Spotlight #2: External File Sharing on Zoho WorkDrive

Spotlight #2: External File Sharing on Zoho WorkDrive

Hello all,

We are back again with another feature in the spotlight for Zoho WorkDrive.



Zoho WorkDrive is a content collaboration platform designed specifically for teams to store, share, manage, and work together on files of any size. In this article, we’ll focus on how securely you can share your WorkDrive files and folders with external users or any specific individuals outside your teams.

Business scenario:

Michonne, a Marketing Manager, laid a marketing campaign plan for an upcoming product launch along with her team on WorkDrive. Now, she wants to send these files to David, one of her business partners, and seek feedback from him to help improve on her work. However, she knows David is not part of her team on WorkDrive and wants to find a system where she can send these files securely and safely.
 
So, what is she doing now? She decides to use WorkDrive's External Share feature: the easiest way to share confidential files and folders to users outside your team or organization.
 

What is external file sharing?

It's the easiest and safest way to share files with people outside your organization such as external partners, customers, and vendors. With WorkDrive's external sharing system, you can send files/folders with an individual or a group of people, secure them with passwords and expiry dates and decide who can download shared files.

External file sharing is transferring data between users or organizations. It's especially useful when working with contacts such as clients, or vendors.
 

Benefits of using external file sharing on WorkDrive:

  • Secure Files with Passwords: You can add passwords when you share confidential files using links. Anybody who tries to open the link will have to provide the password you've set for the file.

  • Set Expiration Periods for Accessing Links: Sometimes your team makes deals with clients for a fixed period. You can set expiration periods for the links you share to ensure that they won't have access to your files once the contract ends.

  • Allow file Downloads: You can decide on whether to allow or restrict users from downloading a file while sharing it. 

  • Request User Data: As an added layer of security, every file shared externally can be tracked, allowing you to see when your clients view the document. You can request them to enter details like name, contact or email id, in order to access the document.

  • Share Larger Files: The need to share large files arises in many business environments, from extensive written documents to files heavy with video or image content. File sharing allows you to avoid the inconvenience of reaching the point at which file transfer becomes a hindrance.



So, how is external sharing done in WorkDrive?

1. Right-click to select the file or folder you want to share externally and select Share.
2. Click New external sharelink. and enter a custom URL for your file in the text box.



3. Enable link properties according to your preference such as adding a password, expiry date or providing access to download your file. 
4. Once done, click Create. The link will be created and appear at the bottom of the Share dialog. 
5. Finally, click Copy Link and send it via email.

We hope this article is useful. Start sharing links to files, set access privileges, and protect your data with passwords while enabling secure collaboration with external users around the globe. 

Follow WorkDrive's Community to stay connected and updated on every product updates in the series. 
If you have any queries, please leave a reply below or contact support@zohoworkdrive.com. 

 
Collaborate to Innovate!

      • Recent Topics

      • 🚀 WorkDrive 6.0 (Phase 1): Empowering Teams with Content Intelligence, Automation, Accessibility, and Control

        Hello, everyone! WorkDrive continues to evolve from a robust file management solution into an intelligent, secure, and connected content collaboration platform for modern businesses. Our goal remains unchanged: to simplify teamwork, strengthen data security,

      • COQL API in JS Widget only pulling 200 records

        Hello! We've been building a custom homepage widget using the Zoho JS SDK, and it seems that this https://help.zwidgets.com/help/latest/ZOHO.CRM.API.html#.coql only allows 200 records. I thought the limit was 2000 for COQL queries, but am I mistaken?

      • Extend the Image Choice Field

        Hi, The New Yes/No field is great for what it does, and the Image Choice Field is good but could be better with some functions from the Yes/No field. Take an example, rather than just Yes/No you want Yes/No/Maybe (Or more than 3 choices), but unlike the

      • Reopen ticket on specific date/time

        Is there a way that we can close a ticket and setup a reopen of that ticket on a specific date and time? (without using the "on hold" ticket option)

      • Customizing Helpcenter texts

        I’m customizing the Zoho Desk Help Center and I’d like to change the wording of the standard widgets – for example, the text in the “Submit Ticket” banner that appears in the footer, or other built-in widget labels and messages. So far, I haven’t found

