You might see a name you don’t recognize or "anonymous animals" viewing your document, spreadsheet, or presentation. This can happen when a document is shared publicly or with anyone who has the link.
If you see someone you don’t know
Someone you don’t know might be looking at your file because:
- The file is shared with a mailing list.
- The file is shared with someone who doesn’t have a Google Account or isn’t signed in.
- Someone who can edit your file or has the link shared it with other people.
- Someone changed their Google Account name. You can see their email address when you click Share.
Limit how people can view your file
If you want to stop sharing a file you can edit, you can learn how to:
"Anonymous animals"
If you share or open a file with a link, you may not see the names of people who view it.
- People you didn’t invite individually will show as anonymous animals when they’re in the file.
- People you invite individually will show by name when they’re in the file.
You can only see other people’s names when you give them individual permission to view a file or if they are part of a mailing list.
If you restrict link sharing, you still might see multiple anonymous animals:
- When someone opens the file multiple times. It may take some time for people no longer viewing to disappear.
- If someone opens the link through a messenger service. Some services will check links for phishing, virus attacks, or malware.
- When someone uses a browser extension or script that automatically follows the link.
If you use Google apps through work or school, people within your domain will always show up by name when they view your file.
If your administrator allows you to share files outside of your domain, people who aren’t signed in will show up as anonymous animals.