Files are where the awkward questions land. Who sent this outside? Who deleted it? Who changed it?
What is recorded
Against the file or folder, with the person and the time:
- uploaded, and by whom,
- replaced with a new version,
- shared, and with whom,
- a public link created or revoked,
- moved, renamed,
- deleted, restored, or deleted forever.
Why it is worth having
Not to catch anybody. The usual use is far duller and far more common: something is not where it should be, and the trail says it was moved on Tuesday by somebody who is sitting three desks away and can simply be asked.
The serious use is the one you hope not to need. If a document did leave the business, the questions are when, by whom, and whether it was downloaded or put on a link. Without a trail the honest answer is that nobody knows.
Public links are recorded separately as well
Each link carries its own view count and the time it was last opened. So you can tell a link that was created and never used from one that has been opened forty times.
A link opened far more often than the number of people you sent it to is worth a look. It usually means it was forwarded, which may be fine — but it is better to know than to assume.
The two questions it answers
| Question | What the trail shows |
|---|---|
| “Where has this gone?” | Who moved or renamed it, and when. Usually somebody nearby who can be asked. |
| “Who sent this out?” | Who created a public link, when, and how often it has been opened. |
The first is the one you will actually use, weekly. The second is the one you hope never to need and will be very glad exists.
Reading a link's view count
- Zero views after a week — they never opened it. Worth a message before assuming silence means disagreement.
- Views matching the people you sent it to — as expected.
- Far more views than recipients — it has been forwarded. Often fine, occasionally not.
- Views long after the job ended — revoke it.
What a trail cannot tell you
It records what happened here. Once a file has been downloaded, or a link forwarded, what happens next is outside all of this — there is no recall and no record.
That is the real argument for turning download off on the documents that matter, and for putting an expiry on links. The trail tells you what left; only the controls decide what can.
Where to go next
Something missing or wrong here? Tell us. A question that needed asking usually means a page that needed writing.