🚀 WorkDrive 5.0: Evolving from a file sharing app to an intelligent content management platform: Phase 2

🚀 WorkDrive 5.0: Evolving from a file sharing app to an intelligent content management platform: Phase 2

Hello everyone,

WorkDrive's primary focus has always been to provide an intelligent and secure content management platform, simplify collaboration, and be the central repository of files for all Zoho apps.

In our previous announcement, we unveiled the first set of WorkDrive 5.0 features, including watermarking, bulk version deletion, image annotation, Outlook add-in, and more. Today, we’re excited to introduce the next set of WorkDrive 5.0 feature updates, packed with new features to boost collaboration, strengthen security, and optimize data management.

With 5.0 Phase 2, we’ve now added some of the most-requested tools, including Workflows, Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies, custom folder permissions, AI features, and advanced sharing options.

Let’s dive into what’s new!

Protect Sensitive Data with DLP Policies (Beta)


Worried about data security? 
WorkDrive’s Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policies automatically classify files containing sensitive information and control what actions can be taken with these files – whether it’s sharing, downloading, copying, or printing.

Automatic Classification
Admins can leverage the following methods to enable automatic classification through DLP policies:
  • Built-in Sensitive Content Identifiers: Choose from 149 pre-defined types spanning 47 countries/regions, such as National ID cards, Bank account details, Social Security numbers, and more. View the full list of supported sensitive information types 

  • Custom Rules: Use keywords, file names, or file extensions to create tailored rules for classification.
Disclaimer: Automatic classification enhances security by identifying and labeling sensitive data automatically, but it may not always be 100% accurate. To ensure full protection, WorkDrive provides manual classification, allowing users to manually label files that may be missed.

Manual Classification
Admins can create custom classification labels and enable team members to apply these labels to sensitive files. This allows warnings to be displayed or specific actions—such as external sharing, downloading, copying, or printing—to be blocked.

InfoImportant: In automatic classification, newly created DLP policies will not be applied to existing files. Only new, modified, or uploaded files after the policy is created will be scanned and enforced if they meet the policy criteria.

Supported plans: Business plan and Zoho One bundle.

Automate and optimize processes with Workflows (Beta)

Workflows automate routine, content-specific tasks, helping your team save time, reduce manual effort, and maintain consistency. WorkDrive supports both automatic workflows (triggered by specific events) and manual workflows (initiated manually by right-clicking a file or folder).

To help you get started quickly, we've enabled three ready-to-use manual workflows (Review, Approval, Review and Approval). You can also use the no-code workflow builder to design and deploy custom workflows tailored to your team’s unique needs.
  • Managing and Tracking Workflows: The Workflows tab in the left panel helps you manage workflows effortlessly. It provides two sections: Waiting for my action and Started by me, ensuring you can keep track of workflows assigned to you and those you’ve initiated.

  • Centralized Workflow Management for Admins: Team admins can access all team workflows from the Admin Console > Workflows, where they can view, edit, delete, or clone workflows, toggle them on or off, and track their activity—all from one place.
Feature Rollout Plan
  • Enabled for new users: The Workflows feature will be automatically activated for all new signups. It will be gradually rolled out to organizations with existing accounts that have not yet used Zoho Writer workflows.

  • Seamless migration for existing users: For organizations that are already utilizing Zoho Writer workflows, our team is working to migrate existing workflows to Zoho WorkDrive Workflows. This ensures a smooth transition to your ongoing processes.

Supported plans
  • Default Workflows (Review, Approval, Review and Approval): Available for all plans except the WorkDrive Individual plan.
  • Custom Workflows: Available only for WorkDrive Business plan and Zoho One users.

Full Folder Customization: Manage Access and Permissions with Ease


WorkDrive’s Team Folders let you collaborate effectively by assigning specific roles to members, such as Admin, Organizer, Editor, Commenter, and Viewer. By default, all Team Folder members can access every file and folder within it. However, with folder customization, you can:
  • Restrict a member’s access to certain folders.
  • Hide specific folders entirely from other members or collaborators.
You can customize folder permissions while creating the folder or after the folder is created. Only users with the Admin/Organizer role or Organize-level access can customize folder permissions.

