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Google Drive Changing Local Folder Timestamps: How to Fix

In this guide, we will show you two different methods to fix the issue of Google Drive changing local folder timestamps. When it comes to cloud storage services, it’s the offering from the Silicon Valley giants that has managed to grab much of the limelight. For occasional usage, its website is decent enough to checkmark most of the prerequisites. However, many users prefer to use its Desktop app as it allows them to sync and backup their preferred files and folders directly over to the clouds.

The best part is that you could access those online stored files right from your PC itself. But as of now, it seems to be going through a rough patch. A slew of complaints is lined up across the Google Support Forums where users are complaining that the app has changed their local folder time stamps! As a result, rather than the actual date of file modification, it’s now showing the day on which you had synced that folder/file over to Drive. For some, it’s showing the day on which they had first installed the OS!

If you head over to the Google Drive website and then view the files there, then the modification date is shown correctly there. So they still have the correct metadata stored on their servers and the issue is only bugging the Drive desktop app. While this issue is no doubt quite concerning, to say the least, there do exist a couple of workarounds that have known to fix the Google Drive changing local folder timestamps issue. So without further ado, let’s check them out.

How to Fix Google Drive Changing Local Folder Timestamps

how to fix Google Drive Changing Local Folder Timestamps

There exist two different methods through which you could rectify the issue. The first one has been marked as the Recommended Answer by a Google Gold Product Expert but it doesn’t seem to work for many. On the other hand, the second method is a user shared one that requires the use of a third-party app. We have listed both of them below. You may refer to the one that meets your requirement.

FIX 1: Re-Install Drive from Scratch

  1. To begin with, launch the Google Drive app on your PC.
  2. Then click on the Settings icon and select Disconnect Account.
  3. After that, uninstall the Google Drive app from your PC and then reboot it once
  4. Now open the File Explorer via Windows+E shortcut keys and then head over to the below location (make sure to replace the user keyword accordingly)
    C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Google\
  5. In that directory, you should see the DriveFS folder, delete it.
  6. Once that is done, download the Google Drive App and then open its setup file.
  7. Make sure to select the Stream files option in the setup screen.
  8. Finally, right-click on a folder, move down to “Offline Access” and select “Available Offline”.
  9. Verify if it ends up fixing the Google Drive changing local folder timestamps issue or not.

FIX 2: Using the FolderTimeUpdate Tool

The FolderTimeUpdate is a third-party app for Windows that scans all files and folders under the base folder you choose and updates the ‘Modified Time’ of every folder according to the latest modified time of the files stored in it. And to be fair, this is what is exactly required as of now. So if you are willing to give this app a try, then download the tool from its site, launch it and then put it to test right away.

Concluding Remarks

So with this, we round off the guide on how you could fix the issue of Google Drive changing local folder timestamps. We have shared two different workarounds for the same, and as of now, they are our best bet.

As and when we get hold of any official development regarding this issue, we will update this post accordingly. In the meantime, you could let us know if any of the aforementioned methods spelled out success for you or not.


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  • Michaël Lessard

    When FolderTimeUpdate Tool fixes the time for a folder, does that not trigger Google Drive to think it needs to sync the folder again?

    Do the files within get suddenly updated or verified again by Google Drive? (I hope not)

    If not, it sounds like a good solution until Google Drive stops changing the folder times on the device.

  • You this post has saved me enormous time. BIG Tank to you. Cheers !! Ash

  • Gustavo Kaneto

    Hi! I’m using Windows here and I noted that the metadata for “Date” and “Date last saved” keeps the modification date I need.

    To show it, right-click the column headers in Windows Wxplorer, and (maybe) click on “More…”, then choose “Date last saved” to show this column.