An easier way to view changes to the visibility of Google Drive files

As a G Suite admin, you can use the Google Drive audit log in the Admin console to better understand what users in your domain are doing in Drive—from creating and sharing files to downloading and deleting them. We’re now making it easier to organize that information, in particular data around file visibility. Going forward, you’ll see filters for the following categories:

1. Prior Visibility
Was a file or folder shared externally at a previous point in time? Was it publicly accessible on the web? You can now filter for items that match the visibility criteria you select. You can also add this criteria as a column in your report.

2. Visibility
At the moment, what files and folders are available to anyone in your domain? What documents can be accessed by anyone with the link? Like “Prior Visibility,” you can now filter for “Visibility” and add that info as a column in your report.

3. Item Visibility Change
Was a file changed from internally available to externally available? Or vice-versa? You can now filter for items in those categories.

4. Item Type
We recently added several new “Item types” to the Drive audit logs, including JPEG image, PDF, PNG image, MP4 video, Microsoft Word, and more. These are some of the most commonly recorded item types, and should give you more granular insight into the actions being taken in your organization. With this launch, you can now filter on these new and existing item types.



These new features will give you greater insight into the Drive activities taking place in your organization and should help you quickly identify permission changes that have led to different files being shared in different ways.


Launch Details
Release track:
Launching to both Rapid Release and Scheduled Release

Editions:
Available to G Suite Business, Education, and Enterprise editions only

Rollout pace:
Full rollout (1–3 days for feature visibility)

Impact:
Admins only

Action:
Admin action suggested/FYI

More Information
Help Center: Drive audit log


Launch release calendar
Launch detail categories
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