Exif

EXIF Handling

icloudpd-rs reads and optionally writes EXIF date metadata in downloaded photos.

Reading EXIF Dates

After downloading a JPEG file, the DateTimeOriginal EXIF tag is read. If present, it is used to set the file's modification time so that file managers sort photos by capture date rather than download date.

Writing EXIF Dates

When --set-exif-datetime is enabled, icloudpd-rs checks each downloaded JPEG for the DateTimeOriginal tag (EXIF tag 36867). If the tag is missing, the asset's iCloud creation date is written into all three standard EXIF date tags:

• DateTime (tag 306) — file modification date
• DateTimeOriginal (tag 36867) — original capture date
• DateTimeDigitized (tag 36868) — digitization date

This is useful for:

• Screenshots that lack EXIF data
• Images downloaded from the web and saved to iCloud
• Edited photos where the original EXIF was stripped

Supported Formats

EXIF writing currently applies to JPEG files only. HEIC files are not modified.

File Modification Time

Regardless of the --set-exif-datetime flag, the file modification time is always synced to the asset's creation date from iCloud. This ensures correct chronological ordering in file managers.

Related Flags

• --set-exif-datetime