Once a folder is customized:
  • New members added to the Team Folder or parent folder won’t automatically have access. You’ll need to manually share the folder if needed.
  • Team Folder roles and parent folder permissions won’t apply.
  • Team folder admin roles cannot be restricted or modified with folder customization.
If folder customization is removed:
  • Team Folder members regain access based on their roles.
  • Individual collaborators who had access to the customized folder will lose it.
Notes:
  • Folder customization is only available for Team Folders.
  • It is not supported in My Folders. While you can grant higher permissions to a child folder, you cannot restrict access or lower permissions if the parent folder has higher-level permissions.

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

AI-Powered Transcription: Making Audio and Video Content More Accessible (Beta)


WorkDrive now supports generating transcripts (text-version) for audio and video files using our native Zoho AI service. Transcripts are widely used in various fields such as media, education, healthcare, research, and business for documentation, accessibility, and analysis.

Click on a timestamp to jump straight to that part of the file, saving you time on reviews.
  • Supported language: English
  • Supported video formats: mp4, mpeg, mpg, mov, avi, flv, webm, wmv, swf, mkv 
  • Supported audio formats: wav, flac, mp3, opus, m4a

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


Boost Productivity with our in-house AI service - Zoho AI (Beta)


We’re excited to unveil Zoho AI, our very own in-house AI service powered by open-source large language models. Until now, Zia has leveraged OpenAI services for AI-powered content creation, image generation, and comment refinement.

Highlights of Zoho AI:
  • With Zoho AI, you get intelligent AI capabilities—completely free and with no third-party configuration!
  • Secure and private as your data stays within Zoho.
Flexible AI selection: Team admins can now enable both supported AI services (Zoho AI and OpenAI) and set a preferred AI service for each feature.

Smarter AI features to improve your workflow:
We’ve already made content creation, image generation, and comment refinement easier with Zia. Now, we’re adding even more intelligent AI features to help you get more done with less effort!

Comment translation
Break language barriers with seamless comment translation. Zia helps you understand and respond in your preferred language or share comments in a language others understand. We currently provide comment translation support for about 74 languages. Learn more about translating comments using Zia 

File Summarization
No more sifting through lengthy documents! With Zia’s AI-powered summarization, you can instantly extract key highlights from your files, helping you focus on essential insights. Plus, you can save these summaries directly to WorkDrive in .zdoc format for easy access and future reference. Learn more about summarizing files using Zia 

Note: Image and cover image generation features are only available through OpenAI services and are not yet supported by Zoho AI.

Supported plans: All WorkDrive plans (Starter, Team, & Business), WorkDrive Individual Free Plan, Zoho Workplace, and Zoho One bundles


File Version Settings: Manage Storage with Smart Retention Controls


One of WorkDrive’s key benefits is its unlimited file versioning, allowing users to effortlessly access and manage different versions of a file. However, for large files like videos and designs, storing multiple versions can quickly consume your team’s storage.

To help you optimize space while maintaining control over file history, we’ve introduced Version Retention Settings. With this feature, team admins can define how many versions to retain, ensuring efficient storage management without compromising accessibility.
  • Need to hold onto only the latest updates? Choose your version limit and free up storage automatically!
  • And for quick clean-ups from individual files, you can use Bulk Version Deletion to clear old versions and keep your projects organized.
Notes: 
  • You can mark a version as "Keep Forever" to prevent them from being deleted automatically based on the team's version settings.
  • Version retention settings currently do not apply to office suite files (Writer, Sheet, and Show) where storage is completely free.

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

Take Complete Control Over External Sharing


WorkDrive’s advanced sharing settings provide precise control over who can access your files and how they are shared, tailored to meet your organization’s needs. Whether you’re sharing directly via email, creating a custom link, or embedding a file, you will now have the flexibility to enable or disable sharing options individually.
  • Whitelist domains and email addresses for secure sharing
    For an extra layer of security, you can whitelist specific email addresses and domains to ensure files only go to trusted collaborators while sharing externally via email address.

