<p><a href="http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en" rel="noreferrer">MediaInfo</a> gives you a way to check the file metadata, including the creation date for the video and audio streams. This is free, cross platform and open source and also provides a GUI for you to check.</p>

<p><a href="http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/VVjgw.png" alt=""></a></p>

<p>If you're up for using the command line, with MediaInfo:</p>

<pre><code>mediainfo in.mp4 | grep "Encoded date" | head -n1 | cut -d: -f2-
</code></pre>

<p>With <a href="http://ffmpeg.org/" rel="noreferrer">FFmpeg's</a> <code>ffprobe</code>:</p>

<pre><code>ffprobe -v quiet -print_format flat -show_format in.mp4 | grep creation_time | cut -d= -f2-
</code></pre>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-14T21:51:45.383Z
If it was, it is no longe free! Oh well.
Kyle
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-14T22:05:05.287Z
Of course it's free. It even says so on the homepage and I've been using it for years. Where are you prompted to pay?
slhck
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-15T15:24:38.423Z
If you're on a Mac and follow the main page link you will go to the Mac App store where it's not free: https://itunes.apple.com/app/mediainfo/id510620098. But if you go on the main page to the link below it you will arrive at the free version: http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en/Download/Mac_OS
Saaru Lindestøkke
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-15T15:26:51.727Z
Oh, you got caught in that Mac App Store trap some developers think they have to set up. On the [MediaInfo download page](http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en/Download/Mac_OS), just look a few pixels down to where it says "free GUI".
slhck
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-14T15:38:04.877Z
2013-02-14T15:38:04.877Z
slhck
<p>If you have <a href="http://www.ffmpeg.org" rel="nofollow">ffmpeg</a> installed you can type </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>ffprobe filename.mp4</p>
</blockquote>

<p>and it will give you a list of information about the file with in the end the creation time.</p>

<p>I'm sure it is possible to automate this with a bash script and maybe even to extract the creation time out of the list of info, but I wouldn't know how exactly.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-14T04:23:37.357Z
2013-02-14T04:23:37.357Z
Saaru Lindestøkke
<p>It entirely depends on what information the camera embedded in the video file.  It may or may not have actually stored the date.  If the information is in the meta data, then any advanced video player or editing tool should be able to see the meta data and tell you the date associated.  Also, it is possible that the file date may be accurate, though there are a lot of things that can cause the file date to change.  The meta data, if present is the most accurate and best bet though if it is present.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-02-14T14:28:13.723Z
2013-02-14T14:28:13.723Z
AJ Henderson
<p><a href="https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo" rel="nofollow noreferrer">MediaInfo</a> shows you all sorts of meta data for video files.</p>

<p>It offers you a <strong>GUI</strong> to easily check the files by hand. Look for the field <em>General</em> > <em>Encoded date</em>. You might have to change the <em>View</em>.</p>

<p>In order to automate the job, I recommend the <strong>console</strong> though:</p>

<pre><code>mediainfo video.mp4
</code></pre>

<p>It is also possible to output only certain fields like the <em>encoded date</em>:</p>

<pre><code>mediainfo --Inform="General;%Encoded_Date%" video.mp4
</code></pre>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-22T21:03:36.983Z
That metadata will only be present for certain encoders in certain codecs and wrappers. It isn't universally defined like EXIF data for stills.
Michael Liebman
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-24T15:21:13.750Z
Well, when there is no information embedded in the file then it is of course not possible to extract it.

Or do you mean that there are also differently named tags which contain the same information?
darkdragon
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-11-22T17:30:44.630Z
2017-11-22T17:30:44.630Z
darkdragon
<p>I have tons of videos of my children and they have been moved from drive to drive many times over the years.  Is there a way to easily get the date the video was taken?  I'm importing them into iTunes currently, but I can find nothing that shows the date the video was taken?</p>

<video>
Capture Date For Video
Kyle
# Capture Date For Video

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-02-14)

I have tons of videos of my children and they have been moved from drive to drive many times over the years. Is there a way to easily get the date the video was taken? I'm importing them into iTunes currently, but I can find nothing that shows the date the video was taken?

**Tags:** video


---

## 4 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-02-14. Score: 5

MediaInfo gives you a way to check the file metadata, including the creation date for the video and audio streams. This is free, cross platform and open source and also provides a GUI for you to check.

If you're up for using the command line, with MediaInfo:
mediainfo in.mp4 | grep "Encoded date" | head -n1 | cut -d: -f2-

With FFmpeg's ffprobe:
ffprobe -v quiet -print_format flat -show_format in.mp4 | grep creation_time | cut -d= -f2-

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: If it was, it is no longe free! Oh well.  
> **username_1**: Of course it's free. It even says so on the homepage and I've been using it for years. Where are you prompted to pay?  
> **username_2**: If you're on a Mac and follow the main page link you will go to the Mac App store where it's not free: https://itunes.apple.com/app/mediainfo/id510620098. But if you go on the main page to the link below it you will arrive at the free version: http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en/Download/Mac_OS  
> **username_1**: Oh, you got caught in that Mac App Store trap some developers think they have to set up. On the [MediaInfo download page](http://mediainfo.sourceforge.net/en/Download/Mac_OS), just look a few pixels down to where it says "free GUI".  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-02-14. Score: 1

If you have [ffmpeg](http://www.ffmpeg.org) installed you can type

> ffprobe filename.mp4

and it will give you a list of information about the file with in the end the creation time.

I'm sure it is possible to automate this with a bash script and maybe even to extract the creation time out of the list of info, but I wouldn't know how exactly.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2013-02-14. Score: 1

It entirely depends on what information the camera embedded in the video file. It may or may not have actually stored the date. If the information is in the meta data, then any advanced video player or editing tool should be able to see the meta data and tell you the date associated. Also, it is possible that the file date may be accurate, though there are a lot of things that can cause the file date to change. The meta data, if present is the most accurate and best bet though if it is present.


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2017-11-22. Score: 0

MediaInfo shows you all sorts of meta data for video files.
It offers you a GUI to easily check the files by hand. Look for the field General > Encoded date. You might have to change the View.
In order to automate the job, I recommend the console though:
mediainfo video.mp4

It is also possible to output only certain fields like the encoded date:
mediainfo --Inform="General;%Encoded_Date%" video.mp4

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: That metadata will only be present for certain encoders in certain codecs and wrappers. It isn't universally defined like EXIF data for stills.  
> **username_4**: Well, when there is no information embedded in the file then it is of course not possible to extract it.  Or do you mean that there are also differently named tags which contain the same information?  

---

