize separate files in Finder.

A dependable solution is to begin each filename with the date in year-month-day order. For example, “1962-07-01 Family picnic.jpg” sorts before “1974-12-25 Christmas.jpg.” Keep the filename extension—the final part such as .jpg or .png—unchanged.

1. Open the folder containing your scanned photo files in Finder.
2. Click the first file you want to rename.
3. Press Return once to make the filename editable.
4. Type the date at the beginning in YYYY-MM-DD format, followed by a space and a useful description.
5. Press Return to save the new filename.
6. Choose View from the menu bar.
7. Choose as List if the folder is not already shown as a list.
8. Click the Name column heading to sort the files alphabetically.

A small safety habit

If these scans are the only copies, duplicate the folder or back it up before doing a large organizing session. Renaming files is normally safe, but family photographs are worth protecting.

Work in small groups, such as one album or one decade at a time. After each group, check the order in Photos or Finder. You are not merely cleaning up files—you are rebuilding a family timeline.

1. Make a backup copy of the scanned-photo folder before renaming many files.

Bottom line

Use Adjust Date and Time in Apple Photos to place scans correctly in its timeline. For Finder, begin filenames with dates such as 1962-07-01, and use captions or filename wording to make clear when a date is only your best estimate.