    Supported plans: All WorkDrive plans (Starter, Team, & Business), Zoho Workplace and Zoho One bundle

  • View and remove share permissions in bulk
    From the Shared Items section in Data Administration, you can view all the shared items based on their share types. You can now easily remove access or links from multiple files and folders in bulk.

    Supported plans: Business plan and Zoho One bundle


Link: A smarter way to keep your important links handy


WorkDrive now offers the Link feature, allowing you to manually store and organize URLs, just like files, creating a personal hub for quick and easy access. Whether it’s an important contract, a frequently referenced spreadsheet, or a key website, Links help you keep everything you need at your fingertips.

Here's how Link feature help you work smarter:
  • Save web URLs: The Link feature allows you to store important web links directly within WorkDrive, ensuring quick access to essential webpages without the need to search for them repeatedly.

  • Organize WorkDrive files & folders: No need to duplicate files across multiple locations. With the Link feature, you can organize frequently accessed WorkDrive documents from various folders into one central location for easy access.
Supported plans: All WorkDrive plans (Starter, Team, & Business), Zoho Workplace and Zoho One bundles


Index View: Simplified Navigation for your folders


An Index view is an effective way to present users with a summary of what's available in a folder, sparing them the effort of opening each item manually. It serves as a dynamic guide, allowing users to quickly locate frequently accessed or critical files and folders.

For instance, in a project folder, you can create a Writer document with organized links to key resources such as Getting Started guides, essential steps, and troubleshooting tips. By setting this file as the Index for the folder, team members can instantly access important documents and navigate to relevant sections with ease.

Notes:
  • Supported file types for Index view: Zoho Writer files only
  • Only users with Edit access or higher can add or remove Index for a folder.

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


Sync desktop folders instantly with WorkDrive TrueSync (Beta)


Tired of manually backing up your important desktop files and folders?

With WorkDrive TrueSync, you can now select specific desktop folders to sync automatically to WorkDrive web. Any changes or new files added to these folders via desktop or via the WorkDrive web app will be instantly backed up, ensuring seamless two-way synchronization.

Feature availability:
  • Currently, this feature is supported only on Windows OS.  Mac support will be available soon.
  • You need to manually download and install the beta version of WorkDrive TrueSync to utilize this functionality.


Explore and share feedback: With WorkDrive 5.0 Phase 2, you’re equipped with a powerhouse of tools to manage files, protect data, and keep collaboration running smoothly. Whether it’s fine-tuning permissions, enhancing security, or streamlining your business processes, these new features have got you covered.

Try out WorkDrive 5.0, and let us know what you think!

Happy collaborating!



      Zoho Campaigns Resources


        • Desk Community Learning Series


        • Digest


        • Functions


        • Meetups


        • Kbase


        • Resources


        • Glossary


        • Desk Marketplace


        • MVP Corner


        • Word of the Day


        • Ask the Experts


          • Sticky Posts

          • Ask the Experts: Five-hour live Q&A session with Zoho WorkDrive product experts

            Have questions about WorkDrive 5.0? Let’s talk! We recently launched Zoho WorkDrive 5.0, packed with powerful updates to help your team work smarter, stay secure, and get more value from your business content. From content-centric workflows and AI-powered
          • Support for auto-upgrade in TrueSync (for Windows)

            WorkDrive TrueSync app now supports auto-upgrading to the latest version for Windows OS. You must manually download and install the TrueSync app version 3.4.0 to avail this feature. Download the latest TrueSync app for Windows (version 3.4.0) Supported
          • WorkDrive API Documentation

            WorkDrive provides users and developers an extensive set of APIs to help integrate functionalities of Zoho WorkDrive with other Zoho applications and third-party tools. We have published the official WorkDrive API Documentation page for all external users.
          • March 15, 2023: Zoho Docs is discontinued

