How to rename photos by EXIF date

Why use EXIF instead of the file date?

Copying, downloading, or restoring a photo can change its filesystem creation and modification dates. Most cameras and phones store the capture time inside the image as EXIF metadata. DateTimeOriginal is usually the best record of when the shutter was pressed.

Foldnize reads embedded metadata and skips a file when it cannot find a parseable original date. It does not silently substitute a misleading filename date.

Rename photos safely

1. Back up important photos. File organization should never be your only copy.
2. Choose your photo folder. Foldnize scans nested folders by default.
3. Select a mode. Prefix preserves the camera filename; Replace creates a pure timestamp; Custom adds a label.
4. Enable Dry run. Review the proposed names without writing anything.
5. Apply the same settings. Disable Dry run only after checking the preview.

Choose a filename format

Rename by EXIF date with the CLI

npx foldnize --root=./photos --mode=replace --dry-run

Remove --dry-run after reviewing the preview. To preserve the original filename, change replace to prefix.

Common EXIF date problems

• Edited or exported images may have stripped metadata.
• Screenshots and downloaded images often lack DateTimeOriginal.
• An incorrectly set camera clock produces an incorrect embedded date.
• Two photos taken in the same second may produce the same target name; Foldnize adds a numeric suffix rather than overwriting.

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