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, and serve as the unified content hub across all Zoho applications.

WorkDrive 5.0 marked a major leap forward with Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies, AI capabilities, advanced sharing controls, and automated Workflows, redefining the way teams collaborate and manage information.

Now, with WorkDrive 6.0, we are introducing the next set of intelligence and control to your workspace. From AI-powered content discovery to enhanced administrative tools and improved accessibility, this release empowers teams to work smarter, collaborate seamlessly, and manage data with greater security and confidence.

Let’s dive into what’s new!

Content Intelligence

Ask Questions on Files: Let Zia Find Answers Hidden in Your Files (Beta)

Finding specific details inside lengthy documents can often be time-consuming. With Zia, you no longer need to scroll through pages or use keyword searches to locate what you need. You can now ask questions directly within your files and get instant answers drawn from the file’s content.

Open any supported file in Preview mode, click the Zia icon in the right pane, and select Ask questions from this file. Type your query, such as “List the sales numbers from this report”, and Zia will display the exact answer along with the relevant context.

Learn more about asking questions on files using Zia

1. Supported plans: Business plan and Zoho One bundle.
   
2. Available for users in the US, IN, and EU data centers only.

Zoho WorkDrive + Zoho MCP: Turn Prompts into Actions with Zoho MCP (Early Access)

Zoho WorkDrive is now integrated with Zoho MCP (Model Context Protocol), a new service that connects your apps and AI agents to automate complex workflows with a single prompt. By setting up your MCP server, you can link WorkDrive with more than 950 Zoho and third-party applications, allowing AI agents like Claude, OpenAI, Copilot, or Cursor to perform multi-step actions across apps.

Once configured, Zoho MCP enables AI agents to understand context and execute multi-step actions automatically.

For example, by typing a prompt like:

"Move ‘Finalised Presentation.ppt’ to the Approved Presentations folder in WorkDrive and share it with {user_email} with a natural language message."

Your agent will move the file to the specified folder in WorkDrive, share it with the intended recipient, and include a natural language message, all triggered by a single instruction. No manual steps, no app switching, and no coding required.

Learn more about Zoho MCP + WorkDrive integration

File Suggestions: Find Files Faster with AI-Powered Recommendations (Beta)

Employees often spend a significant part of their workweek searching for the right files. File Suggestions helps reduce that effort by anticipating what you need and surfacing the most relevant files instantly.

The feature studies your activity patterns, access history, and team interactions to recommend files you have recently accessed, frequently worked on, or commonly use, along with files your team engages with regularly. You can explore all these smart recommendations anytime from the File Suggestions tab in the left panel.

Learn more about File suggestions

Supported plans: All paid plans (Starter, Team, & Business), Zoho Workplace and Zoho One bundles.

Media Content Summarization: Get Instant Insights from Audio and Video Files

WorkDrive’s File Summarization now goes beyond documents, spreadsheets, images, and presentations to include audio and video files. With this enhancement, Zia can automatically transcribe and summarize media content, giving you quick insights without the need to replay lengthy recordings.

Learn more about File summarization using Zia

Automation

Automation in WorkDrive 6.0 focuses on extending workflows beyond internal teams and enabling deeper integrations.

Workflows: External User Support

WorkDrive Workflows now support external users, making it easier to collaborate on structured processes with clients, vendors, or partners outside your organization. You can now assign tasks such as reviews or approvals to external participants directly within a workflow, ensuring seamless coordination across teams. Earlier, workflows were limited to internal team members.

Along with this update, client users can now trigger automatic workflows. Previously, they could only start manual workflows and perform transitions.

Learn more about Workflows

Supported plans: Business plan and Zoho One bundle.

Workflows: Now Smarter with Custom Functions and Connections

WorkDrive Workflows just got more powerful. You can now automate advanced business processes using Custom Functions and Connections, enabling deeper integrations and smarter automation across your organization. Move beyond standard actions like share, copy, or move, and tailor workflows to match your team’s unique processes.

