Rename iPhone Photos by Date Taken or Capture Time

Every iPhone photo carries an invisible timestamp — the exact second the shutter fired. Img Name Fixer uses that timestamp to sort your photos in chronological order before renaming them, so you don't have to guess which shot came first.

What Is the EXIF Capture Time?

When you press the shutter on an iPhone, the camera saves metadata inside the image file called EXIF data. Among other things, EXIF records DateTimeOriginal — the date and time the photo was taken, accurate to the second. This timestamp travels with the photo even when the filename changes. It survives AirDrop, email, and most export methods (though messaging apps sometimes strip it).

How to Rename iPhone Photos by Date Taken

1
Open Img Name Fixer and select photos
Open imgnamefixer.com in Safari or any browser. Tap Select Photos and choose the iPhone photos you want to sort and rename.
2
Sort by Capture Time
The tool automatically reads each photo's EXIF DateTimeOriginal field and sorts from oldest to newest. Photos with no capture date are flagged.
3
Review the sorted order
Check the preview list to confirm photos are in the expected chronological order. Switch to Manual sort for any adjustments.
4
Choose a filename format
Pick from four formats in the Rename Settings panel: IMG Number (IMG_0047.jpg), Date + Number (2026-06-21_001.jpg), Date + Time (20260621_143522.jpg), or Date + IMG Number (20260621_IMG_0047.jpg). For number-based formats, set your prefix, starting number, and padding.
5
Download the renamed ZIP
Tap Download ZIP. Photos are packaged with their new names. Originals on your device are not modified.

IMG_#### format

2:14:08 PM → IMG_0001.jpg

2:14:22 PM → IMG_0002.jpg

2:15:01 PM → IMG_0003.jpg

YYYY-MM-DD_### format

2:14:08 PM → 2026-06-21_001.jpg

2:14:22 PM → 2026-06-21_002.jpg

2:15:01 PM → 2026-06-21_003.jpg

YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS format

2:14:08 PM → 20260621_141408.jpg

2:14:22 PM → 20260621_141422.jpg

2:15:01 PM → 20260621_141501.jpg

What Happens When There's No Capture Date?

Screenshots taken on iOS sometimes lack an EXIF DateTimeOriginal. Images received through messaging apps often have EXIF stripped entirely. When a photo has no capture timestamp, Img Name Fixer flags it in the list. You can switch to Manual sort and drag those flagged photos into the position you want before downloading.

What Img Name Fixer Can and Cannot Do

✓ Can do

• Read EXIF DateTimeOriginal and sort photos chronologically
• Rename photos using four formats: IMG Number, Date + Number, Date + Time, or Date + IMG Number
• Handle photos without EXIF dates via Manual sort or file-date fallback
• Resolve duplicate timestamps automatically with _001, _002 suffixes
• Export a renamed ZIP — originals are untouched

✗ Cannot do

• Recover EXIF data that has been stripped from a file
• Sort photos by GPS location, file size, or pixel dimensions
• Recover the original IMG_#### number assigned by the iPhone camera

Sort & Rename by Capture Time

Frequently Asked Questions

Is capture time the same as date modified?

No. Date modified changes every time the file is copied, moved, or edited. Capture time is the original shutter moment recorded in EXIF — it doesn't change unless something explicitly overwrites the EXIF data.

What if two photos were taken at exactly the same second?

For YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS format, duplicates within the same second automatically get a suffix: _001, _002, and so on. For sequential formats, photos sharing the same second are ordered by upload order.

Can I sort newest-first instead of oldest-first?

Capture Time sort runs oldest-to-newest. For a different order, use Manual sort to drag photos into your preferred arrangement.

What happens when a photo has no EXIF date?

Screenshots and images received through messaging apps often have EXIF stripped. The tool flags these photos and uses the file's last-modified date for any date-based filename format. You can also use Manual sort to drag flagged photos into the correct position before downloading.

Can the filename include the date instead of just a sequence number?

Yes. Use the Filename Format selector in Rename Settings to pick from Date + Number (2026-06-21_001.jpg), Date + Time (20260621_143522.jpg), or Date + IMG Number (20260621_IMG_0047.jpg). The original IMG Number format (IMG_0047.jpg) is also available.