Manage your notifications

You can change how often you receive email notifications for comments in Google Docs, Drawings, Sheets or Slides. In Google Docs and Sheets, you can also change notification settings for edits. You can choose whether to receive notifications through email or in your browser.

Important: Changes to notification settings will only apply to the file that you're on.

Manage notifications for comments

1. On your computer, open a document, drawing, spreadsheet or presentation.
2. You can either:
   • Go to Tools  Notification settings.
   • In the top-right corner of the file, click Open comment history   click Notification settings .
3. Under 'Comments', choose when you want to receive notifications:
   • All comments: You'll be notified about all new comments.
   • Comments for you: You'll be notified about @mentions and threads involving you.
   • None: Never receive emails about comments for that file.

Tip: You can also change your notification settings directly from the email notifications. When you receive an email notification for comments, click Notification settings within the email. Next to 'Comments', you can update your preferences for that file.

Manage notifications for edits 

On files in Google Docs and Sheets, you can change the settings to get notifications when others make changes.

In Google Docs

You won't get notifications when you make changes on your doc, but you'll get notifications when anyone adds or removes content.

1. On your computer, open a Google Doc.
2. You can either:
   • Go to Tools  Notification settings.
   • In the top-right corner of the file, click Open comment history   click Notification settings .
3. Under 'Edits', choose when you want to receive notifications:
   • Added or removed content: You'll be notified whenever anyone adds or removes content in that file.
   • None: Never receive emails about edits for that file.

Tips:

• You can also change your notification settings directly from the email notifications. When you receive an email notification for comments or edits, click Notification settings within the email. Next to 'Edits', you can update your preferences for that file.
• If there are too many edits or the document is too large, email notifications may not display all the changes. To find all of them, open the document.

In Google Sheets

You can only set up notifications for yourself. You won't get notifications when you make changes on your spreadsheet, but you'll get notifications when others make changes.

1.  On your computer, open a spreadsheet in Google Sheets.
2. At the top, click Tools Notification settings  Edit notifications.
3. In the window that appears, select when you want to receive notifications. Notify you when:
   • Any changes are made: Set notifications when someone makes a change to a spreadsheet.
   • A user submits a form: Set notifications when someone fills in a form.
4. In the window that appears, select how often you want to receive notifications. Notify you with:
   • Email – daily digest: Send a daily summary of all changes.
   • Email – right away: Send an email for every change.
5. Click Save.

See who makes changes in Google Sheets

You can see who makes changes to your spreadsheet, depending on your level of access to a spreadsheet.

• If you're an editor: You can see the usernames of people who make changes.
• If you're a viewer: You can set notifications but can't see usernames.

If you want to set more specific notification rules, for example when someone modifies a certain range of cells, use Apps Script.

Related articles

• Use comments and action items
• Be notified of form responses
• Change notification settings for Google Drive