PSE 2026.0 Messes Up the Dates of Files in a Version Set

[DP*]

I'm not sure anyone's reported this before but I just noticed this:

• Edit a file, foo1.jpg that has date D.
• Save the file in a version set so now you have foo1_edited-1.jpg.
• In the PSE Organizer, this new file now has a date of D-5 hours. So if the original date was 20 Nov 2025 6:26 PM, the edited file is dated 20 Nov 2025 1:26 PM.
• This appears to be related to timezone offsets: I am in New York so my timezone is (usually) GMT-5 (indeed both files have an EXIF OffsetTime field of '-5:00').  For files I edited in the week when New York's local time was at GMT-4, the original and edited files are 4 hours apart.
• In the filesystem, Windows File Explorer reports the same (correct) date for the original and edited files.
• The files display with the correct dates in PSE 2025 - both members of the version set have the correct date.
• Files edited with older versions of PSE are fine - both members of the version set have the correct date.
• The EXIF data in the files seems OK. This appears to be a display issue with PSE 2026.

Is anyone else experiencing this? Do you see different offsets in the file dates depending on your timezone?

It's an irritating bug. Now I have to go back and fix the dates on all the files I've edited in PSE 2026.

[Greg_S.]

I saw it once with Elements 2026.0 and reported it to Adobe.  I am in California and I believe it was a 7 hour time zone difference around that time that we were changing daylight savings.  So, like you, I theorized it had something to do with a time zone offset.

Elements 2026.1 was released a couple of weeks ago, and I understand that Elements 2026.2 was released a couple of days ago.  (The staggered release date worldwide has not yet updated my installation to the latest version.  Apparently, Adobe uses the Pony Express to the West Coast.)  The updates have supposedly fixed issues relating to version sets.  I don't know whether this includes the problem you have described.  Please report back if you see this issue with an updated version of the program.  I will make sure that it gets reported.

[DP*]

Thanks,  I don't yet have either the .1 or .2 updates. I'll report it as a bug if it's not fixed in the .2 update.

[Greg_S.]

You should have received the update for 2026.1 already.  Please show us a screenshot of your Help>About Elements Organizer screen.  And what settings do you have under Edit>Preferences>Application Updates?

[DP*]

I still don't see either update. My settings in PSE are:

Edit > Preferences > Application Updates is set to: 'Notify me when an update is available'

Help > About Elements Organizer says: Version 26.0 (20250915.EO.90b78882)

[Greg_S.]

If you uninstall Elements 2026 (both PSE and PRE if you have them both), and install the program again from the download link in your account or even from the trial download page, you should receive the latest updated release.

[DP*]

I redownloaded PSE 2026.

Help > About Elements Organizer now says 20251112.EO.64802456 which is ~2 months newer than my previous version.

There are still significant issues:

• The timezone/display issue is still there: the edited file in a version set are set back in time by the timezone offset to UTC. If you then edit top/latest file in the version set, the date is now set correctly (I'm not sure if this is new behavior - I didn’t test it with the previous version of PSE). So: edit once and the top file in the version set has the wrong date, edit a second (or more) time and the date is OK.
• The 'Include in the Elements Organizer' and 'Save in Version Set with Original' are now sticky as they should be. This is good.
• Saving to a version set is broken in a new way: when you edit foo.jpg in and save it to a version set, the file name field should show foo_edited-1.jpg. Instead it shows foo.jpg. If you try to save the file, PSE will ask you if you want to overwrite the original.  If you uncheck and re-check the 'Save in Version Set with Original' checkbox the file name will show the correct name (foo_edited-1.jpg) and will be saved correctly in a version set.

[DP*]

...regarding the first bullet in my last response: you don't actually have to make edits to the file for a second to fix the displayed date - you just have to load it into the Editor. As soon as you load the file into the Editor, the Organizer displays the correct date.