How to Check Users' Last Microsoft 365 Sign-In and Activity Dates
Question details
Microsoft 365 administrators need to determine when users last signed in, activated, or used Office applications such as Project and Visio.
- Product
- Microsoft 365 Admin Center
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Administrators are reviewing license assignments and need to track recent usage and activation activity for Microsoft 365 apps.
- Observed behavior
- Administrators require a centralized report to view the Last activation date and Last activity date for specific users and Office applications.
Ensure you have global administrator or reports reader permissions in your Microsoft 365 tenant to access the necessary usage dashboards.
Check Activity Dates via the Microsoft 365 Admin Center
Use the built-in Microsoft 365 Apps usage report to view user activation and recent activity dates.
The Microsoft 365 admin center provides a dedicated usage dashboard where administrators can review how people in the business are using their Office subscriptions. This report includes critical metrics like the last activation date and the last activity date for individual user accounts.
Log in to the Microsoft 365 admin center. In the left-hand navigation menu, select 'Reports' to expand the reporting options.
Click on 'Usage' to open the main usage dashboard, which displays an overview of activity across all Microsoft 365 services.
Scroll down to the specific reports section or use the 'Select a report' dropdown menu to choose 'Microsoft 365 Apps usage'.
In the detailed user table below the charts, locate the columns labeled 'Last activation date' and 'Last activity date' to check the specific dates for each user.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Project and Visio not showing in my Microsoft 365 Apps usage report?
Project and Visio are considered separate applications from the core Microsoft 365 Apps suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint). To track their specific activation and sign-in data, administrators typically need to query Microsoft Graph data or use specialized PowerShell scripts.
Can I export the Microsoft 365 Apps usage report to share with other managers?
Yes, in the Microsoft 365 admin center, you can click the 'Export' link above the user details table on the usage report page. This downloads the data as a CSV file, which you can then open and analyze in a spreadsheet application.
How often is the Microsoft 365 usage data updated in the admin center?
Microsoft 365 usage reports usually reflect activity from the previous 24 to 48 hours. They are not updated in real-time, meaning very recent sign-ins or activations may not immediately reflect in the 'Last activity date' column.
