Free tool

File date and metadata inspector See every date a file carries, without uploading it.

Drop files here to inspect their datesor choose filesJPEG, PNG, TIFF and many RAW photos, PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OpenDocument, MP4 and MOV. Up to 10 at a time.

Nothing is uploaded. Your files are read by your own browser, on your own device. The tool keeps working offline once the page has loaded.

Check a file’s modified date, the dates stored inside it (EXIF, PDF, Word and Office properties, video headers) and its SHA-256 fingerprint. Everything runs in your browser.

A reminder: every date this tool shows can be changed by anyone who has the file. It tells you what a file claims, not what is true.

Can you trust the dates a file shows?

Short answer: treat them as clues, not proof. A file carries two kinds of dates: the ones your file system keeps (modified, and on most computers created), and the ones the app wrote inside the file (EXIF “date taken”, PDF creation date, Word’s created and last-saved dates, a video’s creation time). Both come from someone’s computer clock, and both can be edited with free tools.

This inspector shows you what a file claims about itself, so you can spot gaps and contradictions. If you need a date that someone else can check, anchor the file’s fingerprint to a public record instead.

What is TimeBinder? TimeBinder is a blockchain timestamping service. It shows that a digital file existed no later than a specific time, and that it still matches its fingerprint, by anchoring the file’s SHA-256 fingerprint to the Bitcoin blockchain. Files are hashed in your browser and never uploaded, and each TimeBind comes with a Proof of Time Certificate that can be checked later. It does not prove who created a file or that its contents are true.

What dates each file type stores

The inspector reads the fields below. Browsers don’t give web pages a file’s “date created”, so check that one in File Explorer or Finder.

File type	Dates stored inside	Who sets them
JPEG, TIFF, RAW photos	EXIF date taken, date digitised, date/time, time zone offset; XMP create and modify dates	The camera or phone clock, then any editing app
PNG	tIME (last modified), text fields such as Creation Time, XMP	The app that saved it
PDF	Info dictionary CreationDate and ModDate, XMP dates, number of saved revisions	The app or printer driver that made the PDF
Word, Excel, PowerPoint	Created and last-saved dates, last saved by, revision number, total editing time	Microsoft Office or the app that saved it
OpenDocument (.odt, .ods)	Creation date, last-saved date, editing cycles	LibreOffice or the app that saved it
MP4 and MOV	Movie header creation and modification times	The camera, phone or editing app
Plain text, CSV, code	None. Only file-system dates	Your operating system

How each of these dates can be changed

None of this needs special skills, which is why dates alone are weak evidence:

File-system dates change when a file is copied, downloaded, synced, unzipped or restored, and can be set to any value with built-in commands. See can a file’s date created be changed? and what happens to file dates when you copy, zip or download.
EXIF dates follow the camera clock, which may be wrong, and can be rewritten with free metadata editors. Many apps strip EXIF on export.
PDF and Office dates come from the computer that saved the file and can be edited in document properties or with scripts.
Video creation times are sometimes written in local time instead of UTC, and are rewritten by many editing and export tools.
Contradictions are normal. A file can show a modified date earlier than its created date after copying. That is a sign of normal handling, not necessarily tampering.

How to get a date someone else can check

The inspector shows what a file claims. To create a record that doesn’t depend on any computer clock, TimeBind the file:

Drop your files
Add up to 10 files per TimeBind. Any file type and size works.
photo.jpg · contract.pdf
Hashed on your computer
Your browser works out a unique SHA-256 fingerprint for each file. Nothing is uploaded. The files never leave your device and TimeBinder never stores them.
fingerprint 9f2c…41ab · file stays with you
Sealed to Bitcoin
The fingerprints are anchored to the Bitcoin blockchain: ASAP (your own transaction, sent straight away) or Pooled (usually recorded within 24 to 48 hours, and often sooner, depending on Bitcoin network activity). You get a Proof of Time Certificate, a PDF with a QR code and the Bitcoin transaction ID.
✓ sealed · certificate ready

Timestamp a file →

What a TimeBind shows, and what it doesn’t

What it shows

That this exact file existed no later than the time recorded on the Bitcoin blockchain
That a file shown later still matches its fingerprint: the same file gives the same fingerprint, and any edit gives a different one
A record kept outside your own systems: an ASAP TimeBind can be checked on the Bitcoin blockchain without relying on TimeBinder, and a Pooled TimeBind is verified through TimeBinder

What it doesn’t show

Who created, wrote or signed the file
That the contents are true or accurate
Whether AI was used to make it
How a court or other decision-maker will treat it: that depends on the jurisdiction and the rules that apply. It isn’t legal advice

Pooled TimeBinds are verified through TimeBinder. ASAP TimeBinds can also be verified independently, from the certificate and the public Bitcoin blockchain. Checking is always free.

File date and metadata inspector: FAQ

Is my file uploaded?

No. The page reads the file with your browser’s own file APIs and calculates the SHA-256 hash with the Web Crypto API. Nothing is sent to TimeBinder or anyone else.

Why doesn’t it show the date created?

Browsers only give web pages a file’s last-modified date. You can see the created date in File Explorer (Properties) on Windows or Get Info on a Mac.

Can metadata prove when a file was made?

Not on its own. Metadata is written by software using a computer clock, and it can be edited. It is useful context, especially when several sources agree.

Why does a date show UTC?

Some formats, such as PNG tIME and MP4, store times in UTC. EXIF dates usually have no time zone unless an offset is stored, so the tool shows them as written.

What is the SHA-256 fingerprint for?

It identifies the exact contents of the file. If one byte changes, the fingerprint changes. It is what TimeBinder anchors to Bitcoin, and you can check any file with the SHA-256 file hash checker.

What does it cost?

The Free plan is $0 and includes 1 Token a month. A Pooled TimeBind costs 1 Token and an ASAP TimeBind costs 3 Tokens; checking is free. Essential is $20 a month for 5 Tokens ($4 per Token, against $5 pay-as-you-go) and Expert is $50 a month for 15 Tokens (about $3.33 per Token). Paid plans replace the Free plan’s monthly Token, so Essential adds 4 Tokens for $20 and Expert adds 14 for $50.

Related tools and guides

Open TimeBinder and timestamp your files

Here’s what you’ll do next:

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

Open TimeBinder →

Your files stay privateEvery file is hashed locally on your own computer. Your files are never uploaded or stored by TimeBinder; only a fingerprint is sealed to Bitcoin.

The Free plan includes 1 Token every month. See pricing