Google Drive just rolled out a long-awaited feature: users can now see how many times a video has been opened.
The update, announced in a blog post on May 27, 2025, is part of Google’s effort to improve how videos are managed and experienced in the platform. This new video analytics feature lives in a section called “Analytics” under the Details panel of any video file.
According to Google, this is a “highly requested” feature that helps users track engagement on their video files. Whether you’re sharing tutorials, team updates, or creative projects, you’ll now know if people are actually watching them. There’s no way to hide this stat either, Google clarified that “there is no admit control for this feature,” meaning anyone with access to the video file can view its open count.
Accessing the stat is easy. Just open a video stored in your Google Drive, click the three-dot menu, choose “Details”, and look for the new “Analytics” section. It will show the total number of times the video has been opened. Note that this doesn’t count repeat views from the same person, it’s strictly a count of total opens.
This feature is available across the board: for personal Google account users, Google Workspace Individual subscribers, and all Google Workspace customers. It’s a universal rollout, so no matter what type of account you’re using, you’ll have access to the view count.
The update follows several recent improvements to Google Drive’s video features. Over the past year, Google has enhanced the look and functionality of the video player. Automatic captions were introduced not too long ago, and now, Google is adding full transcripts to make video content more searchable and useful.
Transcripts appear in a sidebar next to the video and update in real-time, highlighting what’s being spoken. You can search the transcript for specific keywords or phrases, and then jump directly to that point in the video. This makes it much easier to reference information or catch up on long recordings without having to scrub through the whole thing.
Google says these updates aim to “enhance the video player experience” and “make information discovery, referencing, and productivity with video content much more efficient.” With both view counts and transcripts now built-in, Google Drive is positioning itself as more than just cloud storage, it’s becoming a practical tool for managing and sharing video content intelligently.
So if you’re someone who regularly shares videos via Google Drive, whether for work or personal use, it’s time to check out these new features. They’re small additions, but they bring a big boost in usability.
- MindsEye Launch Disaster Shocks Players - June 16, 2025
- Claude’s Blog Experiment Ends Before It Took Off - June 12, 2025
- UK to Become AI Superpower, Not a Spectator, Says PM - June 12, 2025