With Custom Functions, you can build and run scripts using the Deluge scripting language to handle complex actions or link WorkDrive workflows to other Zoho and third-party applications. Connections make this integration seamless by using secure OAuth 2.0 authentication, allowing your workflows to access external APIs without manual token setup. Together, they help you streamline data exchange, reduce manual effort, and keep your workflows synchronized.

Learn more about Connections and Custom Functions

Supported plans: Business plan and Zoho One bundle.

Accessibility Controls

Making Zoho WorkDrive Work for Everyone: More Accessible, More Inclusive

The new Accessibility Controls in Zoho WorkDrive are designed to make the platform easier and more comfortable for everyone. Whether you prefer larger text, higher contrast, or keyboard navigation, WorkDrive now lets you personalize your workspace to match your needs. These updates improve readability, focus, and ease of navigation for all users, including those with vision, mobility, or learning challenges.

WorkDrive is also optimized for assistive technologies such as screen readers, offering better navigation, clearer labels, and a smoother user experience. With these features, WorkDrive becomes more inclusive and adaptable, giving every user the freedom to work their way.

Alongside these improvements, we are advancing toward full compliance with WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 (A & AA levels). This ongoing effort reflects our commitment to creating a platform that is accessible, usable, and welcoming to all users, regardless of ability or environment.

Learn more about Accessibility Controls

WorkDrive Desktop App now Available for Linux Users

We’re extending WorkDrive TrueSync support to Linux OS, joining Windows and macOS. Linux users can now enjoy the same seamless experience of accessing WorkDrive files directly from their desktop.

The WorkDrive TrueSync app creates a virtual drive of your WorkDrive account, allowing you to browse, open, and manage files without downloading them. This helps you save computer storage while keeping your data easily accessible.

Simply get started by downloading and installing the WorkDrive TrueSync app for Linux OS: Download Link

Learn more about WorkDrive TrueSync for Linux OS

Feature Updates & Enhancements

Customize File Listings: Add Columns and Sort Your Way

WorkDrive now lets you customize your file listing view by adding multiple columns and sorting files based on your preference. Choose the information you want to see, such as file owner, last modified date, file size, or type, and arrange it in a way that works best for you.

Whether you are scanning large folders or comparing multiple files, customized listings help you view relevant details faster and stay organized. Column customization is supported in List and Compact views, giving you a cleaner and more structured way to manage files every day.

Learn more about customizing file listings

Set Expiry Dates for Direct Shares

Expiry dates aren’t limited to External Share Links or Download Links anymore. You can now set an expiration date when sharing files directly via email, giving you tighter control over how long recipients can access your content. Once the expiry date is reached, access is automatically removed—keeping shared files secure and time-bound.

Learn more about sharing files and folders in WorkDrive

Archive Team Folders: Put Inactive Team Folders on Pause

You can now archive Team Folders that are no longer in active use but may be needed later. Archiving helps teams keep their workspace organized without losing access to important data. Once a Team Folder is archived, no users can access its files or folders, but all data, structure, and sharing permissions remain intact.

Learn more about archiving Team Folders

Mark as Final: Finalize, Lock, and Protect Your Work

The Mark as Final feature helps you indicate that a file has reached its final or approved version. Once applied, the file becomes read-only for all users, ensuring no accidental edits or changes are made.

Learn more about Marking a File as Final

Version History in File Preview: View and Manage File Versions Instantly

WorkDrive now offers a more intuitive way to view and manage file versions. With the Enhanced Version History update, users can preview all file versions directly within the preview window, making it easier to compare, review, and manage versions without leaving the page. You can seamlessly switch between different versions and keep track of changes in real time.

Learn more about version listing in file preview

Embed Code Customizations: Personalize How You Share Content

WorkDrive’s Embed Code Customizations give you more control over how files, folders, and videos appear when shared on external platforms like websites, blogs, or portals. You can now adjust the size, layout, theme color, and appearance of embedded content, and even configure playback options for videos such as auto-play, looping, or hiding controls.

