Maintaining Modified Time When Moving Files in File Explorer for Windows 11

Maintaining Modified Time when Moving Files in File Explorer on Windows 11

File Explorer on Windows 11 provides users with a convenient way to manage their files and folders. One feature that is particularly useful is the ability to modify the modified time attribute of a file when it is moved. This is especially important for individuals who need to keep track of when files were last accessed or changed, such as developers, researchers, and system administrators.

Dragging and Dropping Files in File Explorer

File Explorer allows users to move files from one location to another by dragging and dropping them. This is a quick and easy way to organize files, but it can sometimes result in the modified time attribute of the file being changed to the current time.

However, File Explorer on Windows 11 has a feature that maintains the modified time attribute of a file when it is moved using drag and drop. By default, this feature is enabled, but it can be disabled or enabled by following these steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click on the "View" tab in the ribbon at the top of the window.
3. In the "Show" group, check or uncheck the "Modified date and time" option to enable or disable the feature.

Copying Files in File Explorer

When a file is copied in File Explorer, the modified time attribute is set to the current time by default. However, it is possible to maintain the modified time attribute of the original file when copying it by using the following steps:

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to the location of the file(s) that you want to copy.
3. Select the file(s) that you want to copy.
4. Right-click on the selected file(s) and choose "Copy" or press Ctrl+C.
5. Navigate to the destination folder where you want to copy the file(s).
6. Right-click in the folder and choose "Paste" or press Ctrl+V.
7. In the "Paste" dialog box that appears, check the "Keep the modified date" option to maintain the modified time attribute of the original file(s).

Modifying Files Using Command Prompt

Another way to move or copy files while maintaining the modified time attribute is to use the Command Prompt. The following are examples of commands that can be used to achieve this:

copy /d source_file destination_file

The /d option in the copy command tells the Command Prompt to maintain the modified time attribute of the source file when copying it to the destination file.

move /d source_file destination_folder

The /d option in the move command tells the Command Prompt to maintain the modified time attribute of the source file when moving it to the destination folder.

File Explorer on Windows 11 has a feature that maintains the modified time attribute of a file when it is moved using drag and drop. When copying files, the modified time attribute can be maintained by using the "Keep the modified date" option in the "Paste" dialog box. Additionally, the Command Prompt can be used to move and copy files while maintaining the modified time attribute by using the /d option in the copy and move commands.

References

• Copy Command
• Move Command