            As of today (March 15, 2023) Zoho Docs is discontinued for all users. We would like to thank our customers for trusting us for so many years! Going forward, we're confident you'll enjoy using Zoho WorkDrive for all your advanced file management and collaboration
          • Introducing WorkDrive 4.0: Enhanced productivity. Advanced data administration. (Phase 1)

            Hello All, We're excited to share the release of WorkDrive 4.0, which includes important new features and enhancements focused primarily on productivity, secure collaboration, data administration, integrations, and user experience. Read the official announcement

          Zoho CRM Plus Resources

            Zoho Books Resources


              Zoho Subscriptions Resources

                Zoho Projects Resources


                  Zoho Sprints Resources


                    Zoho Orchestly Resources


                      Zoho Creator Resources


                        Zoho WorkDrive Resources



                          Zoho CRM Resources

                          • CRM Community Learning Series

                            CRM Community Learning Series


                          • Tips

                            Tips

                          • Functions

                            Functions

                          • Meetups

                            Meetups

                          • Kbase

                            Kbase

                          • Resources

                            Resources

                          • Digest

                            Digest

                          • CRM Marketplace

                            CRM Marketplace

                          • MVP Corner

                            MVP Corner




                            Zoho Writer Writer

                            Get Started. Write Away!

                            Writer is a powerful online word processor, designed for collaborative work.

                              Zoho CRM コンテンツ



                                ご検討中の方

                                  • Recent Topics

                                  • Shifts in Zoho People vs Zoho Shifts?

                                    Hello Zoho People Team, We hope you are doing well. We are evaluating the Shifts functionality within Zoho People and comparing it to the standalone Zoho Shifts product. We’ve encountered comments and discussions suggesting that the Shifts feature inside
                                  • Disable fields in During action in Blueprint?

                                    Hi there. I've tried field disable (setReadOnly(true)) using client script and the event is onMandatoryFormLoad on detail page, assuming it'll work on blueprint fields, but it bears no result. Is this the expected behaviour? That we can't do this yet?
                                  • Develop and publish a Zoho Recruit extension on the marketplace

                                    Hi, I'd like to develop a new extension for Zoho Recruit. I've started to use Zoho Developers creating a Zoho CRM extension. But when I try to create a new extension here https://sigma.zoho.com/workspace/testtesttestest/apps/new I d'ont see the option of Zoho Recruit (only CRM, Desk, Projects...). I do see extensions for Zoho Recruit in the marketplace. How would I go about to create one if the option is not available in sigma ? Cheers, Rémi.
                                  • Best Email Backup Wizard in 2026

                                    While searching for an email backup solution, my main hesitation was reliability. As a user, I had already seen many tools that looked promising but failed when handling large mailboxes, skipped folders, or caused authentication issues during the backup
                                  • Subforms and automation

                                    If a user updates a field how do we create an automation etc. We have a field for returned parts and i want to get an email when that field is ticked. How please as Zoho tells me no automation on subforms. The Reason- Why having waited for ever for FSM
                                  • Allow Managers to Create Shifts for Their Departments in Zoho People

                                    Hello Zoho People Product Team, Greetings and hope you are doing well. This feature request is related to Zoho People - please don't move it to zoho one! We would like to submit a feature request regarding shift management permissions in Zoho People.
                                  • Zoho Learn and Zoho CRM integration

                                    I would like to see an integration between Zoho Learn and Zoho CRM. 1. To be able to add articles in a related list in all modules 2. Zia to suggest related articles in a Deal or Case or Lead 3. Ability to read / search articles during a call / follow
                                  • Maintain steady traffic to your domain: How Domain Aliasing helps

                                    Consider this scenario: An organization has its primary domain as administrator.com. Now it wants to shorten its domain to admin.com because it's simpler and easier to remember. However, changing the domain completely can cause the following problems:
                                  • Why Sharing Rules do Not support relative date comparison???

                                    I am creating a Sharing Rule and simply want to share where "Last Day of Coverage" (Date field) is Greater than TODAY (Starting Tomorrow). However, sharing rules don't have the option to compare a date field to a relative date (like today), only to Static
                                  • How do I migrate OLM file to Gmail?