Learn more about Embed Code Customizations

Upload Options: Skip Duplicate Files

Zoho WorkDrive automatically detects files with the same name and extension during uploads. You can now choose how to handle such files. Update the existing file with the latest version, keep both files as separate copies, or skip the upload altogether. This helps prevent accidental overwrites, reduces confusion, and keeps your workspace organized.

Manage Large files in My Folders

Large files like videos, design assets, and heavy presentations can quickly fill up your WorkDrive storage. The new Large File Listing view in My Folders makes it easy to find and manage these space-consuming files in one place. Review your largest files, decide what to keep or remove, and clean up older versions to free up valuable storage.

Learn more about optimizing storage space in My Folders

Administration and Data Security

Data Loss Prevention: Smarter Data Protection with Enhanced DLP Rules

WorkDrive’s Data Loss Prevention (DLP) feature already helps organizations prevent unauthorized access, sharing, or misuse of confidential files through automatic detection and classification. With this update, WorkDrive’s DLP policies offer new ways to define smarter, more precise detection rules:

• Multi-keyword identifiers: You can now select Multi-keyword Identifier as a rule type and include multiple related terms within a single rule, separated by commas.

• Regex-based identifiers: Create advanced detection rules using regular expressions (regex) to identify structured data patterns.

• Sensitive Content Identifiers: WorkDrive can now identify PHI (Protected Health Information) data such as patient IDs, medical record numbers, and insurance policy details, supporting compliance in healthcare and related sectors.

Learn more about enhanced DLP rules in WorkDrive

Supported plans: Business plan and Zoho One bundle.

Data Templates and Custom Fields: More Flexibility and Control

WorkDrive’s Data Templates make it easier to organize, classify, and retrieve business data stored across files and folders. With this update, we’re introducing key enhancements that bring more flexibility, discoverability, and administrative control to your workspace.

What's New:

• Control access to data templates by associating specific members or groups. Only the specified members or groups can associate these data templates.

• Each team can now create more than 1,000 custom fields and mark up to 1,000 of them as searchable.

Learn more about data templates and custom fields

Supported plans: Business plan and Zoho One bundle.

Manage Large Files: Optimize your team's storage

Similar to the Large File view in My Folders, the new Large File Listing in the Admin Console helps you easily identify and manage space-consuming files across your team from a single location.

As an admin, you can review your team’s largest files, decide what to retain or remove, and clean up older versions to free up valuable storage. Learn how to optimize your team's storage

Supported plans: Business plan and Zoho One bundle.

View Preferences

Ensure a consistent viewing experience across your team. As a team admin, you can set:

• Default folder view for your team: Set the preferred layout (List, Thumbnail, or Compact) for all users.

• Default right panel view for file preview: Choose what displays by default in the right panel when files are previewed (Only Preview, File Details, Comments, or Data Templates).

Learn more about setting view preferences

Edit Permissions for Non-Zoho Formats

Team admins can enable or restrict editing of non-Zoho file formats using Zoho Editors, giving organizations complete control over how files are edited within WorkDrive.

Learn more about editing non-Zoho formats using Zoho Office Suite apps

External Share Link (User Info Collection)

Admins can define default user information requirements for external share links to enhance access tracking and security. When enabled, external users must provide details such as name, email address, or phone number before accessing shared files or folders.

Note: The setting is applied by default to all new external share links. Users may customize or disable the requirement during link creation, based on sharing preferences.

Learn more about enabling user info collection for external share links

Redesigned Admin Dashboard

Apart from these controls, we’ve also redesigned the Admin Dashboard to give admins clearer visibility into plan details, storage usage, and key activity insights. You’ll receive automatic storage alerts as capacity nears its limit, helping you stay ahead of potential disruptions and keep your team working without interruption.

Team Zoho WorkDrive 💙