WINDOWS 10 FEATURE DISAPPEARED IN WINDOWS 11

Question

In Windows 10 there was an excellent way to batch edit photo metadata directly in File Explorer.

This is no longer available in Windows 11.

There are 2 unsatisfactory workarounds.

1. Using image properties.
2. Download Photos Legacy - this can only alter the date!

How do you suggest photos are annotated?

Before Windows 10 there was Windows PhotoPro - a Standalone App, but this was discontinued.

I wouldn't want to use many fields and suggest the following: Creator, Title, Description, Keywords, Date Photo Taken and Date Created.

Answer 1

Hi!

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based from your explanation, this is pointing towards a product decision question and not a workaround related fix anymore. Right now there is nothing mentioned about

There is something that you can do about it, you can provide a feedback to Microsoft.

Here is how to submit feedback:

• Open Feedback Hub in Windows
• Category: Files, Folders, and Online Storage → File Explorer
• Suggest: (what you want to happen, you can explain your thoughts about his changes)

Please refer to this: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/misc/feedback-provide-microsoft?view=o365-worldwide

Answer 2

Hi!

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Based from your explanation, this is pointing towards a product decision question and not a workaround related fix anymore. Right now there is nothing mentioned about

There is something that you can do about it, you can provide a feedback to Microsoft.

Here is how to submit feedback:

• Open Feedback Hub in Windows
• Category: Files, Folders, and Online Storage → File Explorer
• Suggest: (what you want to happen, you can explain your thoughts about his changes)

Please refer to this: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/misc/feedback-provide-microsoft?view=o365-worldwide

Answer 3

Windows 11 no longer exposes the same rich, batch metadata editing experience directly in File Explorer that was available in Windows 10. In current Windows 11 builds, only limited metadata can be edited from File Explorer (for example, via the Properties dialog), and Photos Legacy is primarily focused on date-related metadata rather than full descriptive tagging.

For the specific fields listed (Creator, Title, Description, Keywords, Date Photo Taken, Date Created), Windows 11 does not provide a built-in, File Explorer–level batch editor comparable to the removed feature. The underlying system properties and metadata policies (such as System.Photo.DateTaken) still exist in Windows, but they are not surfaced through a first‑party batch UI in File Explorer on Windows 11.

Given what is available in-box on Windows 11 from the provided information:

1. Use File Explorer → Properties for basic, per-file edits
   • Right‑click a photo → Properties → Details tab.
   • Edit fields that are exposed there (for example, some date and descriptive fields) on a per‑file basis.
   • This is limited and not equivalent to the Windows 10 batch editor.
2. Use Photos / Photos Legacy where applicable
   • The new Photos app focuses on viewing, organizing (folders, filmstrip, multi‑view), and OneDrive/iCloud integration, not full metadata authoring.
   • Photos Legacy can adjust date information for photos but does not provide full multi‑field annotation for Creator, Title, Description, and Keywords.
3. Use a dedicated external tool for full annotation workflows
   • For workflows that require consistent use of Creator, Title, Description, Keywords, Date Photo Taken, and Date Created across many files, a third‑party photo management or DAM (Digital Asset Management) tool is required, as there is no documented, first‑party replacement in Windows 11 that restores the Windows 10 batch metadata editor.

In summary, on Windows 11 the practical options with built‑in tools are limited to:

• Editing a subset of metadata via File Explorer → Properties (per file), and
• Adjusting dates via Photos Legacy.

For systematic annotation using the fields listed, a third‑party photo management application is necessary because Windows 11 does not currently provide an equivalent batch metadata editing feature in File Explorer.

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References:

• What is Photos Legacy?
• Changes in the new Photos app
• Photo Metadata Policies
• System.Photo.DateTaken Photo Metadata Policy