                                    Migrating emails from Outlook for Mac to Gmail can be challenging because Gmail does not support OLM files directly. This limitation often causes confusion and delays, especially when users need quick access to important emails and mailbox data on a web-based
                                  • CRM x WorkDrive: File storage for new CRM signups is now powered by WorkDrive

                                    Availability Editions: All DCs: All Release plan: Released for new signups in all DCs. It will be enabled for existing users in a phased manner in the upcoming months. Help documentation: Documents in Zoho CRM Manage folders in Documents tab Manage files
                                  • Workflow rule only allows 10 workflow per module

                                    Apparently a Zoho professional edition only allows 10 workflow rules per module. This makes workflow allocation literally impossible while allocating potential to different members of the team. I have 15 licenses. Is there a way in which related alerts can be varied? In other words, is it possible to have different related alerts be triggered with different rule criteria. so if I say, if potential is 'x' then trigger related alert 'x' and if potential is 'y' then trigger related alert 'y' Thanks,
                                  • IF Statement in Zoho CRM Formula Field

                                    Hi, I am attempting to write a formula field that will give me one result if one statement AND another statement are true, then a different value if the first statement AND a different statement are true, else 0. Stated differently: if account = destination
                                  • CRM Percent custom fields: When will it show the % symbol and behave like %?

                                    1. Actually Percent custom fields fail to show the % symbol. 2. When in formulas Percent fields work like number: 100 x 5% = 5 ideal world 100 x 5% = 500 what happens actually 3. When importing Percent fields the % symbol has to be removed and the data
                                  • Free Webinar: Zoho Sign for Zoho Projects: Automate tasks and approvals with e-signatures

                                    Hi there! Handling multiple projects at once? Zoho Projects is your solution for automated and streamlined project management, and with the Zoho Sign extension, you can sign, send, and manage digital paperwork directly from your project workspace. Join
                                  • Automatically CC an address using Zoho CRM Email Templates

                                    Hi all - have searched but can't see a definitive answer. We have built multiple email templates in CRM. Every time we send this we want it to CC a particular address (the same address for every email sent) so that it populates the reply back into our
                                  • Editing the Ticket Properties column

                                    This is going to sound like a dumb question, but I cannot figure out how to configure/edit the sections (and their fields) in this column: For example, we have a custom "Resolution" field, which parked itself in the "Ticket Information" section of this
                                  • "Total Hours" on Employee Attendance Report

                                    I'm learning that in Zoho jargon, "total hours" does not include paid breaks. Or at least not the way that my setup is working. That seems a little weird to me, since most jurisdictions in the US don't differentiate between time spent on paid break and
                                  • Fixed assets in Zoho One?

                                    Hi, We use Zoho Books and have the fixed asset option in it. I started a trial for Zoho One and I do not see that as an option. Is the books that is part of zoho one equivalent to Zoho Books Elite subscription or is it a lesser version? Thanks, Matt
                                  • Integration with...

                                    Dear Zoho Commerce team, Please could you consider the integration within Zoho Commerce / Inventory and Qapla'? (https://www.qapla.it/en/) This app is better than Aftership in many ways: - Aftership integration require PRO plan and price start from more
                                  • Repeat Column merge in ZOHO writer columns doesn't allow to set max columns per row

                                    I'm using ZOHO writer to merge data from a ZOHO CRM subform and I want it to make a table. We're using Insert Table for Column Repeat, because this is what we need. (Name of column (Teamname) and underneath that a list of names of teammembers). It works
                                  • Generate leads from instagram

                                    hello i have question. If connect instagram using zoho social, it is possible to get lead from instagram? example if someone send me direct message or comment on my post and then they generate to lead
                                  • Adding Markdown text using Zoho Desk API into the Knowledge Base

                                    Hi Zoho Community members, We currently maintain the documentation of out company in its website. This documentation is written in markdown text format and we would like to add it in Zoho Knowledge Base. Do you know if there is REST API functionality
                                  • Create case via email

