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.