The column heading in Win 10 File Explorer is 'Date'. But which one?
I've always been used in XP to the default being 'Date modified', but it seems that here it's Date created? Several re-saves have left 'Date' unchanged.
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Terry, East Grinstead, UK
I don't know (I came straight to Win 10 from 15 years with XP) but see my cross-posted thread here:
Date column - which date is it? | Windows 10 Forums
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Terry, East Grinstead, UK
Also to me the dates appeared to match those of Date Created. Today I found a case in which they do not match.
So, the question remains :
'Date' is not just one thing. It's a sort of composite.
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...5-0191273ce369
What is the "Date" column in Windows 7 explorer? It matches no date column from Windows XP explorer - Super User
You may find a more recently written explanation specifically related to Win 10- these are the ones that seem to cover it.
Besides this 'Date' value being subject to circumstance; for me, I've found serious performance issues with this 'Date' column on folders with a large number of files and I am not alone. This issue goes back years. Sorting by Date - Very Slow
Personally I find this hybrid 'Date' a confusing nuisance and will immediately change it when it appears.
Sadly I've found that if you have set the folder to be 'optimized' for either 'Pictures' or 'Video', the default is 'Date'. And while this can later be changed to 'Date Modified', I've recently discovered that when I use a 'Save As' on on these folders, in either Explorer or Firefox, it ignores my 'Date Modified' changes, and opens it's displays with this slow default 'Date' again.
Thankfully by changing the optimize to either General or Documents it uses the far more efficient and useful 'Date Modified', something I now do at the highest folder on C:\ that I can with the 'Also apply this template to all subfolders' Check Box.
The specific date used can vary by file type:
The system determines the most relevant date based on the type of the item. For example, if the item is a photo the date in System.Photo.DateTaken is returned. Or if the item is a song the date in System.Media.DateReleased is returned.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/properties/props-system-itemdate
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/uwp/api/windows.storage.fileproperties.basicproperties.itemdate?view=winrt-19041
Can be especially tricky with files that have optional metadata, such asDate Taken for .jpg ifles.
Still is a pain to have to repeat it individually for each of many top level folders.optimize to either General or Documents... at the highest folder
I suppose that I could create a folder, move other top level folders into it, optimize newly created folder, apply to the subfolders, move the subfolders back out, delete the folder.
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I experimented to compare datetime stamp behaviors with those given in Microsoft's KB article quoted in the superuser.com link above. My results are discrepant. If the article's information was accurate when written, then MS later changed the behaviors.
Win10 2004
Last edited by thename; 03 Nov 2020 at 10:21.
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