                                    Good Afternoon, I have just registered and am taking a look around the system. Is it possible to create a case via email.  I.e. an employee/client/supplier emails a certain address and that auto generates the case which then prompts a member of staff
                                  • Need a Universal Search Option in Zohobooks

                                    Hello Zoho, Need a Universal Search Option in Zohobooks to search across all transactions in our books of accounts. Please do the needful Thanks
                                  • Locked Notebook

                                    Hi, I hadn't used my Notebook in some time and was refamiliarizing myself with it. I clicked a lock icon and now I can't unlock. When I hit the information or unlock icons I'm taken to a page with the notebook icon and a keyboard. When I type, nothing
                                  • Unable to produce monthly P&L reports for previous years

                                    My company just migrated to Books this year. We have 5+ years financial data and need to generate a monthly P&L for 2019 and a monthly P&L YTD for 2020. The latter is easy, but I'm VERY surprised to learn that default reports in Zoho Books cannot create
                                  • Hide fields only for creation

                                    Hello, I'd like to hide some fields only during the creation of a contact in Zoho CRM. In fact I have some fields that are automatically calculated thanks to an automation, so when my users create a contact I don't want them to fill those fields. I know
                                  • Issues with Zoho Sheet in Mac

                                    I have downloaded the Zoho App from App Store but It is failing to Save As, Open & Download Operations. App Store
                                  • Weekly Sales Summary

                                    Is it possible to generate a weekly report in Zoho Books to show -$$ amount of estimates generated -# of estimates generated by Salesperson -$$ amount of Sales Orders created -$$ amount of Invoices generated
                                  • Subject character limit increase

                                    We have an occasional user case where subject lines exceed 500 characters which is the ZeptoMail imposed limit. While I understand long subject lines are not "best practice", these are particular notification emails with specific information for client
                                  • Can I write a check in Zoho Books with no associated bill?

                                    This currently does not seem possible, and I have a client that desperately needs this function if I am able to convert them with Quickbooks. Thank you in advance for your reply. 
                                  • OpenAPI Specs are just plain wrong

                                    The provided yml files for generating the OpenAPI specs are absolutely riddled with errors and inconsistencies. From missing fields on the objects, to just incorrectly named resource objects. I'm having to go through and manually changing the spec to
                                  • About Meetings (Events module)

                                    I was working on an automation to cancel appointments in zoho flow , and in our case, we're using the Meetings module (which is called Events in API terms). But while working with it, I'm wondering what information I can display in the image where the
                                  • Custom Footer – Zoho Writer Document

                                    Hello everyone, I’m having an issue adding a custom footer in a Zoho Writer document. I would like to insert my company information (including a logo + address) in the footer. The problem is that when I add these elements, the main content of my pages
                                  • Report grouping

                                    I have added a grouping in a report but it is not working how i had expected. I wanted to group a summary on a field named Size but when i add the grouping the report is still showing me each record and making a summary at the bottom of the report. What
                                  • Social Media Simplified with Zoho Social: Preview your Instagram grid before posting

                                    For a platform like Instagram that relies on visual appeal, it's important that you plan your image and video content in a way that holds your audience's attention. Planning your grid ahead of time gives you the benefit of understanding how your posts
                                  • Spreadsheet View click & focus issue in Arabic (RTL) localization

                                    Hello Zoho Support Team, I am facing an issue in Zoho Creator Spreadsheet View when using Arabic localization (RTL). Scenario: My app supports English (LTR) and Arabic (RTL). I created a Spreadsheet View for a form. In English, everything works correctly.
                                  • VAT rates - exempt and out of scope

                                    Good Evening, UK based company here. I am a bit confused in respect of setting up VAT rates for exempt goods and services; at present I am simply leaving the VAT rate blank in the transactions in order to prevent any VAT appearing in the VAT return. When
                                  • How to loop through Multiple Upload and Display Actual File Name

                                    I have been reading the help on the File Upload Control and reviewed the Deluge help on files and I can not figure out how to loop through the uploaded files and do anything but get the automatically created file names. The code below will run but each
                                  • Next Page