Compare File Metadata in Windows 11 and 10 Using File Explorer’s Details Pane

What the Details pane can—and cannot—tell you​

The Details pane appears on the right side of a File Explorer window. It changes as you select different files, so it is most useful for comparing two or more likely copies one at a time.

Depending on the file type, the pane may show:

Quick walkthrough

• Name, type, location, and size
• Date created and Date modified
• Image dimensions, such as 4032 × 3024 pixels
• Date taken for photos that contain camera metadata
• Authors, title, subject, comments, categories, and tags for compatible documents and media files
• Length, bitrate, frame width, frame height, and frame rate for some audio and video files
• Sharing and cloud-sync information for supported OneDrive files
• Page count for some document types and available/free space for drives in newer Windows 11 File Explorer builds

The exact fields are not identical for every file. File Explorer can show only the properties supported by the file format, the app that created it, and any installed property handler. A blank Authors, Tags, or Date taken field does not mean the file is corrupt; it often means that metadata was never saved in that file or is not available for that format.

Treat metadata as evidence, not as absolute proof of which file is newest. For example, a file can retain an older modified date after being copied, restored from backup, downloaded, or edited by software that preserves timestamps. Compare several fields before deleting anything.

Before comparing files​

You do not need administrator rights, a restart, or third-party software.

For a useful comparison, gather the possible versions into one folder if practical. Do not move the only copy of an important file merely for comparison. Instead, use File Explorer’s search, open separate Explorer windows, or copy only noncritical duplicates into a temporary comparison folder.

Before starting:

• Open the folder containing the possible duplicate or competing files.
• Make the File Explorer window wide enough that the right-side pane does not leave the file list too narrow.
• Select only one file at a time when using the Details pane. With multiple files selected, Windows may show combined information or omit file-specific metadata.
• Keep file name extensions visible when versions might have different formats, such as report.docx, report.pdf, and report-final.docx.

Show file name extensions when format matters​

A similarly named file may not be the same type of file. A .jpg and a .png image can look alike but have different metadata capabilities, dimensions, compression, and file sizes.

Windows 11

• Open File Explorer with Windows key + E.
• Select View on the command bar.
• Select Show.
• Select File name extensions.
• Confirm that extensions such as .docx, .pdf, .jpg, or .mp4 now appear after file names.

Windows 10

• Open File Explorer with Windows key + E.
• Select the View tab on the ribbon.
• In the Show/hide section, select File name extensions.
• Confirm that extensions are visible in the file list.

This setting changes only how names are displayed. It does not rename files or alter their contents.

Turn on the Details pane​

Windows 11​

• Open File Explorer by pressing Windows key + E.
• Browse to the folder containing the files you want to compare.
• On the command bar, select View.
• Select Show.
• Select Details pane.

The pane opens along the right edge of the window. Select a file once to populate it with that file’s available details.

For a faster toggle, press Alt + Shift + P. Press the same shortcut again to hide the pane.

Windows 10​

• Open File Explorer by pressing Windows key + E.
• Browse to the folder containing the files you want to compare.
• Select the View tab on the File Explorer ribbon.
• In the Panes section, select Details pane.

The details area opens on the right. Click a file once to display its properties.

You can also press Alt + Shift + P to show or hide the pane without using the ribbon.

Compare versions using the Details pane​

Use a consistent order so you do not accidentally compare different fields for different files.

• Select the first candidate file.
• Read the visible values in the Details pane. Start with:
• Size
• Date modified
• Date created
• File type
• Any content-specific fields, such as dimensions, authors, tags, or length
• Write down the decisive values or keep the first file selected while you note them.
• Select the next candidate file.
• Compare the same properties in the same order.
• Repeat until you can identify the file that best matches the version you need.

A practical decision order is:

• Confirm the file type. Do not assume a PDF is equivalent to the Word document from which it was created, or that a resized image is the original photograph.
• Compare the modified date. This is often the best first clue for ordinary working copies.
• Compare file size. A substantially larger Word document may contain more embedded pictures; a much smaller image may be resized or heavily compressed. Size alone does not establish quality or completeness.
• Compare content-specific metadata. For photos, use dimensions and date taken. For documents, inspect authors, title, subject, and tags where present. For media, check duration and video dimensions.
• Open only the strongest candidate if confirmation is needed. The pane narrows the choices without launching every file.

Example: choose between two photos​

Suppose you have Vacation.jpg and Vacation (1).jpg.

• Select Vacation.jpg.
• In the Details pane, note Dimensions, Date taken, Date modified, and Size.
• Select Vacation (1).jpg.
• Compare those same fields.

