You scanned them. Now what?
Scanners stamp every print with scan day. We restore the real dates, and your archive falls back into order.
2026scan day
Years of memories, filed under scan day.
1992–94
1996–99
2001–03
Folders by year. Library in order.
To organize scanned photos by date automatically, each file needs its real date inside. Tools that sort photos into folders by date taken read that date, but scanners write the scan day. Timeline Scan works out when each photo was taken and writes that date in, so folders and photo apps sort it right.
As scanned
scan_0412.jpg
Date taken Sep 12, 2026
Date restored
scan_0412.jpg
Date taken 1974
The problem
Three steps. One of them is yours.
How the dating works: handwriting on the backs, printed dates and clues in each picture. You review every date.
What you get back
Choose from six folder layouts. See how to organize photos by date taken.
Re-download in another layout any time, free. Every layout, with examples.
Compare all the delivery options
App marks belong to their owners. Timeline Scan is an independent service, not affiliated with Google, Apple, or Immich.
The difference is who supplies the missing dates: you, or the service.
| Way | Handles scans with no date? | Reads backs and clues? | Sorts right in photo apps? | Time for thousands |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| By handwith the free Timeline Tagger | YesYou type each date | You do: each scan sits beside its back | YesThe date goes into the file | About ten seconds a scan |
| Auto-sorter appsPhotoMove, folder scripts | NoAll land on scan day | NoNever look at the picture | NoMoving files changes no dates | Minutes, into one 2026 folder |
| Timeline Scan | YesRestoring dates is the service | YesBacks, printed dates, clothes, cars | YesThe date goes into the file | Upload, review, download |
Comparing dating tools? See Timeline Scan vs MyHeritage PhotoDater. Still digitizing pictures? Read how to organize scanned photos.
Common questions
Because each scan carries the day it was scanned, not the day it was taken. Sorting tools read the date inside the file, and a scanner can't know when a print was taken. So a 1974 photo scanned in 2026 sorts as 2026 in every app, until its real date goes back in.
Not on their own. Auto-sorters file photos by the date already inside each file, which works for camera and phone photos. Scans carry only the scan date, so every scan lands on scan day. Timeline Scan writes each photo's real date into the file first; then any sorter or photo app puts it in order.
It reads every clue a print carries: handwriting on the back, dates printed by the lab or camera, clothes, cars and rooms in the picture, the photos from the same album page or film roll, and names and birth years you share.
You review and adjust every date on a timeline before you download. More on the fix scanned photo dates and AI photo organizer pages.
Two things: your files in tidy folders, and the same photos in the right order in your photo apps. Choose from six folder layouts.
The corrected date is written inside each file, so the order holds in Google Photos, Apple Photos, Immich and any other photo app.
No. The pictures are never edited or recompressed: same pixels, same quality. Only the date inside each file changes, in the standard place photo apps read.
Yes. You can try it free with no credit card, and see your own scans dated and sorted before paying anything. After that, pricing is per photo dated; see the pricing page for current rates.
Start with free photos, no credit card required. See your own scans jump into chronological order.
Try Photos Free