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How to stop Photos sorting by device then date/time

On a recent trip I used a Nikon DSLR and an iPhone 13 Pro Max for taking all my photos. I made sure that the date/time on the DSLR was set exactly to the iPhone - I have validated this by checking the metadata of a number of photos. However, after importing the images into Photos and sorting by Oldest first it is apparent that Photos sorts by device then date/time. For me this is a big issue as trying to compare similar photos taken at the same time by both devices is very time consuming. Is there any way of changing the sort to ignore the device and just consider the date/time?

iMac (24-inch, M1, 2021, 2 ports)

Posted on Oct 18, 2022 2:46 PM

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Posted on Oct 19, 2022 8:20 AM

You may want to check which timezone has been assigned for those photos on import, that are sorted incorrectly.

Photos is trying to infer the timezone where the photo has been taken, when it imports from the camera some photos. Photos does not necessarily read the timezone setting of the camera. It just sees the date and time of a photo, for example 9am, December 10, but not, if the timezone has been set to Tokyo or New York. If the photo is tagged with GPS, Photos will usually use the timezone of the GPS location, which may be wrong, if the camera has been set to a different timezone. If the photo does not have a GPS tag, Photos will use the timezone of the system time of your Mac, when it imports the photos. So if you import photos taken in Tokyo from your camera after returning to New York, you will get a different timezone assigned from when importing at the location where the photo has been taken.


You can see the timezone, that Photos assigned on import, when you select a photo and use the command "Image > Adjust Date&Time": You will see the timezone marked as a strip on the map, also the closest city in that time zone.

To correct the timezone, select all photos with the same, incorrect timezone offer together, then use "Image > Adjust Date&Time" to switch to the correct timezone. This will change the time displayed in the field "Adjusted". Change the time back to the same value as "Original", so only the timezone will be changed, not the displayed time.


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8 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 19, 2022 8:20 AM in response to theeddiesduo

You may want to check which timezone has been assigned for those photos on import, that are sorted incorrectly.

Photos is trying to infer the timezone where the photo has been taken, when it imports from the camera some photos. Photos does not necessarily read the timezone setting of the camera. It just sees the date and time of a photo, for example 9am, December 10, but not, if the timezone has been set to Tokyo or New York. If the photo is tagged with GPS, Photos will usually use the timezone of the GPS location, which may be wrong, if the camera has been set to a different timezone. If the photo does not have a GPS tag, Photos will use the timezone of the system time of your Mac, when it imports the photos. So if you import photos taken in Tokyo from your camera after returning to New York, you will get a different timezone assigned from when importing at the location where the photo has been taken.


You can see the timezone, that Photos assigned on import, when you select a photo and use the command "Image > Adjust Date&Time": You will see the timezone marked as a strip on the map, also the closest city in that time zone.

To correct the timezone, select all photos with the same, incorrect timezone offer together, then use "Image > Adjust Date&Time" to switch to the correct timezone. This will change the time displayed in the field "Adjusted". Change the time back to the same value as "Original", so only the timezone will be changed, not the displayed time.


Oct 19, 2022 9:53 AM in response to theeddiesduo

Other than the time zone issue that Richard.Taylor mentioned different views in Photos offer different sorting options as this screenshot demonstrates:



Regarding the time zone issue, if you take a photo in one time zone and then wait to import it into your library in another time zone there will be a time differential in how the sort is accomplished. Those photos will have to have their capture time modified via the Photos ➙ Image ➙ Adjust Time & Date… menu option.


Oct 18, 2022 3:18 PM in response to Richard.Taylor

Thanks for that! I just checked the Nikon DSLR and the time zone is still set to the country I was in when I took the photo. However, when I check an image in Photos that was taken with that camera, it's timezone is now set to my home country? I'm not sure why/how this has occurred - possibly it was modified when I imported it to my iMac?

Oct 19, 2022 6:27 AM in response to theeddiesduo

It's a conundrum I've had to face with trips. Do I want pictures taken at the same time to appear together, or at a time that's right locally. I have photos from Wellington and London and Dallas-- but if they all say noon, some are in the dark! And if they're all pictures that I take myself, then I can't be in two places at once, so I'd rather have local times so they make sense with the photo. But if I have other family back home taking pictures, maybe I'd like their clocks to be synchronous. I think usually I like local time, but the computer makes decisions for me. Sometimes you just have to fix the time.

Oct 19, 2022 12:26 PM in response to léonie

Hi Leonie, thanks for that, the Nikon D800 is not GPS tagged so it is definitely the import causing the issue. I will try out your correction procedure and see what happens. I think in future we will ditch the Nikon and upgrade to the new iPhone 14 Pro which has a better megapixels and low light capability than the Nikon plus nowhere near as bulky. Appreciate your input.

Oct 19, 2022 12:38 PM in response to Richard.Taylor

Hi Richard, thanks again for that. The main reason for taking photos with different cameras in the same location is that one device or the other will take a better image depending on the lighting conditions. We need to see the images together to remove those of lesser quality, in addition my wife creates photo books for each calendar year and needs them all in date order for ease of importation into the photo book image file. I guess I thought that if I made sure both cameras had the exact same region and date/time everything would be fine but then the import settings got me!

How to stop Photos sorting by device then date/time

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