How to Change a File's Date, Name, & Other Properties

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A complete guide to altering file properties and details

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: February 19, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Windows
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• Mac
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• FAQ
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Do you want to change the properties of some of your files? This can be done easily right from the File Explorer on Windows or the Finder on Mac. In this article, we'll teach you how to view and change your file properties using either a Windows or a Mac computer. Keep reading to learn how.

Editing File Properties on Windows & Mac

• On a PC, right-click a file, select Properties, and edit the General, Security, and/or Details tabs.
• On a Mac, select a file, then go to File > Get Info to edit its properties. You can also hold Ctrl to select multiple files to edit at once.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Windows

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1. 
   1
   Open File Explorer. You can do this by clicking the folder icon on your taskbar, or by pressing ⊞ Win+E on your keyboard.
2. 
   2
   Browse for the file you want to modify. You can use the Search bar in the upper-right corner to search by name, or select a drive and/or folder to browse using the left panel.
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3. 
   3
   Right-click the file you want to change. A context menu will expand.

   • If you want to modify the properties for more than one file at a time, select each file you want to edit while holding down the Ctrl key. Then right-click the highlighted area to open the menu.
4. 
   4
   Click Properties on the context menu. This opens a window containing the properties you can modify for this file.
5. 
   5
   Review your file's general properties. Each file type will have slightly different Properties options, but you can typically change the following information:

   • File name: This will typically be at the top of the General tab.
   • Opens with: Near the top of the General tab, clicking Change next to this option lets you pick a different default program for the selected file.
   • Previous Versions: This tab lets you select and restore a previously saved version of the file if one exists. You must have set a restore point in order for this to work.
   • Attributes: This section allows you to mark a file as read-only or hidden. If you click Advanced, you can choose whether to compress the file or keep it in an archive.
6. 
   6
   Click the Details tab. This tab will look quite different depending on the type of file you're editing. If you're looking at a photo, for example, you'll see its dimensions, resolution, and even metadata from the camera that captured it.
7. 
   7
   Change a property on the Details tab. To change a property on the Details tab, click the mouse cursor on the value of the property (such as the Date Taken on a photo, or the Genre on an MP3 file), erase what's there, and then start typing.

   • Some files may not have any properties that can be edited. However, these properties might be able to be deleted. Click Remove Properties and Personal Information at the bottom to see which properties you can completely delete.
8. 
   8
   Click the Security tab. It's at the top of the window. This is where you'll find all of the security and permissions you can adjust for the selected file.

   • Click Edit to change who has permission to access the file, and what they can do with it.
9. 
   9
   Click Apply and then OK to save your changes. This saves the changes you've made to the selected file(s)' properties.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

macOS

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1. 
   1
   Open the Finder. Finder is the blue smiley face icon in your dock, on the left-hand side by default. You can also open Finder using Spotlight if you prefer.
2. 
   2
   Click the file you want to change. Clicking the file once selects it without opening it. You may first need to open the folder where the file is located by clicking it on the left side of the Finder window.

   • To edit the properties of more than one file at a time, hold down the Ctrl key as you click each file.
3. 
   3
   Click the File menu. This menu item is in the upper-left side of the Mac's screen.
4. 
   4
   Click Get Info on the menu. It's about halfway down the menu. This will open a file information window.

   • Alternatively, you can right-click a file and select Get Info to open the Get Info window.
5. 
   5
   Review your file's properties. Most files on your Mac will have the following options located near the middle/bottom of the Get Info window. The options can change, as well. For example, if you're editing a music file, you may see options for changing the name of the song, artist, genre, or other specifics.

   • Tags: This section allows you to enter some tags that you can associate with the file. This makes it easy to search for the file on your Mac by tag name.
   • More Info: This tells you some information about the file, which will vary depending on the type of file you're looking at. For example, if you're looking at a photo, you'll see the photo's dimensions, some information about the camera that took it, and details about the colors included.
   • Name & Extension: Change your file's name or file type here. You can also check the "Hide extension" box to hide this particular file's extension.
   • Comments: Add notes about the file.
   • Open with: Change the program with which your file opens.
   • Preview: View a preview (e.g., thumbnail) of the file.
   • Sharing & Permissions: Here's where you can change who can read, edit, or modify the file.
6. 
   6
   Save your changes. When you're done making changes, click the red circle in the top-left corner of the Get Info window to save them and close the window.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

FAQ

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1. 1
   How do you edit the metadata of a file in Windows? Right-click the file, select Properties, and click the Details tab. For an audio file (such as an MP3), you can edit the artist, album, and other metadata tags here.
2. 2
   How do you change the attributes of a file? In Windows, right-click the file, select Properties, and use the checkboxes to select or deselect different permissions like Read-only, Archive, and Hidden.
3. 3
   How do I change the properties for an Office file? Open the file in Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, click the File tab, select Info, and click Properties. In Microsoft Access, select View and edit database properties instead. You can then add new properties to the Custom tab.
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Community Q&A

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• Question

  How can I make the size on the disk smaller?

  

  Vivek Mishra

  Community Answer

  You can use some tools to compress a file. You can convert it into zip, rar, 7z, etc.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 0 Helpful 4
• Question

  Is there a way to change properties of multiple files at the same time?

  

  Community Answer

  Make sure the files are all in the same place. Select all of them by either clicking each once while pressing down Ctrl (Control button), or pressing the first and then the last file while pressing down Shift. Then click with the right button of your mouse and go for the last option on the window that appears. Note that changing properties of different types of files at the same time may not be advisable due to the compatibility of individual files with these changes.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

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  Not Helpful 6 Helpful 1
• Question

  I'm trying to edit a server.properties folder on a Mac but it won't let me. I am already the owner so I don't know what's wrong. What should I do?

  

  Community Answer

  Go to the terminal, navigate to the relevant folder then enter `sudo chmod 777 server.properties`. Then use a command line text editor like nano or vim by issuing a command like `nano server.properties`. Next, change the file. Finally, use `sudo chmod ### server.properties` to change the file back to the way it was. You'll need to find the default numbers for the second chmod.

  Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
  Thank you for your feedback.
  If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow

  Yes No

  Not Helpful 9 Helpful 1

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Video

Tips

• You will generally have more properties available to edit if you're using an administrator account.
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• Don't change a file's properties unless you know what you are doing—making the wrong changes can break the file.
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• Sometimes, you cannot modify certain file attributes, even if you're using an admin account.
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