Google Doc Activity dashboard

Google Doc Activity dashboard

Google Docs Activity Dashboard is a wonderful feature that lets you see which of your collaborators have opened your file in your Activity Dashboard.

If youre working on an important document in Google Docs and waiting on some feedback, then you can just see Google Docs Activity Dashboard to find out changes or feedback have been given or not.

Google Docs Activity Dashboard helps to keep track of whos seen it, when they see it, whether they made any changes when sharing a document.

Lets dive deep into this article to learn what is Google Docs Activity Dashboards, how to access Google Docs Activity Dashboard, how to view Google Docs Activity Dashboard, the limitations of Google Docs activity dashboard, and how to resolve if Google Docs Activity Dashboard is not working.

Table Of Contents

  • 1 What is Google Docs Activity Dashboard?
  • 2 How to access Google Docs Activity Dashboard?
      • 2.0.1 There are two conditions that should be met to access Google Docs Activity Dashboard.
  • 3 How to view Google Docs Activity Dashboard?
      • 3.0.1 The Viewers tab in this dashboard will tell you the last time anyone has opened a document. By clicking on the All Viewers option, you can see more information like people from your organization who has viewed the document, whether they were invited or clicked a shareable link.
  • 4 Limitations of Google Docs activity dashboard
  • 5 How to hide Google Docs view history?
    • 5.1 How to turn off Google Docs view history for a specific shared file?
    • 5.2 How to turn off Google Docs view history for all files?
  • 6 Google Docs Activity Dashboard missing
    • 6.1 Administrators restrict the access
    • 6.2 Users restrict the access

What is Google Docs Activity Dashboard?

Activity Dashboard is a centralized hub where document owners and editors can see how other collaborators are engaging with their content.

In simple words, Google Docs Activity Dashboard is a place in which all the information about who has viewed your shared document, when they viewed it, and more are saved.

Activity Dashboard lets you keep track of what are the changes that happened in your document.

How to access Google Docs Activity Dashboard?

There are two conditions that should be met to access Google Docs Activity Dashboard.

  • Unfortunately, the Google Docs Activity Dashboard isnt available to everyone. To use Google Docs Activity Dashboard, your Google account must be part of an organization, like a business, or school.
  • You need permission to edit the document when someone shares, and you must use the web browser version of Google Docs.

How to view Google Docs Activity Dashboard?

You can find the Activity Dashboard by clicking on the jagged arrow icon next to the comments button in the top-right corner of your Google Docs document. Clicking on this icon opens the Activity Dashboard, where you can analyze time statistics and adjust privacy and document settings.

Upon clicking, you get instant access to the Activity Dashboard information youre seeking. Hovering over the icon enables you to view the information others can see about you in the Activity Dashboard.

Below are some of the information you can see with Google Docs Activity Dashboard:

  • Shared with tab: People youve shared the file with.
  • All viewers (organization) tab: People in your organization who have viewed the file.
  • Viewer trend tab: A chart of viewers over time.

The Viewers tab in this dashboard will tell you the last time anyone has opened a document. By clicking on the All Viewers option, you can see more information like people from your organization who has viewed the document, whether they were invited or clicked a shareable link.

Limitations of Google Docs activity dashboard

Even though the Google Docs activity dashboard is helpful in monitoring changes in your Google Docs document, it does have limitations. Some of them are

  • Google Docs activity dashboard can be viewed only by Google accounts users.
  • Anyone outside of your organization clicks a shareable link, they will not be listed.
  • Users can hide their viewing Activities using options in the Privacy settings tab. Thus you cant track those people using Activity Dashboard.

How to hide Google Docs view history?

If you dont want your view history to appear in Activity Dashboard, you can hide it.

How to turn off Google Docs view history for a specific shared file?

  • To turn off view history for a specific shared file, navigate to the top menu bar, click Tools Activity dashboard privacy and turn off Show my view history for this document.

How to turn off Google Docs view history for all files?

  • To turn off view history for all files, go to Google Docs home page, navigate to the top left side of your document, click Menu > Settings. Under Activity dashboard, turn off Show your view history

Google Docs Activity Dashboard missing

There are two possible reasons for your Google Docs Activity Dashboard being missing:

  • Administrators restrict the access

Administrators restrict the access

When a file is shared by a Google Business Account owner, administrators(Owner) can control whether users see each others file activity on an Activity dashboard. File activity includes the names of users who have viewed Google Docs, and the time they viewed them.

To view the Activity dashboard for any shared file, users must have Edit access to the file and they must be in the same domain as the file owner. Users cant view the Activity dashboard for files outside their domain.

If you have the legacy free edition of G Suite, then you need to upgrade to Google Workspace to see Google Docs Activity Dashboard.

Users restrict the access

Users can control whether their file-viewing information is displayed in the Activity dashboard. Even if an administrator turns a users view history on, that specific user can still choose privacy settings to hide their file views from the dashboard. If you turn off users view history in the Activity dashboard, other users cant turn it on for themselves.

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Hope you have got an idea of what is Google Docs Activity Dashboard is, its benefits, and its limitations. You can start using this dashboard to find out how your collaborators are working on shared files!