File explorer and date created/modified change when copying files/folders.

Anonymous
2024-02-17T14:09:45+00:00

Dear Microsoft Wizards,

I come to you with a tale of woe, a saga of time-displaced files and folders that have lost their way in the temporal vortex of Windows File Explorer. In an age where we can chat with AI, drive electric chariots, and binge-watch shows about dragons and spaceships, I find myself anchored to a mundane reality. In reality, copying files and folders in Windows File Explorer betrays their original timestamps, casting them adrift in the present, forgetting their noble past.

Imagine a world where one could copy a file or folder without the cruel hands of the present altering their date and time stamps. A world where digital artifacts remain untouched by the ravages of time, preserving their history as meticulously as a museum curator with a penchant for organization and accuracy.

"Why not use robocopy or other command prompt utilities?" I hear you ask, your voices echoing through the hallowed halls of Redmond. Ah, but here lies the rub! While these tools are mighty in their own right, they demand a saint's patience and a wizard's expertise. Delving into the command prompt is akin to stepping into an ancient crypt inscribed with arcane commands and cryptic parameters. It is a thrilling adventure for the occasional file or two, perhaps, but Herculean labor when faced with the task of preserving the timestamps of hundreds, nay, thousands of files and folders.

So, I pray that you, the noble scribes and engineers of Microsoft, bestow upon us, the humble users, a magical feature within the Windows File Explorer itself. A feature that allows us to copy our digital treasures while keeping their temporal essence intact – no spells, no incantations, and indeed no command line rituals required.

In this quest for temporal fidelity, I stand ready to champion this cause, armed with nothing but my wit and a profound desire for user-friendly file management. Together, let us forge a new path through the annals of digital file preservation, ensuring that our files and folders may travel through the vast expanse of directories without losing sight of their origins.

Yours in time-traveling solidarity,

Luis Martinez

******@outlook.com

P.S. If this feature comes to pass, future generations will look back on this moment as a turning point in history – the day we let our files journey through time, unaltered and proud, their timestamps shining like beacons of their actual age.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Files, folders, and storage

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  1. Les Ferch 10,361 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2025-05-29T15:45:19+00:00

    I did not state an opinion. I stated fact in regards to how Date created works, and has always worked, in Windows.

    As I mentioned, it provides important forensic information. For example, if I find a malware infection, I look at the Date created of the suspect file(s) and search the volume for any other files with the same Date created to find all files related to that infection. If those files had Date created dates of when the malware creator originally created those files, that would be useless to me. The Date modified shows the last update of those files and that's also useful.

    For photos, you have "Date taken" to track when the picture was taken and for Office files, you have "Content created" to track when the files were first authored.

    Otherwise, as mentioned, if you are using Date created to mean when the content was first created, regardless of the volume it's on, you'll need to use one of the notes solutions such as TeraCopy.

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  2. Anonymous
    2025-05-29T15:08:43+00:00

    This was a very stupid decision by somebody at Microsoft! It messes up everyone's file system!!!!

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  3. Anonymous
    2025-05-29T05:30:05+00:00

    Yeah, so I just had this issue.

    USB stick with a bunch of files on it.

    I left-clicked, dragged to my z drive (which is my nas) unclicked and selected "move"

    Everything thing (files and folders) got creation dates and times set to "now".

    I really wish I could leave microsoft, but I've got 30 years on the platform and I (usually) just don't have to think about how to get what I want.

    Unfortunately, what I want is my creation and modified dates to stay the same when being moved. I've been horrified by how often timestamps on old files have provided information that was critical critical to some question.

    Now that data is gone.

    I will remember to zip - move - unzip in the future.

    Microsoft, PLEASE fix this.

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  4. Anonymous
    2024-07-02T15:27:41+00:00

    Well, I can't find this Security Update KB5039212.

    I'm on Windows 11 Pro 23H2 22635.3858, Beta channel!!

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