Get stats of views in libraries/folders & documents (SP onpremise)

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Get stats of views in libraries/folders & documents (SP onpremise)

Charlie Martharper 445

Hi!

I was wondering if it's possible to get the views of the users that goes into libraries and how many of them open which files so we know which files is more opened and which is not.

Thanks!

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Answer 1

Jayden-P 19,605 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Charlie Martharper

Thank you for posting question to Microsoft Q&A forum.

From what I research, you can use View usage reports in SharePoint Server, but this one applies to item, page, or document.

You cannot see which individual users opened which files or how many times they open a file.

View usage reports in SharePoint Server - SharePoint Server | Microsoft Learn

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Charlie Martharper 445 Reputation points

2026-03-16T07:34:32.27+00:00

Hi @Jayden-P

I went to site settings and site web analytics report but it appers this:

"Usage logging is disabled in this farm. Please contact your farm administrator for more details."

I am going to the right part of the site you telling?
Jayden-P 19,605 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-17T10:28:53.42+00:00

Hi @Charlie Martharper

I was referring to Popularity trend or Most Popular.

You are accessing to another feature which require Farm admin to enable usage logging.
Jayden-P 19,605 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-18T08:00:44.9+00:00

Hi @Charlie Martharper

Have you checked the additional information?
Charlie Martharper 445 Reputation points

2026-03-18T08:05:05.9+00:00

Hi @Jayden-P

I went to there but it seems is wrong, because there is people uploading files and visualizing the site and there is 0 visits and 0 new items... Am I in the right place?

Could you screenshot the steps? Thanks!
Jayden-P 19,605 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-18T09:11:39.5033333+00:00

Please note that our forum is a public platform, and we will modify your question to hide your personal information in the description. Kindly ensure that you hide any personal or organizational information the next time you post an error or other details to protect personal data.

Hi @Charlie Martharper

The place you are in the first screenshot is Site usage page. I have checked on my side, and it is also at 0.

From my research, for modern site (you are currently using), the popularity trend report has been deprecated. It now changes to Site Usage like your first screenshot.

Can you please try switching to classic view and look for something like this?

View and configure usage analytics reports in SharePoint Server - SharePoint Server | Microsoft Lea…
Charlie Martharper 445 Reputation points

2026-03-18T13:57:22.98+00:00

Hi @Jayden-P

I will try it, but the thing is the SP site should be working as modern view, not classic. Why is the Site usage page 0? Is something wrong with the site or any connection that is not working as it should so the number is 0? People is uploading files and visiting the page thats why I am curious.
Jayden-P 19,605 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-18T14:48:10.65+00:00

Hi @Charlie Martharper

After looking further into it, I found that some users have met this issue before.

You can follow the steps here to resolve this: SharePoint 2016 - Popularity Trends And Usage Data Return No Results

Note: This information is provided as a convenience to you. These sites are not controlled by Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks before using any suggestions from the above link.

Please note that you will need administrative right to run these PowerShell cmdlets. After running, please observe around 24 hours and check site usage again.
Jayden-P 19,605 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-03-19T11:43:57.4633333+00:00

Hi @Charlie Martharper

Have you checked the article I provided? If you do not have the permission to run the PowerShell, please contact your farm admin.

Answer 2

In SharePoint Server (on-premises), usage statistics for views of libraries and documents are available through the built‑in analytics reports.

To see which items are most viewed in a library ("which files are more opened"):
- Use the Most Popular Items report. This shows usage event statistics (including Views) for all items in a document library or product catalog list.
- It lets you see which items have the most views, either recently or over their lifetime.
To see view trends over time (for a site, library item, or page):
- Use the Popularity Trends report. This shows historical usage information such as number of views (hits) and unique users per day or month.
- Popularity Trends can be run at:
  - Site collection level
  - Site level
  - Individual item (document) level in a library
How to open Popularity Trends for a site (classic SharePoint Server UI):
1. On the site, select Settings > Site settings. If Site settings is not visible, select Site information > View all site settings.
2. Under Site Administration, select Popularity Trends.
3. Select Usage.
4. Open the generated report (typically in Excel) to review views and unique users.

Notes and limitations:

These analytics reports are only available for Document Libraries and Product Catalog lists.
The default usage event types include:
- Views (number of views for an item, page, or document)
- Recommendations Displayed
- Recommendations Clicked
For modern SharePoint sites in Microsoft 365, the equivalent is the Site usage page, but for on‑premises SharePoint Server the supported method is via Popularity Trends and Most Popular Items.

Using these reports, it is possible to identify which libraries and documents are being opened most frequently and which are rarely accessed.

References:

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Get stats of views in libraries/folders & documents (SP onpremise)

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