      • [Important announcement] Zoho Writer will mandate DKIM configuration for automation users

        Hi all, Effective Dec. 31, 2024, configuring DKIM for From addresses will be mandatory to send emails via Zoho Writer. DKIM configuration allows recipient email servers to identify your emails as valid and not spam. Emails sent from domains without DKIM

      • Column letter from number

        Hello, I am trying to select a cell and i have the column number. How do i do this or is there a way of getting the letter from the number? Thank you

      • API credit COQL COUNT

        The docs describe API credits in COQL from the LIMIT perspective: https://www.zoho.com/crm/developer/docs/api/v8/COQL-Overview.html When using aggregate functions such as `COUNT` or `SUM`, is that billed as 1 API credit?

      • Trigger a Workflow Function if an Attachment (Related List) has been added

        Hello, I have a Case Module with a related list which is Attachment. I want to trigger a workflow if I added an attachment. I've seen some topics about this in zoho community that was posted few months ago and based on the answers, there is no trigger

      • Standard Description Field - Can I change label or add dd tooltip

        Is there a way fo you guys to allow the customer to change the label name for the description field in the customer portal when submitting tickets. Or at least allow us to add a tooltip to clarify what description we need from them. I know I can create my own separate multi line description field but if I do that, it doesn't have the nice toolbar with Bold, Italic, Underline, color, font, indent, etc. Can you please allow us to add a tooltip to the zoho standard description field?

      • Weekly Tips : Save Time with Saved Search

        Let's assume your work requires you to regularly check emails from important clients that have attachments and were sent within a specific time period. Instead of entering the same conditions every time—like sender, date range, and attachments included—you

      • Remove 'This is an automated mail from Zoho Sign' in footer

        Hi there, Is it possible to remove or change the text under the e-mail templates? I can't figure out how to do that: Would love to hear from you. Kind regards, Tristan

      • How can I link Products in a Deal Subform to the Products Module

        Hello, I have a pricing subform on our Deals page and use a lookup field to associate a product with each line. I want to be able to look at a product page within the Products module and see a list of the deals connected to that product. I have this working

      • Organize and manage PDFs with Zoho PDF Editor's dashboard

        Hello users, Zoho PDF Editor's dashboard is a one-stop place to upload, sort, share PDF files, and more. This article will explore the various capabilities that Zoho PDF Editor's dashboard offers. A few highlights of Zoho PDF Editor's dashboard: Upload

      • Updating records through Zoho Sheets View doesn't update timeline or trigger workflow rules

        I have noticed that when i update a series of record with the zoho sheets view (see here http://d.pr/i/ahnR) it doesn't update timeline history or trigger workflow rules. I am using it in the Deals module. Looking forward for some more info. Denis

      • Passing Info from Function to Client Script

        Hello, I have recently started making use of client script for buttons, allowing me to give the user information or warnings before they proceed. This is great. However, I have never quite managed to pass back any extra information from the function to

      • Automatically Update Form Attachment Service with Newly added Fields

        Hi, When I have a Form Setup and connected to a 3rd Party Service such as OneDrive for Form Attachments, when I later add a new Upload Field I have to remove and redo the entire 3rd Party Setup from scratch. This needs to be improved, such as when new

      • Cannot get code to work with v2.mergeAndStore!

        Please can someone help me pass subform items into a repeating mail merge table row using v2.mergeAndStore? I have a mail merge template created in Writer and stored in Workdrive. This template is referenced by a custom CRM function which merges all of

      • Drag 'n' Drop Fields to a Sub-Form and "Move Field To" Option

        Hi, I would like to be able to move fields from the Main Page to a Sub-Form or from a Sub-Form to either the Main Page or another Sub-Form. Today if you change the design you have to delete and recreate every field, not just move them. Would be nice to

      • Zoho Payroll for Canada

        Is anyone else having problems getting setup for Canada?

