Google Docs is an amazing tool for creating, editing, and sharing documents. One of the most valuable features of Google Docs is the ability to collaborate in real time with others on the same document. However, given that many Google Docs are shared through basic link sharing, you might be wondering how to see who has or hasn’t viewed your Google Doc.
Unfortunately, the answer isn’t quite as straightforward as you might expect. While Google has recently expanded the activity viewer to their Google Drive suite of apps, it’s still limited in its current state. The only way to view who has or hasn’t opened a Google Doc is if you’re using a G Suite account, which means you’ll need to be using an account from work or school.
If you meet this criteria, you should see the small activity icon in the upper right corner of your document next to the share button. Clicking on this icon opens the activity dashboard, which gives you a ton of control over viewing the activity on your document. To view a full list of everyone who has viewed the document, make sure you select the “viewers” tab at the top. Here you can view a full list of everyone who has viewed the document, sorted either alphabetically by name or by when they opened the document.
You can also share this menu to send them an email directly by checking the boxes next to each listing. The sharing history in this menu gives you a good way to view who can edit, comment, and view a document, so make sure to check that menu as well.
If you don’t have a G Suite account, you can at least open the recent revisions of your document to see who changed what’s inside. To do this, look for the icon next to the help menu along the top of the document. If there have been new changes, you’ll see an alert next to the help option to view changes. If there haven’t been any changes, you can click the last edit button that appears here instead.
While this won’t show you exactly who viewed your document, you can view who has or hasn’t changed your document. Hopefully, Google will expand this feature in the future to make it easier for everyone to see who has viewed their Google Docs.
In conclusion, Google Docs is an excellent tool for collaborating on documents. While it’s currently challenging to see who has viewed a Google Doc, there are still ways to view who has or hasn’t changed your document.