Word Document Last Modified Date: How to View It

Updated 7 November 2026 · Standard formula, shown below

To view the last modified date of a Word document, open the file and go to File > Info; the date appears under the Properties section on the right side of the screen. You can also see it in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) without opening the file. This article explains all the methods, what the date actually means, and how to handle common issues like missing or incorrect dates.

What the “Last Modified” Date Really Shows

Word stores several dates for each document: Created, Modified, and Accessed. The “Last Modified” date is the most recent time the file’s content was saved to disk. It updates every time you press Ctrl+S (or Cmd+S on a Mac) or when Word autosaves the file. It does not change when you merely open and view the document without saving.

Note that the date shown in File Explorer is the file system’s timestamp, while the one in Word’s Info panel comes from the document’s internal metadata. They usually match, but they can differ if the file was copied, moved, or edited with a different program.

Method 1: View in Word (File > Info)

This works in Word 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Microsoft 365.

Open the document in Word.
Click the File tab in the top-left corner.
Click Info in the left sidebar.
Look at the Properties panel on the right side of the screen.
Find the Modified row – it shows the date and time of the last save.

If you don’t see the Properties panel, click Show All Properties at the bottom of the panel. This also reveals Created, Printed, and Total Editing Time.

Method 2: View in File Explorer or Finder (Without Opening Word)

If you just need a quick glance, you don’t need to open Word at all.

Windows File Explorer: Navigate to the folder containing the file. Switch to Details view (View tab > Details). The Date modified column shows the date and time. If the column is missing, right-click any column header and check Date modified.
Mac Finder: Open the folder, switch to List view (View > as List), and look for the Date Modified column. If it’s not visible, right-click the column header and select Date Modified.

You can also hover over the file icon in Windows to see a tooltip with the modified date, or press Alt+Enter on a selected file to open its Properties dialog.

Method 3: Use Windows PowerShell or Mac Terminal

For a precise timestamp (including seconds), you can use a command line.

Windows PowerShell:

(Get-Item "C:\path\to\file.docx").LastWriteTime

Mac Terminal:

stat -f "%Sm" -t "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S" /path/to/file.docx

These commands read the file system’s last-write time, which is the same value shown in File Explorer/Finder.

Why the Date Might Be Wrong or Missing

Several situations can cause the last modified date to be inaccurate or hidden:

Copying files: On Windows, copying a file updates the “Created” date to the copy time, but the “Modified” date is preserved. On Mac, copying may reset the “Created” date but keep the “Modified” date. Moving files (cut & paste) preserves both.
Cloud sync (OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox): When a file is synced, the local file’s modified date may be set to the sync time, not the original edit time. This is a common cause of confusion.
File permissions: If you open a read-only file and make changes, Word may not be able to save it, so the modified date won’t update.
Metadata corruption: Rarely, the internal metadata (the date stored inside the .docx file) can be corrupted, causing Word to show a blank or wrong date. The file system date in Explorer is usually still correct.

How to Update or Change the Last Modified Date

You cannot directly edit the last modified date in Word – it’s controlled by the operating system. But you can change it using a file manager or a script:

Windows: Use PowerShell to set the LastWriteTime: (Get-Item "file.docx").LastWriteTime = "2025-01-01 10:00"
Mac: Use the touch command: touch -t 202501011000 file.docx

Note that changing the date does not change the internal Word metadata. To update the internal “Modified” field, you must open the file in Word and save it again – that sets both the file system date and the internal date to the current time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does the last modified date change when I only open the file?

It shouldn’t. Merely opening a file does not change its modified date. If you see a change, it’s likely because Word autosaved the file (if you have AutoSave enabled) or because a plugin/script modified the file in the background. Check if the file size or content actually changed.

Can I see the last modified date in the Word mobile app?

Yes. In the Word mobile app (iOS/Android), open the document, tap the three-dot menu (⋯), and look for Details or Info. The exact location varies by version, but you’ll find “Modified” or “Last modified” there.

Does the last modified date include the time zone?

It depends on the view. File Explorer and Finder display the date in your local time zone. The underlying file system stores the time as a UTC timestamp, but it’s converted to local time for display. If you move the file to a different time zone, the displayed date may shift accordingly.

Why does Word show a different date than File Explorer?

Word’s Info panel reads the internal document metadata, which is set when the file is saved by Word. File Explorer reads the file system timestamp. If the file was edited by another program (e.g., a text editor) that doesn’t update the internal metadata, the two can differ. Also, if the file was copied from a cloud sync, the file system date may be the sync time while the internal date is the original edit time.

How do I remove the last modified date from the document properties?

You can’t remove it entirely, but you can clear the internal metadata in Word: go to File > Info > Check for Issues > Inspect Document, then select Document Properties and Personal Information and click Remove All. This removes the internal “Modified” date from the document’s metadata, but the file system date will still show in Explorer.

What if the last modified date is in the future?

This usually happens if the system clock was incorrect when the file was saved, or if the file was copied from a device with a wrong clock. To fix it, change the file’s timestamp using the methods described above, or simply open and re-save the file in Word with the correct system time.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.