Grammarly Authorship records how a document was written, sorting text into typed, pasted, AI-generated and edited, and turns that into a report you can share to show your process. As of Nov 2026 it works in Google Docs through the browser extension, in Microsoft Word through the desktop app, and in Grammarly's docs surface, but it's off by default in Google Docs and Word.
That default is the thing to know first. If you assumed Grammarly was quietly keeping a record in the background and you never switched Authorship on, there's no record. It only tracks what happens after you turn it on.
What Authorship records
Once tracking is on, Authorship categorises text as it enters the body of your document. It can tell text you typed from text pasted from a browser-based source, and from text pasted from an unknown source such as a private browsing window. It also separates AI-generated text from text you typed and then changed with Grammarly's on-demand AI rephrasing, and from text edited with ordinary corrections like grammar fixes and word choice suggestions.
It's aimed at students, freelancers and anyone who may one day need to show that a piece of work is theirs.
Where it works and what it misses
| Where | How it starts | What it can miss |
|---|---|---|
| Google Docs, Chrome or Edge extension | Off by default. Turn it on per document or choose Start automatically | Text from a desktop app or private window shows as Copied from an unknown source |
| Microsoft Word, Windows or Mac desktop app | Off by default. Turn it on per document or choose Start automatically | Tracked history may become unreliable past 20 pages; Mac users must save first |
| Grammarly docs | Runs automatically from the moment you start writing | Text from outside docs appears under Unknown |
Switch it on in Google Docs
- Install the Grammarly browser extension in Chrome or Edge and open a blank Google Doc.
- When the dialog asks you to enable Authorship, click OK or close it. Two notifications appear in the lower-left corner.
- Click the thumbprint icon next to Track writing activity to track this document session.
- To track every new Google Doc without thinking about it, choose Start automatically in the same menu.
- The first time, a clipboard permissions dialog appears. Click Allow access, then accept the extension's own permissions.
If you do nothing at step three, nothing is tracked. When tracking is on, the thumbprint icon in the lower-left corner is coloured. Grey means it's off.
Switch it on in Word
The steps in Word mirror Google Docs: open a blank document in the desktop app, click the thumbprint next to Track writing activity, or choose Start automatically. Two Word details matter. As of Nov 2026 there's a 20-page limit for Authorship in the desktop app, and after that the tracked history may become unreliable. And on a Mac, you must save the document before tracking can start. For a long report, I'd split it into sections.
The clipboard decides how much it knows
Authorship can only name where pasted text came from if you give it clipboard access. With access, it sees the most recent thing you copied, and it can tell text copied from a generative AI tool such as ChatGPT or Claude from text copied from a site like Wikipedia. In Word it can also attribute text from other desktop apps, such as Apple Notes or the ChatGPT desktop app.
Without clipboard access it still records your typing and actions inside the document, but every paste is labelled copied from an unknown source. That label can look worse than the truth, so if you plan to share a report, allow access from the start.
Grammarly is also honest that it may not capture every case accurately. Keystrokes typed too fast, pastes from a desktop source where it doesn't run, and text from a new AI tool it hasn't categorised yet can all slip through.
Read and share the report
Hover over or click the thumbprint and choose See report. In Google Docs and Word the report opens in a browser tab. In docs, click Open full report in the lower-right corner. The report has three parts:
- Authorship Analytics: your text split into human-typed and sourced, time spent, and the number of writing sessions. A session expires after 10 minutes idle.
- Authorship Report: your full text, colour-coded by source.
- Authorship Replay: your full typing and editing history from start to finish.
Click Share at the top for a unique link. Here's the catch I'd flag to anyone. The replay shows text you wrote and deleted, the names of websites you copied from, and your prompts to generative AI tools. You can leave the replay out when you share, and you can preview exactly what your reader will see before you send it.
Free or paid
As of Nov 2026, every plan, Free included, can generate and share unlimited reports, see the Typed by a Human analytics and insight cards, and see colour-coded text. Paid web plans (Pro, Plus and Premium) add the Copied from a source analytics, including the share of text that was AI-generated, with detailed insight cards, plus AI and plagiarism detection inside reports. Pro, Business, Enterprise and Education accounts bought through Grammarly's sales team get unlimited reports and the detailed attribution.
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At work, an admin has to switch on Grammarly Editor, docs with agents, AI assistant and paragraph-level rewrites for the docs agent to run. Business team members don't get Authorship in the Word desktop app by default either; the admin asks Grammarly's Customer Success Manager for it.
Privacy and storage
Authorship collects the text you write, including text you delete, text you paste with the source name, and your prompts to AI tools. It doesn't track browsing history or anything that isn't copied into your document. Data is stored encrypted on Grammarly's servers. When you open a report, that document's data stays there for up to 10 years, and shared report data is kept until you delete your account. You can delete a document's report data with its trash bin icon.
On a shared computer, other users may be able to see your history while you're logged in, deleted text included, so log out before you hand it over.
What I'd do
I'd turn on Start automatically for anything I may need to defend later, and allow clipboard access so pastes are named. I'd skip sharing the replay unless someone asks for it, because it shows your prompts and deleted drafts. How much AI help is acceptable is a separate question, and I've covered it in how much AI writing is acceptable in a research paper. If you're comparing checkers, see the essay checkers I'd look at.
If your team needs clear rules for using AI in writing, that's the kind of AI enablement I help with. I run AI training and workshops for teams, and help businesses with AI enablement and workflow automation, so the busywork runs itself and people get time back. Most of that work is with SaaS marketing teams and small businesses. Here's how we can work together.
Frequently asked questions
Is Grammarly Authorship on by default?
Not in Google Docs or Word. You turn it on per document from the thumbprint icon, or choose Start automatically. In Grammarly docs it runs automatically from the start.
Is Grammarly Authorship free?
Yes for the basics. As of Nov 2026, every plan can create and share unlimited reports. The AI-generated share and detailed source attribution are on paid plans.
Can Grammarly Authorship see text I paste from ChatGPT?
Only with clipboard access. With it, Authorship can tell text copied from a generative AI source from other sources. Without it, pasted text is labelled copied from an unknown source.
Does sharing an Authorship report show my AI prompts?
The replay can show your prompts to AI tools, deleted text and websites you copied from. You can exclude the replay when you share the report.
Does Authorship work on long Word documents?
There's a 20-page limit in the Word desktop app as of Nov 2026. Past that, the tracked history may become unreliable.
