Scan recent activity from Home
Use the activity preview to understand what changed in the workspace.
Activity preview helps you see what changed before you open a full feed
The Activity preview on Home gives a compact view of recent workspace changes. Use it when you are catching up after time away and want to know what moved, changed, or received attention before opening every project or canvas.
Home does not show the full activity system. It shows a short preview and sends you to the related work or full Activity area when you need more context.
Availability
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Available on | All plans |
| Available for | Web app, desktop app |
| Who can do it | Users with access to the activity items |
Where to find activity preview
Open Home, then scan the Activity area. Select an activity item to open the related work when the row supports it.
Activity is workspace-specific and access-aware. It only helps with work you are allowed to see.
What activity preview is good for
| Need | Use activity to |
|---|---|
| Catch up after time away | See what changed recently before opening deep views. |
| Find a changed item | Follow an activity row back to the original work. |
| Understand team movement | See whether work is active without opening every project. |
| Recover context | Notice who changed something and where it happened. |
| Decide what needs your attention | Pair Activity with Mentions and Today. |
How to use activity preview
- Open Home after time away.
- Scan Activity for changed work.
- Open rows that look relevant to your current task.
- If the Home preview is too short, open Activity for the fuller feed.
- If you remember a title or keyword, use Global search instead of scrolling.
- If the activity points to a canvas, use All canvases when you need the full canvas list or filters.
Useful activity scenarios
| Scenario | How Activity helps |
|---|---|
| You were out for a day | Scan recent changes before opening each project or canvas. |
| A teammate says they updated something | Look for the changed item, then open the source work. |
| A project is moving fast | Use Activity to notice changes, then open the project for full context. |
| You lost track of a canvas | Activity may surface the changed canvas, while All canvases gives the full browse path. |
| You need the direct request | Use Mentions or Inbox instead. |
Activity, Inbox, and Recent are different
These areas can look similar because they all help you return to work, but they answer different questions.
| Area | Question it answers |
|---|---|
| Activity preview | What changed recently in work I can access? |
| Recent | What did I open recently? |
| Mentions | Where did someone ask for me directly? |
| Inbox | What notifications, requests, reminders, and mentions need review? |
| Global search | Where is the item I can name or describe? |
Permissions and visibility
Activity preview does not expose work you cannot access. If an item changed but you are not allowed to open it, Home does not work around permissions. Ask the owner or a workspace admin if you think you should have access.
Activity also is not a perfect audit trail for every view, click, or read. Treat it as a useful catch-up surface, not a compliance report.
What activity may not tell you
Activity can help you notice movement, but it does not replace opening the source work. A row may tell you that something changed without explaining the full reason, final decision, or next action. The source canvas, project, file, or comment thread is where the context lives.
Activity is not the only measure of progress. Some meaningful work happens in planning, conversations, or preparation before an ALLO item changes. Treat it as a signal, then verify in the actual work.
Mistakes and recovery
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| Activity is too brief | Open Activity for the larger feed. |
| An item does not open | Check whether the original work was deleted, moved, or unshared, then use Can't access work. |
| Activity feels noisy | Use search, filters in the full Activity area, or open the project/canvas directly. |
| You cannot find a specific change | Search by the work title, then inspect the canvas, project, or file context. |
| You expected a notification | Open Inbox. Activity and notifications are not the same thing. |
Support questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Is Activity the same as an audit log? | No. It is a product catch-up feed, not a compliance export. |
| Why is an item missing from Activity? | The preview is limited, your access may have changed, or the change may be outside the preview window. |
| Can Activity show work I cannot access? | No. Permissions still apply. |
| Should I use Activity or search? | Use Activity to scan recent changes. Use search when you know what you are looking for. |
Related articles
- Use Home
- All canvases overview
- Use Inbox
- Search and activity overview
- Search across ALLO
- Review activity
- When you can't access work
- When work looks missing