      • Passing the CRM

        Hi, I am hoping someone can help. I have a zoho form that has a CRM lookup field. I was hoping to send this to my publicly to clients via a text message and the form then attaches the signed form back to the custom module. This work absolutely fine when

      • Super Admin Logging in as another User

        How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are working

      • One Contact with Multiple Accounts with Portal enabled

        I have a contact that manages different accounts, so he needs to see the invoices of all the companies he manage in Portal but I found it not possible.. any idea? I tried to set different customers with the same email contact with the portal enabled and

      • User Automation: User based workflow rules & webhooks

        User management is an undeniable part of project management and requires adequate monitoring. As teams grow and projects multiply, manual coordination for updating users & permissions becomes difficult and can give way to errors. User automation in Zoho

      • Disable Zoho Contacts

        We don't want to use this app... How can we disable it?

      • Default Ticket View - Table?

        Guys, We mostly use the table view to queue tickets. Maybe I am missing it - but how can I set that view as 'default" for all our agents? Thanks JV

      • Zoho One IS BUGGY

        Here are some things that just don't work: - Disabling applications from certain Spaces - Adding users (probably only for me) - Renaming applications in Zoho One Portal (fixed by now) - Reordering applications in Spaces When I try to reorder: It feels

      • Paid Support Plans with Automated Billing

        We (like many others, I'm sure) are designing or have paid support plans. Our design involves a given number of support hours in each plan. Here are my questions: 1) Are there any plans to add time-based plans in the Zoho Desk Support Plans feature? The

      • Merge Fields that previously worked are now giving an Error!

        Saving a URL Link button on the Deal module. The below fields used to save without issue at all, but now produce an error of "URL contains unsupported merge field!" ${Contacts.Mailing Street} ${Contacts.Mailing City} ${Contacts.Mailing State} ${Contacts.Mailing

      • Move email between inboxes?

        Is it possible to move emails from one team inbox to another? We would like to be able to have a single "catch-all" inbox for incoming requests, and then move the email to the appropriate department inbox. I was hoping we would be able to accomplish this

      • Clarification on Zoho Forms 1-User Plan: Multiple Submitters and Approvers

        Question Content (Copy–Paste Ready) Hello Zoho Team, I would like clarification regarding Zoho Forms pricing and user limits. I am planning to subscribe to the ₹700/month (1 user) plan. My use case is as follows: Only 1 person (myself) will create and

      • CRM Cadences recognise auto-responses

        I have leads in a Cadence. I get an auto-responder reply "I'm out of the office..." Normally Cadences seems to know that isn't a real reply and keeps the lead enrolled in the cadence. However, today, Cadences has UNENROLLED a Lead who sent an auto-reponse

      • App for Mac OS X please!

        It would be awesome to have a mail app for Mac OS X that included all the cool features such as steams, calendar, tasks, contacts, etc. Most people prefer native apps, rather than running it through a web browser. I know that we can use the IMAP, CalDAV,

      • Ability to Edit Ticket Subject when Splitting a Ticket

        Often someone will make an additional or new request within an existing ticket that requires we split the ticket. The annoying part is that the new ticket maintains the subject of the original ticket after the split so when the new ticket email notification

      • Facing Issues with Sites Mobile font sizes

        my page renediaz.com is facing issues mobile view, when i try to lower font sizes in home page, instead of changing the size, it changes the line space

      • Zoho Books Payroll

        How am I supposed to do payroll and pay my employees with Zoho Books? I think it's pretty strange that an accounting software doesn't have the ability to perform one of the most common functions in business; paying your employees. Am I missing something,

      • Different Task Layouts for Subtasks

        I was wondering how it would be possible for a subtask to have a different task layout to the parent task.

      • 60 Days Into Zoho - Tiktok Branding Startup -7 Questions?!

        Wsp Everybody I co-own a TikTok Branding / Consulting Startup & have been using Zoho for the past 60 days - Am now looking to make our overall operations & processes more Efficient & Effective! Curious to know how others are using the platform & what's

      • Notifications in Cliq client for Linux

        If I got it right, Cliq desktop client for Linux does not use the generally accepted notification method via org.freedesktop.Notification interface. For this reason, Cliq notifications do not look and behave as all other notifications. Is it possible

      • Canvas templates can now be shared with different CRM organizations

        ----------------------------------------Moderated on 14th February, 2023------------------------------------------- Dear all, This feature is now open for all users in all DCs. To learn more about importing and exporting canvas templates, read our help

      • Next Page