You see which pages someone read by sharing the document as a tracked link from a platform with page-by-page analytics, not as a plain attachment. Every plan shows who opened it, when, from where, for how long and how far they got. From Plus, you also see which pages each viewer read and how long they spent on each one.
Steps
- Upload the document to a [room](/glossary/virtual-data-room/) and share it as a tracked link, not an email attachment. Attachments give you no visibility once they leave your inbox.
- Ask viewers to [verify their email](/features/verified-email-and-one-time-code/). Choose "Anyone who verifies an email address" in the link's access settings, and the viewer enters a six-digit code sent to their inbox before the document opens. Verified email is on Plus and above; on every plan, switching on "Only the people I name" checks each named person's address the same way.
- Send the link and wait for the recipient to open it.
- Open the document's Activity tab. Open the room and select the document: the Activity tab lists every viewer with when they started, how long they stayed, how many pages they saw, where they were and whether their email was verified. From Plus, the time-per-page panel and each viewer's page trail show which pages they reached and how long they spent on each. This is also where you would start if you needed to check on a document after the fact, as covered in how you un-send a document you have already shared.
- Read the pattern, not just the total. From Plus, a viewer who spent thirty seconds on page one and four minutes on your pricing page has told you something specific about what mattered to them.
- Follow up based on what you saw, not on guesswork. If they never reached the final page, that is where your next conversation should start.
Edge cases and what to check
"Opened" and "read" are not the same thing. A forwarded link opening or a two-second glance can register as an open on a weaker tool. 99 Data Rooms shows verified viewers separately from raw visits on every plan, and from Plus adds the time spent on each page, so you get more than a single yes or no. Our guide on views vs verified readers explains why that distinction is the one that actually matters, and how you tell if an investor actually read your deck walks through the same signal in a fundraising context.
If the recipient downloads the file instead of viewing it in the browser, tracking stops once they leave the hosted view, so keep downloads off on sensitive links if you need the full picture; the downloads setting is on every plan. The free tier, three rooms and twenty five active links, forever, with no card required, shows every visit: who opened it, when, from where, for how long and how far they got. The time on each page starts on Plus. Uploading Word, Excel or PowerPoint files is on Pro and above; on Free and Plus, upload the document as a PDF.
After checking the analytics, confirm the viewer you are looking at is the person you expect, not a colleague they forwarded the link to. A verified-email check, on Plus and above or on any link set to "Only the people I name", is what makes that confirmation possible in the first place.
Reading the pattern, not just the number
Page-level data is only useful if you interpret it correctly. A viewer who opens a document and closes it on page one told you something different from a viewer who read every page but skipped the appendix. Neither pattern is automatically good or bad, but each points to a different next step. Stopping early and coming back show on every plan, through pages seen, completion and returning viewers; seeing how evenly someone read, or that they skipped to pricing, needs the time on each page, from Plus.
| Pattern | What it usually means | What to do next |
|---|---|---|
| Stopped on page one | The opening did not hold attention, or they were interrupted | Follow up and ask directly, do not assume disinterest |
| Read every page evenly | Genuine, careful review | Expect specific questions, they have the detail |
| Skipped straight to pricing or terms | They already know the rest and want the number | Lead your follow-up with pricing, not a recap |
| Reopened the document twice | Sharing internally or double-checking a detail | A good sign of real interest, worth a direct check-in |
If your current tool cannot do this
Test any sharing tool against one question: can it tell you which page someone stopped on, or only that the file was opened at some point?
- If the tool only shows "opened" or "delivered", it cannot distinguish a two-second glance from a genuine read.
- If it cannot separate a verified viewer from an anonymous link click, you cannot be confident who actually saw the content.
- Once a file is downloaded, no tool can see what happens to that copy, so check whether you can keep downloads off.
99 Data Rooms page-by-page analytics records each page turn in the hosted viewer, reports verified viewers separately from raw visits, and keeps downloads off unless you allow them. Every plan shows each visit; the time on each page is from Plus. Our roundup of tools that track who opened your PDF sets out the same test against other vendors.
One caution worth repeating: a single data point rarely tells the full story. A viewer who stopped on page one today might return tomorrow and read the whole thing, particularly with a long document opened on a phone during a commute. Treat the analytics as a live signal you check more than once, not a verdict you read the moment a link is sent.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between "opened" and page-by-page analytics? "Opened" tells you a link was clicked. Page-by-page analytics, from Plus, records which pages each viewer reached and how long they spent on each, so you can see whether they read the whole document or stopped early. Every plan shows each visit's total time, pages seen and completion.
Can I see this data if I sent the document as an email attachment? No. Once a file leaves as an attachment, you have no way to see what happens to it afterwards. Page-level tracking only works when the recipient views the document through a hosted link rather than downloading their own independent copy.
Does verifying the viewer affect what I can see? It makes the data attributable. A verified-email check, from Plus or on any link set to "Only the people I name", confirms each viewer's address with a one-time code, so you see which verified person visited rather than an anonymous session. The page-by-page view itself is from Plus.
Do I need a paid plan to see page-by-page analytics? Page-by-page analytics starts on Plus. The free tier, three rooms and twenty five active links with no card required, shows every visit: who opened it, when, from where, for how long and how far they got. Pro and Business add Office uploads and NDA gating on top, and viewer watermarks are on by default on every plan.
Why does a viewer show almost no time on the document? Usually they opened it and closed it straight away, or were interrupted. On a link open to anyone, an automated link scanner can occasionally load it too; on a link that asks for a verified email, it cannot get past the code. Wait for a visit with real time spent before drawing conclusions.
See what actually gets read
This is also what a founder tracking a pitch deck relies on, as our guide on telling whether an investor actually read your deck covers. Stop guessing whether your document was read: see every visit on every plan, with the time on each page from Plus. Share your next file through a room on the free tier, three rooms and twenty five active links, no card required. Start free and check the analytics after your next send.
Sources
- Page-by-page analytics and gating behaviour reflect 99 Data Rooms product facts.