If both have the same dimensions and date taken but one is much smaller, the smaller one may be an exported, compressed, or shared copy. If one has larger dimensions, it may be the higher-resolution version. If the dimensions are identical but dates differ, use the date taken and size together rather than assuming that the latest modified date is the original.

Example: choose between document drafts​

For files such as Budget draft.docx, Budget final.docx, and Budget final 2.docx:

• Compare Date modified and Size first.
• Check Authors, Title, Subject, and Tags if File Explorer shows them.
• Use the file name as a clue, not a verdict. “Final” is often not actually final.
• Open the likely newest document only after metadata identifies it as the best candidate.

A file with the newest modified date may simply be a recently copied or converted version. A file with the right author and a later modification time is more persuasive than either field alone.

Use Details view when you need a side-by-side comparison​

The Details pane is best for deeper inspection of one selected file. When you need to compare many files at once, switch the main file list to Details view. This displays properties as sortable columns.

Windows 11​

• Open the target folder in File Explorer.
• Select View on the command bar.
• Select Details.
• Look across the column headings for fields such as Name, Date modified, Type, and Size.
• Select a column heading, such as Date modified or Size, to sort the folder by that property.
• Select the same heading again to reverse the order.

Windows 10​

• Open the target folder.
• Select the View tab.
• In the Layout section, select Details.
• Select a column heading such as Name, Date modified, Type, or Size to sort by that field.
• Select the heading again to reverse the sort order.

Use the two features together:

• Keep the folder in Details view to sort and scan many files.
• Keep the Details pane open to inspect the full metadata of whichever row you select.

For an image folder, sorting by Date modified can quickly group recent edits. Then click each likely image and use the pane to compare dimensions and date taken. For document folders, sort by Date modified, then verify author and file size in the pane before opening anything.

Verify that you identified the right file​

Before renaming, moving, or deleting a version, perform a final check.

• Select the file you intend to keep.
• Confirm its full file name and extension.
• Confirm its folder location in File Explorer’s address bar.
• Compare its Date modified and Size against the other candidates.
• For photos, verify dimensions and date taken when available.
• For documents, verify author, title, tags, or page-related information if those fields appear.
• Open the file only if its contents must be confirmed.

If the file is important, do not delete the alternatives immediately. Create a clearly named folder such as Reviewed duplicates - do not delete yet, move only the rejected copies there, and keep them until you have confirmed the retained file is usable.

Troubleshoot missing or unhelpful metadata​

The Details pane does not appear​

• Press Alt + Shift + P once. This toggles the pane and can restore it if it was accidentally hidden.
• In Windows 11, check View > Show > Details pane.
• In Windows 10, open the View ribbon tab and select Details pane.
• Maximize File Explorer or widen the window. A narrow Explorer window can make the pane difficult to use effectively.

The pane is blank​

Select a specific file, not empty space in the folder. The Details pane needs a selected item. If you selected a folder, you may see folder information rather than metadata for an individual file.

Authors, tags, dimensions, or date taken are missing​

This is normally a file-format or metadata issue, not a File Explorer failure.

• Image dimensions are available for many common image formats, but metadata fields such as date taken depend on whether the image contains camera information.
• Authors and tags depend on the document or media format and whether the creating application saved those properties.
• Screenshots often have dimensions but no camera date taken.
• Downloaded, exported, converted, or stripped files may retain fewer properties than the original.
• Some cloud-only files may need to be downloaded before all local properties are available.

To inspect the broadest property list Windows can show for one file, right-click the file, select Properties, and open the Details tab. This does not modify the file by itself.

Date modified looks wrong​

Do not use it as the only decision factor. Compare:

• The file name and extension
• Size
• Author or title, when available
• Image dimensions or date taken
• Document page count or media duration, when shown
• The actual content, if metadata cannot resolve the choice

Modified date records a file-system property and can be affected by copying, restoring, synchronizing, extracting, or software behavior. It is useful for narrowing a list, but it is not a guaranteed record of when the underlying content was originally created.

The pane shows different fields for different files​

That is expected. File Explorer adapts its property display to the selected item. A JPEG can expose photo properties, an MP3 can expose artist and album fields, and a Word document can expose author and title fields. Compare like with like whenever possible: two photos, two versions of the same document format, or two copies of the same video.

You need to recover the full File Explorer workspace​

Hide the Details pane with Alt + Shift + P or the corresponding View menu command. This changes only the File Explorer layout; it does not modify, move, rename, or delete any files.