Metadata is lost on downloaded files

My Cloud OS 5 My Cloud Single Bay
1

The My Cloud is stripping the metadata from my downloaded files!!!

My family use our My Cloud for image backups from our iPhones. Recently I needed to download the images from the NAS so that I could get them into my Lightroom catalog. Lightroom was not wanting to function with the folders over our network so I needed to have them locally on a regular external drive. The folders on the My Cloud had over 50,000 images. At first when I tried to download them via the USB backup method it would fail every time and corrupt the directory on the hard drive. I had to take the additional step to breaking the files into separate folders with no more than 9998 files. I did this using an FTP client. Once I did that I was able to offload the folders with the USB Backup method. Once it was done I took a look at the images and I noticed that all the metadata was gone. It had the current days date at the creation date for all the files. I also tried downloading with the FTP Client and it did the same thing. When I view the images in the app or through the web portal it shows the correct creation date. Has anyone found a solution for this? The metadata is super important for family images. I want to know the dates. Thank you for any help.

2

Hi @BlackForestAsh
Have you opened a Support Case? If not opened, for more information, please contact the WD Technical Support team for the best assistance and troubleshooting:

3

If you’re dealing with missing metadata after transferring images from your WD My Cloud, here are some steps you can try:

  1. Check FTP Settings: Make sure your FTP client is set to preserve file attributes like creation and modification dates. Look for options like “Preserve timestamps” or “Transfer in binary mode” in the settings.
  2. Use a Different Transfer Method: If USB backup and FTP aren’t preserving the metadata, try copying the files directly over the network using a computer. Dragging and dropping the folders via the file explorer (Windows) or Finder (macOS) might retain the metadata.
  3. Update Firmware: Make sure your WD My Cloud firmware is up to date. Sometimes firmware updates fix issues like this.
  4. Use Specialized Software: Tools like Exiv2 or ExifTool can help verify if the metadata is intact on the NAS before the transfer. These tools can also be used to restore missing metadata if necessary.
  5. Backup via WD Apps: Using the WD My Cloud app or other WD software for backing up images might handle the metadata better, as these tools are specifically designed to work with the NAS.
  6. Check NAS Settings: Review your NAS settings to see if there are options related to file handling or metadata preservation.

If these options don’t resolve the issue, you may need to manually reconstruct the missing data using the information visible in the app or web portal.