Date Old Photos, Automatically
To fix scanned photo dates, the real year must be written into each file’s EXIF DateTimeOriginal field: that’s the date photo apps sort by. Timeline Scan finds the year and writes it for the whole archive at once, so the collection falls back into order (know every date already? ExifTool or Apple Photos can do it by hand).
Free photo trial, no credit card.
Works with Google Photos, Apple Photos, Immich, and Lightroom.
Free instant check
Drop in an old photo and AI estimates the year it was taken, with the plausible range and the clues it used. No sign-up, and your photo is never stored.
Analyzed in memory and discarded: never stored, never linked to you, never used for training. 5 free checks a day.
One photo is a guess; a whole shoebox is a timeline. In the full service, every photo helps date its neighbors.
The problem
Every photo gets a year, written into the file itself, so the whole archive falls back into chronological order.
Library in Google Photos? Why its dates go wrong, and the three fixes.
What you get back
The corrected date lives in standard metadata (the EXIF date for scanned photos), so the fix travels with the files and the whole collection browses in the order it happened: in folders, in your photo app, or both.
Download the dated originals sorted into a folder for every year of your family’s story.
Every layout, with examples, on the file download page. Re-download in a different layout any time, free.
Because the corrected date lives inside each file, metadata-aware apps finally show scans in the years they belong:
Not sure which delivery fits? Compare what every option keeps, side by side.
Weighing other photo-dating tools? See how Timeline Scan compares to MyHeritage PhotoDater.
From upload to export
Files from any scanner or scanning service.
AI reads the clues: a year or range for every photo.
Tag the people you know for a sharper second pass.
Corrected dates written inside every file.
Common reasons people search for this
Honest alternatives
Already know each date? Free tools will write it for you:
exiftool "-DateTimeOriginal=1987:06:20 12:00:00" photo.jpg| Criteria | ExifTool (DIY) | Apple Photos | Timeline Scan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Figures out the dates for you | NoYou supply every date | NoYou supply every date | YesReads handwriting on the backs, printed lab dates, visual era clues, and neighboring photos |
| Writes the date into the file itself | YesEXIF fields rewritten in place | PartlyOnly when exporting with metadata included | YesStandard EXIF/XMP capture-date fields in every delivered file |
| Practical at archive scale | PartlyOne command per date group you’ve already sorted | PartlyOne selection per event you can identify | YesUpload the whole collection; review one dated timeline |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free trial; paid packs from $12 per 100 photos |
Flexible archive sizes
Try free photos first. Paid packs from $12 per 100 photos.
View pricingScanned photo dates FAQ
From the clues in the photo itself: print format and border style, the film stock's color cast and grain, clothing and hairstyles, cars and technology, and the apparent ages of the people. Timeline Scan's AI reads those clues across the whole archive at once, adds handwriting and lab stamps from the backs when they exist, and estimates a year or range for every photo. The free instant check at the top of this page runs a lighter version on one photo.
Most scanned photos are new digital files. Unless the original date is added manually, the file often stores the scan date, import date, or export date instead of the date the photo was originally taken.
Sometimes, especially when dates are written or printed on the photo. For many older family photos, Timeline Scan estimates an approximate year or date range using available clues.
Yes. Timeline Scan writes better date metadata into scanned photos before they reach Google Photos, which sorts by the date inside each file. See the full guide to fixing scanned photos with the wrong date in Google Photos. Different apps handle metadata differently, so behavior in every app is not guaranteed.
Yes. If you received standard image files from a scanning or digitization service, Timeline Scan can help organize them after digitization.
Timeline Scan works from the files you upload and prepares corrected exports for download or supported delivery options. Your local original files are not changed unless you choose to replace them, and the image pixels are not altered.
Yes. If you already know each date, ExifTool (free, command line) writes it into each file's EXIF DateTimeOriginal field, and Apple Photos' Adjust Date & Time or Google Photos' date editor fix dates inside those apps. Manual works well for dozens of photos; Timeline Scan is for when the dates are unknown or the archive runs into the thousands.
The whole collection, back in the order it happened, ready to share. Start with free photos.
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