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.
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Sections in this article:
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.
Customers on these plans can see when someone last viewed a file:
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.
Viewer info shows whether a person who has viewed a file is a member of a Dropbox team account 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:
You can request to join a team, directly from a file that you are viewing.
To request to join a team:
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
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.
If viewer info is enabled and you’re viewing a file, you can’t hide your viewer info from the owner of a file.
People who view your content also can’t disable viewer info on your shared file or folder.
For example: A team has viewer info turned off. A team member is invited to a shared folder owned by someone not on the team who has viewer info enabled. Viewer info for that team member is shown on that shared folder.
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 team account:
To disable viewer info for your Dropbox team member account:
If you’re a Dropbox team member, your admin chooses the default for your team.
To disable viewer info for your personal account:
Note: If you choose Off, you can turn viewer info on for specific files or folders you own.
You can easily see existing shared links you created for your files and folders, and manage who has access to them.
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.
How do I enable viewer info for my whole account?
Viewer info may be enabled by default for your account.
If viewer info isn’t displayed on content you own, you can enable it for all files you own:
To enable viewer info for your Dropbox team:
Note: If you’re a Dropbox team member and your admin disabled viewer info, contact your admin to enable this feature.
To enable viewer info for your personal account:
How do I enable viewer info for specific files or folders?
If viewer info is disabled for your account, you can enable viewer info for specific files or folders:
To enable viewer info for a shared file or folder:
Which platforms are supported for viewer info?
You can only see viewer info and viewer history on dropbox.com. However, viewer info and viewer history show when someone is viewing or viewed a file on more than just dropbox.com:
Which platforms support viewer info?
When viewing a preview of a file on dropbox.com, you can see when someone is currently viewing a shared file using dropbox.com. If someone uses the Dropbox badge with a Microsoft Office file, you can see when they are currently viewing the file.
Note: This doesn't apply to Paper docs or showcases.
Which platforms support viewer history?
If you have access to viewer history on dropbox.com, you can see when someone used the following to view a file:
For people using Windows, you can see when people viewed files in most applications.
If you are using macOS 10.9+, you can see when someone viewed a file using:
Note: If someone is viewing your file using macOS 10.14 (Mojave) they may need to enable additional settings first.
How did someone get access to a file?
Shared folder members who Can edit the folder can invite people to the folder. Click Share and Who can access on a file or folder to see what permissions (Can edit or Can view) someone has.
If you’re the owner of a shared folder, you can restrict who can invite people to the folder.
Learn how to restrict files and folders permissions.
If you see a Guest on your file, that guest accessed the file through a shared link. A Guest may be someone who can access a file, but is viewing a shared link when they’re not signed in.
Why don't I see a person I gave access to?
If more than four people viewed a file, you see an icon with a number on it on the preview of the file on dropbox.com. This icon shows how many people viewed the file. Click this icon to see everyone who accessed to the file.
If you don’t see the person you’re looking for, they might not have viewed the file yet, or viewed the file when they weren’t signed in. If they’re not signed in, they’re shown as a Guest when they view the file.
How do I remove someone from my file?
To remove someone who has can view or can edit access, remove them from the shared file or folder.
If you shared a file with someone through a shared link, you need to delete the link to remove their access.
Viewer info settings
If viewer info is disabled for a shared folder, viewer info is also disabled on all content in that folder. If viewer info is disabled for a shared folder, only the owner can enable viewer info on individual files in that shared folder.
If viewer info is enabled for a shared folder, the owner or an editor can disable viewer info for specific files in that folder. Members who Can edit the folder can disable viewer info for files in a shared folder.
Moving content
When you move a file into a shared folder, the file adopts the same viewer info setting as the shared folder. If you move a file into a shared folder you don’t own, the owner may have different settings for viewer info.
Note: If you changed the viewer info setting on your file before moving it into another folder, it usually keeps the setting you chose.
Joining a team
If you join a Dropbox team account, the team setting for viewer info applies to your account.
Viewer info settings
If viewer info is disabled for a shared folder, viewer info is also disabled on all content in that folder. If viewer info is disabled for a shared folder, only the owner can enable viewer info on individual files in that shared folder.
If viewer info is enabled for a shared folder, the owner or an editor can disable viewer info for specific files in that folder. Members who Can edit the folder can disable viewer info for files in a shared folder.
Moving content
When you move a file into a shared folder, the file adopts the same viewer info setting as the shared folder. If you move a file into a shared folder you don’t own, the owner may have different settings for viewer info.
Note: If you changed the viewer info setting on your file before moving it into another folder, it usually keeps the setting you chose.
Joining a team
If you join a Dropbox team account, the team setting for viewer info applies to your account.
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