Fix Snapchat Memories Dates After Export
Exported Memories often show the download date instead of the day they were taken. The real dates are in your export — here is why they get lost and how to put them back into the files.
Drop the mydata~….zip files from Snapchat. Each photo and video that can be matched to memories_history.json gets its capture date and location written into the file (JPEG photos and MP4/MOV videos); anything that can't be matched is kept unchanged and listed in report.csv. Nothing is uploaded. Free for up to 200 files.
Open the Snapchat Memories fixer →How to fix the dates
- Request your Memories at accounts.snapchat.com → My Data with both "Export your Memories" and "Export JSON Files" turned on.
- Download all mydata~….zip parts and keep them zipped.
- Open the Snapchat Memories fixer and drop all parts at once. It matches each file to its entry in memories_history.json.
- Download the fixed ZIP: each matched JPEG photo and MP4/MOV video now has its date taken (and GPS) inside the file, every matched file has a date-based name, and report.csv lists anything that could not be matched.
Why the dates are wrong
A Snapchat data export has two halves: the photos and videos (in the memories/ folder, as …-main.jpg / …-main.mp4 files) and json/memories_history.json, which lists every Memory with its date (in UTC), its media type and its location. Snapchat does not write the location into the files, and the date your gallery reads is not reliably there either — so Apple Photos, Google Photos and your camera roll sort the Memories by the time the file was created on your device.
Unzipping can make it worse: the ZIP stores a timestamp for each file, and unzip tools may not keep it. That is why the fixer reads the ZIP files directly instead of asking you to extract them.
What the fixer does
- Matches every file to its JSON entry — by the Memory's ID when the export has one, otherwise by media type and the exact ZIP timestamp. Anything it cannot match is kept unchanged and listed in
report.csv. Matching has been built from public format documentation; please check report.csv after the first run. - Writes the date taken into JPEG photos (EXIF DateTimeOriginal with time-zone offset) and MP4/MOV videos (creation time), and the GPS location when the JSON has one. Other image formats get the date in the file name and ZIP file time only.
- Renames each file to its date, e.g.
2024-07-14_20-30-05_cca127ec.jpg, so any folder sorts correctly.
Everything happens in your browser; the files are not uploaded. Stickers and captions (overlays) are kept as separate PNGs for now — see merging Snapchat overlays.
Check your export first
No JSON, no dates: the export must be requested with Export JSON Files turned on, and if it came in several parts you need the first part, which holds the JSON. Some older exports contained only download links instead of the files; those links expire after a few days, so request a new export. More in Snapchat Memories export not working.
FAQ
How do I download Snapchat Memories with the correct date?
Export them from accounts.snapchat.com → My Data with "Export JSON Files" turned on, then write the dates from memories_history.json back into the files — for example with the Snapchat Memories fixer on this site (free for up to 200 files), which runs in your browser.
Why are my Snapchat Memories not showing the date?
Snapchat keeps the capture date and location of each Memory in memories_history.json, separate from the photos and videos. Galleries read the date inside the file (EXIF for photos, the creation time for videos), so without it they fall back to the file time — usually the day you downloaded or unzipped the export.
Which time zone are Snapchat export dates in?
The Date field in memories_history.json is in UTC ("2024-07-14 12:30:05 UTC"). The fixer converts it to your time zone (or one you choose) and also stores the UTC offset, so apps show the right moment.
Does this fix videos too?
Yes. Videos get their MP4/QuickTime creation time and location set in the file header, without re-encoding.
My export has no memories_history.json. Can the dates still be fixed?
Not reliably — the JSON is where the dates are. Make sure you added the first ZIP part (the JSON is usually only in that one); if it is missing entirely, request the export again with "Export JSON Files" turned on.