Finder folder modified dates not being updated to match files inside

Question

As the subject says - I need my folder modified dates to make sense within Finder. If the files within change I want to sort by date modified to find the most recently amended work inside the listed folders.

Having them all with the same date even if the files within have been modified is absolute junk and means I have to open them to find the most recently modified files.

How do I stop/fix this?

Using sync to keep folders and files in the cloud unless I open them. Mac OSX Ventura 13.4 22F66 / Dropbox v176.3.5042

Jay · Answer

Hi @daysofspeed, could you clarify exactly what is wrong with the date modified field in Finder?

Are you saying that the date doesn't change when you edit a file, or that all files are updated to have the same date?

Any other info or screenshots (while hiding personal names and info) would be helpful.

daysofspeed · Answer

I don't touch Dropbox online - I use Dropbox to hold the files - created or amended on my Mac. When I go to a folder in Finder the dates often all match regardless of when I have modified the files.

I want to go in and find the last file I used/made/amended.

cellomellowman · Answer

(Dropbox app on Android Galaxy Note 😎
I, too, wish folders could sort by the latest (or earliest) modified date of the files within the folders. I have about 100 folders and I want to find out in which folder I last left off working in. So I choose 'modified' in the folder listing, but the list remains sorted alphabetically.