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How to rename photos by date taken on a Mac
By Himanshu Ranjan · Updated 8 November 2026
To rename photos by date taken on a Mac, select them in Finder and run Rename › Rename by date taken in FileDial. Files become names like 2024-07-04 14.22.10.jpg, using the date taken, else the file's date. It renames the originals, and Undo puts them back.
Why date-based names help
Camera names like IMG_4021 reset, repeat across devices and say nothing about when. Date-based names sort chronologically in Finder, stay unique when you merge folders from several phones, and make a photo findable years later without opening it.
The date comes from Exif metadata, which Wikipedia says records the device's local time when the photo was taken. That is different from the file's modified date, which changes whenever you edit or copy a file.
How FileDial names them
Rename › Rename by date taken renames the originals to the pattern 2024-07-04 14.22.10.jpg, using the date taken, else the file's date. If you select a folder, it handles the photos and videos inside. Because it renames the originals in place, make a backup first if the folder is the only copy, though the result has Undo that puts names back.
- Select the photos, or a folder of photos and videos, in Finder.
- Hold the right Option key to open the dial, or right-click and choose Open in FileDial.
- Choose Rename, then release on Rename › Rename by date taken.
- Check the new names in Finder. Use Undo if anything looks wrong.
Other naming patterns
Date taken is not always what you want. FileDial has several other rename tools, and they work on selections the same way.
- Rename › Rename with sequence…: Holiday 001.jpg, Holiday 002.jpg and so on.
- Rename › Rename with pattern…: date, sequence number and find and replace in one go, undo puts them back.
- Rename › Add date prefix: 2026-11-04 Name.ext, using the creation date.
- Rename › Regex rename… and Rename › Replace text in names…: for advanced clean-up, extensions are left alone.
- Adjust › Fix photo date…: gives a new copy with the corrected date taken, for photos with the wrong clock.
Photos with wrong or missing dates
Scans, screenshots and downloaded pictures often have no useful date taken, so the tool falls back to the file's date, which may be the day you downloaded it. If a camera clock was wrong, fix the date first with Adjust › Fix photo date…, which writes a new copy with the corrected date taken, then rename.
Photos exported from Photos or edited by an app may also have changed dates. Spot-check a few results before trusting the whole library.
Merging libraries from several phones
The strongest case for date names is merging. Family members send photos with names like IMG_0001, and two phones both produce IMG_0001. Date and time names avoid clashes and sort into one timeline. If two people took pictures at the same second, add a sequence number with Rename › Rename with pattern… so neither is overwritten.
After renaming, sort into folders. Batch › Sort into folders by date makes sorted copies by creation month in a new folder, which gives you a tidy year and month structure. Combine › Find screenshots and documents copies screenshots into a new folder so they stay out of your photo timeline, and Batch › Find duplicates writes a report without deleting anything.
Work in this order: fix wrong dates, rename, sort, then check for duplicates. Doing it in that order means the names reflect the corrected dates.
- Fix dates, then rename.
- Sort into month folders afterward.
- Find duplicates last.
Mistakes to avoid
Renaming originals is the main risk. FileDial gives it Undo, but renaming a library that another app tracks by file name, such as a project in an editor, can break links. Rename before importing, or in folders no app depends on. Do not rename while a sync service is mid-upload, either.
Finder has a built-in Rename option for multiple files, which can add a sequence or text, but it cannot read the date a photo was taken from its metadata, to our knowledge. That is where a date-aware tool helps. If a photo's date is wrong, rename will faithfully copy the wrong date, so fix dates first for any pictures from a camera whose clock was off.
A quick decision guide: for photos straight from a camera or phone, use Rename by date taken. For a themed set such as a holiday, use Rename with sequence… so the names read Holiday 001, Holiday 002. For tidying names without touching order, use Lowercase names or Remove spaces. For anything tied to a wrong clock, fix the date first. For files from a scanner or the web, date names are less meaningful, so consider naming by content instead.
Safety and privacy
Renaming does not need the internet. FileDial never uploads files, and file names are not part of the optional anonymous usage counts, which never include file names, paths or contents.
Questions
Does Rename by date taken change the file contents?
No, it only changes the file name. FileDial renames the originals using the date taken, else the file's date. Every result has Undo, including renames, so you can put the old names back if you are not happy. Only the file name changes, so pixels, metadata and file size stay identical after renaming.
What name format does it use?
The format is the date taken with time, like 2024-07-04 14.22.10.jpg. This sorts chronologically in Finder. If you want a different style, Rename › Rename with pattern… can combine date, sequence number and find and replace. The pattern puts the year first, so Finder's sort by name matches the order the photos were taken.
What if two photos were taken in the same second?
Burst shots can share a timestamp. Check your result for duplicates, and if you rely on bursts, use Rename › Rename with pattern… to add a sequence number. Spot-check a few files after any large rename. Burst shots can share a timestamp to the second, so use Rename › Rename with pattern… to add a sequence number and avoid clashes.
Can I undo a rename?
Yes. FileDial gives every result an Undo, including renames, which put the original names back. It is still sensible to keep a backup of irreplaceable photo folders before any bulk change. Apps that track files by name, such as editing projects, can lose their links after a rename, so rename before importing.