Exported files no longer retain the source RAW file’s Created date on macOS

Description of issue

When I export edited photographs from Lightroom Classic as JPEG files, the exported JPEG files are assigned the export date as both their Created date and Modified date.

The source RAW files show the correct original dates. In the past, JPEG files exported using this workflow retained the same Created date as the source RAW files. I cannot identify the Lightroom Classic or macOS version in which this behaviour changed.

The issue is specifically with the Created and Modified dates of the exported JPEG files. It is not an issue with the source RAW files or with the edits applied in Lightroom Classic.

System information

Lightroom Classic: version 15.6

Operating system: macOS version 27.0.1

Source files: RAW files from a Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Export format: JPEG

Export destination: internal disk

Steps to reproduce

1. Import a RAW file from a Canon EOS 7D Mark II into Lightroom Classic.

2. In Finder, note the Created date of the source RAW file.

3. Edit the photograph in Lightroom Classic.

4. Export the edited photograph as a JPEG to the internal disk.

5. In Finder, inspect the Created and Modified dates of the exported JPEG.

6. Compare the exported JPEG dates with the Created date of the source RAW file.

7. Repeat the test with several photographs having different source dates.

Expected result

The exported JPEG should retain the Created date of the source RAW file, as it did previously with this workflow.

Actual result

The exported JPEG has the export date and time as its Created date.

Its Modified date is also set to the export date and time.

The source RAW file’s Created date is not retained.

Impact

This creates a serious problem when exporting large collections of photographs.

Exported JPEG files can no longer be sorted or catalogued chronologically using their Created dates. Photographs taken on different dates can appear to have been created on the same date if they were exported during the same processing session.

This makes the file dates unreliable for managing exported photographs and creates a significant problem when processing hundreds or thousands of files.

Change from previous behaviour

I am not claiming that this change was introduced specifically in Lightroom Classic 15.6. I do not know which Lightroom Classic or macOS version introduced it.

However, the behaviour was definitely different in the past. With the same general workflow, exported JPEG files previously retained the source RAW file’s Created date.

Please investigate whether this is a regression in Lightroom Classic, a change in macOS, or a change in the way Lightroom Classic creates exported files on macOS.

Requested resolution

Please restore the previous behaviour whereby exported JPEG files retain the source RAW file’s Created date.

Alternatively, please provide an explicit Lightroom Classic export option to preserve the source file’s Created date.

A manual renaming process or separate file processing utility is not an adequate solution for professional workflows involving hundreds or thousands of exported photographs.

I have attached screenshots showing the Created date of the source RAW file and the Created and Modified dates of the exported JPEG.