How do I see who's viewing my files?

With viewer info, you can see if someone is currently looking at a file. And, depending on the Dropbox plan you have, you may also be able to see when someone last viewed a file.

Note: The information in this article about viewer info may differ for web-based files, like Google Docs/Sheets/Slides, Paper docs, or Microsoft Office Online files.

Not using Dropbox yet? See how Dropbox helps you effortlessly share files and folders.

How to check if someone is viewing your file

When someone is viewing a shared file, their avatar appears in color on the preview of the file on dropbox.com. If you hover over their avatar, it says Viewing now. 

If someone has Can view or Can edit permissions on a file, and they aren't currently viewing the file, their avatar appears in gray next to the Share button. If you share with a team member through a shared link, their avatar doesn't appear until they view the file.

How to check when someone last viewed your file

Customers on these plans can see when someone last viewed a file:

• Dropbox Business Advanced plan
  
• Dropbox Business Enterprise plan
  
• Dropbox Business Education plan
  
• Dropbox Professional
  

Hover over a gray avatar on the preview of a file on dropbox.com to see when they last Viewed the file.

You can also see the full history of when people viewed files.

How to invite someone to join your team from the viewer info of a file

Viewer info shows whether a person who has viewed a file is a member of a Dropbox Business team or not. You can invite people to join your team directly from a file that you are viewing.

To invite someone to join your team:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Click the file you’d like to open.
3. Click the profile picture or initials of the person you’d like to invite.
4. Click Invite to team.
   • Certain types of admins can invite new members. If you’re not an admin, you’ll see Suggest invite instead of Invite to team. Click Suggest invite to send a notification to your admin that you’d like to invite someone new to the team.

How to request to join a team from the viewer info of a file

You can request to join a team, directly from a file that you are viewing.

To request to join a team:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Click the file you’d like to open.
3. Click the profile picture or initials of the person whose team you’d like to join.
4. Click Request to join.

How to disable viewer info for specific files or folders

Viewer info should be enabled by default for your account. If it isn't, enable viewer info.

Once viewer info is enabled, viewer info is automatically enabled for all files you own. If you don't want to see viewer info, you can disable it on specific files or folders:

To disable viewer info for a shared file or folder

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the file and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
   
3. Click the gear icon.
4. Next to Viewer info, click to toggle Off.
5. Click Save.

Note: Only the owner of a shared folder can disable viewer info for the entire folder. Anyone who can manage access to a folder can disable viewer info on shared files inside a shared folder.

You can also disable viewer info for your entire account.

How do I disable viewer info for my whole account?

If you don’t want viewer info to be displayed for anyone, including yourself, on your content, you can disable it:

To disable viewer info for your Dropbox Business team:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Click Admin Console.
3. Click Settings.
4. Click Viewer info.
5. Change the dropdown to Off by default or Off completely.
   • Off by default: Team members can turn viewer info on for files or folders they own.
   • Off completely: Team members can't turn viewer info on for files or folders they own.
6. Save changes.

To disable viewer info for your Dropbox Business account:

If you’re a Dropbox Business team member, your admin chooses the default for your team.

• On by default or Off by default: You can change the viewer info setting for specific files and folders that you own.
• Off completely: You can't turn viewer info on for any files or folders you own.

To disable viewer info for your personal account:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Click your avatar (profile picture or face icon).
3. Click Settings.
4. Toggle Viewer info on all files I own to Off.

Note: If you choose Off, you can turn viewer info on for specific files or folders you own.

Privacy

Whose information is shown?

You can see viewer info about members of your team or people with Can edit or Can view permission.

Who can see viewer info and what is shown?

Team members and people with Can edit permissions on a file can see the names and email addresses of team members, people with Can edit, and people with Can view permissions, and the name of the Dropbox Business team they are a member of, if applicable.

People with Can view permissions can’t see viewer info.

Whose information isn't shown in viewer info?

When someone accesses a shared link and isn’t a team member or wasn’t specifically invited to the file, they appear as a Guest viewing the file. You can't see the name or email address of a Guest on a file.

Guests can’t see viewer info.

Who can access my files?

Only you, or people you invite to edit a file, can invite others to your shared files.

Learn how to change permissions for your shared folders and shared links.

Note: If someone downloads a shared link without viewing it on dropbox.com, they won't show in viewer info.

Click a question to learn more: