Boost productivity, save time, and minimize errors by automating your routine business processes with WorkDrive Workflow. This feature allows you to streamline repetitive tasks such as approvals, data collection, and task assignments, enabling more efficient business operations.
Workflows in WorkDrive
Automatic Workflows | Manual Workflows |
These workflows are triggered automatically based on predefined events or conditions set within the workflow. Once the trigger event occurs (e.g., a file is added, copied, or moved, and more), the workflow starts on its own and progresses through its defined states.
At each stage of the workflow, the assigned user must select one of the available transitions to move the workflow forward to the next stage. | Unlike automatic workflows, manual workflows require manual initiation by a user. This means that the workflow must be started manually from a file or folder within WorkDrive. To begin the manual workflow for a file or folder: Similar to automatic workflows, manual workflows also require the assigned user at each stage to choose a transition in order to progress the workflow to the next stage. |
Initiating the workflow has no user restrictions; it starts automatically when the established trigger condition occurs.
Note: Workflows are currently supported only for team members. If an automatic event is triggered by an external user, the workflow will not be executed. | Only members with the Editor role or higher can initiate this workflow. |
In automatic workflows, participants for the initial transition must be assigned in advance during the workflow setup.
For subsequent transitions, participants can either be pre-defined or dynamically assigned during the workflow, depending on the configuration. | In contrast, manual workflows offer more flexibility—you can configure the workflow without specifying assignees upfront and collect assignee details at the time the workflow is initiated by the user. |
Types available:
File-based workflow | Folder-based workflow |
These workflows are designed to automate events and actions specific to individual files. | Folder-based workflows are focused on automating events and actions related to entire folders. |
File-based triggers include events like file creation, upload, move, copy, marked as ready, or updates to specific file properties. | Folder-based triggers include events like folder creation, upload, move, copy, or updates to folder properties. |
File-based workflows are ideal for automating processes like document approvals, content reviews, or managing specific file types. For example, you might use a file-based workflow to review and approve documents before publication or to categorize uploaded files based on their content. | Folder-based workflows are best suited for automating broader processes, such as organizing content, managing project folders, or automating entire document sets. These workflows can be used to set up and maintain the structure of a cloud storage system, ensuring that files are properly organized and managed at a folder level.
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Currently, WorkDrive offers three pre-defined manual workflows to get you started:
- Review
- Approval
- Review and Approval
If you need a tailored solution, you can create custom workflows to fit your team's unique requirements.
Note: Only the team admin or super admin can create and automate Workflows in WorkDrive.

Feature availability:
Customized workflows: Available only for WorkDrive Business plan and Zoho One users.
Default workflows (Review, Approval, Review and Approval): Available for all team plans.
To create and enable a custom workflow in WorkDrive
- Provide basic information about the Workflow: Start by defining your workflow's details, such as its name, description, and workflow type (file/folder-based).
- Design the Workflow: Use the intuitive Workflow builder to configure the steps, define conditions, and assign responsibilities to team members.
- Review and activate the Workflow: Once designed, review and activate your workflow to automate tasks and improve efficiency in your team.
- Sign into your WorkDrive account as an admin or super admin.
- Click Admin Console in the bottom-left corner.
This will open the Admin Console window, and the Dashboard tab will be selected by default. - Navigate to the Workflow tab by clicking on it from the left pane. The Workflow tab will appear on the right side of your screen.
- Click + New workflow in the top-right corner. This will open the Create Workflow window.
- Select the Workflow you need, whether automatic or manual, the name of the workflow, the description if needed, and its type (file or folder-based workflow).
- Click Create once you've filled the required fields in the Create Workflow window. This will create a new workflow and opens a workflow builder where you can design and automate the workflow based on your need.
Design the workflow (Create states, define transitions, set up trigger and transition conditions)
The next step is to design the workflow. Start by navigating to the Design Workflow tab in WorkDrive to set up states, transitions, triggers, and actions tailored to your automation needs.

Create states
Each stage that a file or folder moves through from the start to end of a workflow is called a state.
- Click Create state on the design window to create your first state. This will open the Create a new state dialog box on the right side of your screen.
- Enter a state name and provide a description if required.
- Click Create. This will create a new state.
- Click the (+) icon in the lower right of the design window to create the next set of states required for your workflow.
- Once the state is defined, you can choose to:
- Get response from every assignee: Enable this option to require input from all assigned users before moving to the next state, regardless of transition conditions. This ensures comprehensive feedback at each stage.
- Set deadline: Define a timeframe for task completion to keep the workflow on schedule.
- Allocate instant action events for the defined state: For example, whenever a file is created/uploaded, move the file to a designated folder.
Here, File created/uploaded is the trigger event, and move the file to a designated folder is the response action event.
Define transitions
Transitions act as the links between different states in a workflow, determining how files or folders move through each stage. Follow these steps to define transitions and customize them to meet your needs:
- Hover over the border of any state to see a green-colored pointer.
- Click and drag the green pointer from the current state to the next state (indicated by a red pointer) to establish a link.
- Provide a transition name and description as required.
- Choose the appropriate trigger event (only for automatic workflow) and click Create. Learn more about the available trigger events in WorkDrive
Once the transition is defined, you can customize the transitions based on your requirement as follows:
Transitions between states operate as follows:
Step 1: Trigger condition (Moving from Start to Initial State(s))
For automatic workflow:
In the automatic workflow, the transition from Start to the initial state(s) is automatic, meaning the file/folder moves to its initial state(s) whenever the configured trigger event occurs.
Example: If the trigger is File Created, the workflow begins immediately upon file creation.
For manual workflow:
Unlike automatic workflows, manual workflows require manual initiation by a user. This means a user must start the workflow manually from within WorkDrive by selecting a file or folder.
To begin the manual workflow for a file or folder:
- Right-click on the file or folder and select Workflows.
- Choose the required manual workflow from the available list.
Adding participants to a manual workflow
Unlike automatic workflows where participants are pre-assigned for the initial transition, manual workflows offer flexibility to add participants at the beginning as well. The person initiating the workflow can choose who will participate in that specific workflow.
To design a manual workflow with this flexibility, follow these steps:
- Click on the created initial transition name to open the transition pane on the right. You'll see two tabs: During and After.
Info: You can collect assignees/approvers data directly from users via the email address field and use them anywhere in the workflow transitions.

- In the During tab, select + Add Workflow Field and choose Create a workflow field. This will open the Configure Fields window.
- In the Configure Fields window:
- Drag and drop the Email Address field from the left pane to the right, or click the + icon next to it. This will open the Email Address field configuration on the right.
- Provide a name for the field and, optionally, a description to clarify its purpose.
- Specify whether the field should accept a single email address or multiple email addresses, based on your requirement.
- If it's essential for users to fill in this information before starting the workflow, mark the field as Mandatory by checking the Mandatory field option.
- Click Create to save the field.
- You can then associate the created workflow field to gather participants' information at the start of the workflow.
- In the After tab, you can define up to five file/folder-based instant actions that will be taken based on the configured trigger.
Step 2: Progressing from Initial State(s) to Subsequent State(s)
Transitions in this step are categorized into three sections: Before, During, and After.

Before: Assign users to evaluate the current state, confirming whether the stage has been completed or not. You can also specify the transition condition: whether approval from any one of the assigned users is sufficient, or if approval is required from every user to move forward.
During: This stage allows for collecting feedback or details from the assigned users. Workflow fields can be created and assigned here to gather feedback efficiently.
To create Workflow fields:
- In the During tab, select + Add Workflow Field and choose Create a workflow field. Alternatively, switch to the Configure fields tab at the top to open the Configure Fields window.
- Here, you will be provided with the list of custom field options in the left pane.
- Drag and drop the required custom field to the right pane or click the + icon next to it.
Available custom field options: - Single line text
- Multi line text
- Number
- Date and Time
- Date
- Yes/No
- Choice
- Email address
- Customize the field to suit your feedback collection requirements and click Create to save the field.
Learn more about creating and managing Workflow fields
After: In this section, you can define up to five file/folder-based instant actions that will be taken while moving the file/folder to the subsequent state(s).
Review and activate the Workflow
After designing the workflow, examine the configuration thoroughly and click the Review tab at the top of the screen.
Click on the Enable Workflow button to enable the automation for your designed business process.

Notes:
- A workflow must have at least one state and a starting trigger connected to it.
- It is recommended to test the entire workflow with a sample file after enabling it. This will prevent configuration issues and ensure seamless usage for your organization users.
Permission Settings for Manual Workflows
In automatic workflows, all configured actions are executed using the permissions of the workflow creator, typically an admin. This ensures that all actions run smoothly, regardless of the permission level of the user who triggers the workflow.
In the case of manual workflows, admins have greater control and flexibility. They can specify whose permissions should be used to execute the workflow’s actions. This is especially useful in collaborative environments where users may have varying permission levels.
To configure permission settings for manual workflows, go to the Admin Console, open the Settings tab, and navigate to Workflows. Here, you’ll find two options:

- Workflow Starter: The workflow runs using the permissions of the user who initiates it.
Note: If the starter does not have sufficient permissions, certain actions—such as sharing a file—may fail. For example, a user with only Editor access cannot perform actions that require Admin or Organizer-level permissions.
- Workflow Creator: The workflow runs using the permissions of the person who created the workflow—usually an admin—ensuring all actions can be executed without permission-related issues.