Organize iPhone photos by original date

Start with an exported folder

Export or copy the iPhone media you want to organize into a normal folder on your Mac, Windows PC, or Linux computer. Keep an untouched backup before reorganizing a large library.

Foldnize currently scans JPG, JPEG, PNG, MOV, MP4, and MP3. If an export uses another format, convert or export a supported copy first.

Why iPhone photos and videos need different metadata

Photos commonly contain EXIF fields such as DateTimeOriginal. iPhone MOV and MP4 videos commonly store creation information in QuickTime metadata. Foldnize can read both, letting a mixed export share one chronological structure.

Organize the export

1. Open Foldnize and choose the exported folder.
2. Use Prefix mode to retain familiar IMG_ names, or Replace mode for pure timestamps.
3. Enable Year/Month sorting for a chronological archive.
4. Keep Dry run enabled and review a representative mix of photos and videos.
5. Apply only after the metadata dates and destinations look correct.

Example mixed iPhone archive

iPhone Archive/
└── 2024/
    └── 05/
        ├── 20240518-IMG_4821.jpg
        ├── 20240518-IMG_4822.mov
        └── 20240519-IMG_4823.jpg

Check these cases during preview

• Edited exports may carry a different metadata date than the original asset.
• Downloaded images and screenshots may not contain an original capture date.
• Shared or re-encoded videos can lose QuickTime creation metadata.
• Live Photo exports can contain separate image and video files; inspect whether both dates align.

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