Why image (.jpg) file types are not logged in Audit log reports?

Question

Environment: SharePoint Server 2016

I migrated web application from SharePoint 2013 to 2016. Now it seems image (.jpg) files are not logged in the audit report. Earlier during SharePoint 2013, It was there when trying to generate 'Audit Log reports'

• Checked in database dbo.AuditData table, No records for image (.jpg) file types

• But found the logs before migration.

  Is it because of a different content type ?

Answer 1

Microsoft has confirmed that viewing images files are not audited in SharePoint 2016 and this is by the design behavior.

SharePoint 2016 has the limit that view audit is blocked for extensions

• .aspx, .css, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .js, .master, .png, .xml, .xs

They have intentionally restricted the audit of viewing for performance consideration and there is no custom way to enable it.

You can verify that by the below PS cmdlet

$webapp = Get-SPWebApplication <web application url>
$webapp.BlockedViewAuditFileExtensions 

Answer 2

Please narrow down this issue as following:

1. Whether all the images in SharePoint sites or just part of the images have this issue?

2. By default, number of days to store log files is 14 days, please make sure there are activities on images within 14 days.

3. Run the “Audit Log Trimming“ timer job in central administration. Go to central administration->monitoring->review job definitions->find the “Audit Log Trimming” timer job for the web application and run it.