🚀 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!


    • 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
    • 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
    • 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
    • Introducing Collections

      Create collection links to easily request any number of users to upload files to a particular folder. Once users upload their files, you will be able to view their submissions and manage their files effortlessly. Users don't need a WorkDrive account to

    Nederlandse Hulpbronnen


      • Recent Topics

      • Introducing Connected Records to bring business context to every aspect of your work in Zoho CRM for Everyone

        Hello Everyone, We are excited to unveil phase one of a powerful enhancement to CRM for Everyone - Connected Records, available only in CRM's Nextgen UI. With CRM for Everyone, businesses can onboard all customer-facing teams onto the CRM platform to
      • Zoho CRM in Microsoft Power Automate Custom Connector

        Hi everyone, I’m building a Power Automate flow that integrates Microsoft Bookings with Zoho CRM. The goal is to automatically create a meeting (event) in Zoho CRM whenever a new appointment is booked via Microsoft Bookings. To achieve this, I created
      • Granular Email Forwarding Controls in Zoho Mail (Admin Console and Zoho One)

        Hello Zoho Mail Team, How are you? At present, the Zoho Mail Admin Console allows administrators to configure email forwarding for an entire mailbox, forwarding all incoming emails to another address. This is helpful for delegation or backup purposes,
      • Sales order & purchase order item links for item details

        This is fantastic for checking lots of things, I use it a lot. It would be great to see it extended to invoices & bills On another note, may as well throw in my favourite whinge ..... Wish you guys would get the PO receive differences sorted urgently,
      • Custom Fonts in Zoho CRM Template Builder

        Hi, I am currently creating a new template for our quotes using the Zoho CRM template builder. However, I noticed that there is no option to add custom fonts to the template builder. It would greatly enhance the flexibility and branding capabilities if
      • Problem with Email an invoice with multiple attachments using API

        I have an invoice with 3 attachments. When I send an email manually using the UI, everything works correctly. I receive an email with three attachments. The problem occurs when I try to initiate sending an email using the API. The email comes with only
      • Zoho Workdrive - Communication / Chat Bar

        Hi Team, Please consider adding an option to allow admins to turn on or off the Zoho Communication Bar. Example of what I mean by Communication Bar: It's such a pain sometimes when I'm in WorkDrive and I want to share a link to a file with a colleague
      • Introducing Profile Summary: Faster Candidate Insights with Zia

        We’re excited to launch Profile Summary, a powerful new feature in Zoho Recruit that transforms how you review candidate profiles. What used to take minutes of resume scanning can now be assessed in seconds—thanks to Zia. A Quick Example Say you’re hiring
      • Kaizen #190 - Queries in Custom Related Lists

        Hello everyone! Welcome back to another week of Kaizen! This week, we will discuss yet another interesting enhancement to Queries. As you all know, Queries allow you to dynamically retrieve data from CRM as well as third-party services directly within
      • Need the ability to have read only fields on a form.

        There needs to be functionality in Creator that allows a field on a form to be read only. Most screen building software applications have this capability. I know you can hide certain fields from specific users and that you can also make the whole form read only but that's not the functionality I need. I want to be able to create a form where certain fields are editable and other are for display purposes only (read only). For example if the form was displaying information on an item that the user
      • Reverse payment on accidentally closed invoice.

        An invoice was closed accidentally with the full payment added. However, only partial payment was paid. How can I reopen the invoice and reverse this to update it to show partial payment?
      • New integration: Track booking page appointments in Google Analytics 4

        Hello all, Greetings from the Zoho Bookings team! We’re excited to introduce our new Google Analytics 4 (GA4) integration designed to help you track booking activity, understand customer behavior, and measure marketing performance, all in one place. What
      • Zoho Books Sandbox environment

        Hello. Is there a free sandbox environment for the developers using Zoho Books API? I am working on the Zoho Books add-on and currently not ready to buy a premium service - maybe later when my add-on will start to bring money. Right now I just need a
      • How to list emails in a folder, e.g. Inbox, on multiple pages when using Zoho mail webpage?

        Something as shown in the figure. There are totally 50 emails in Sent folder. If "Mail per page" equals 20, then the Sent folder is split into 3 pages. When I wander through Sent folder, I can just select a specific page to jump to. BTW, it seems that
      • Zoho Calendar soft bounce on @hotmail.com and @yahoo.com email addresses

        Hello, our Zoho calendar recently does not send the calendar invites to emails with hotmail and yahoo domains and comes back with a "soft bounce". other domains like Gmail works fine. Also sending "email" to the same emails to the above domains work well
      • IMAP Server not responding.

        Trying to connect a phone via IMAP and getting "imap.zoho.com not responding." Is the server down, for maintenance or otherwise? I've tried this on two different devices and got the same error on both.
      • Elevate your CX delivery using CommandCenter 2.0: Simplified builder; seamless orchestration

        Most businesses want to create memorable customer experiences—but they often find it hard to keep them smooth, especially as they grow. To achieve a state of flow across their processes, teams often stitch together a series of automations using Workflow
      • ERROR CODE :512 - 5.4.4 DNS error:NXDOMAIN.

        Suddenly we cant send mail, we are getting this error for all outbound mail to multiple domains.
      • New in Cadences: WhatsApp follow-ups, upgraded limits, and options for add-ons

        Hello everyone, We're rolling out two key updates to help you engage better and scale smarter with Cadences in Zoho CRM. Reach customers on WhatsApp, directly from Cadences Previously, Cadences have enabled you to automate follow-ups through emails, calls,
      • Zoho CRM Analytics - Allow To Reorder Dashboards

        I would like to suggest that you add the ability to reorder dashboards in the Analytics Module. I can see that this has been requested some time ago, the latest 9 years ago. I am not sure if this is a big or small endeavor, but such a small fix can go
      • Can Zoho Flows repeat Actions more than once?

        I'm attempting to make an intentional Zoho Flow loop using the below layout. However, when "WithinLimit" condition is met, the program fails to execute the action "Get & Add Request Co..." again. Is this by design? Is Zoho Flows unable to repeat actions
      • Unveiling Cadences: Redefining CRM interactions with automated sequential follow-ups

        Last modified on 01/04/2024: Cadences is now available for all Zoho CRM users in all data centres (DCs). Note that it was previously an early access feature, available only upon request, and was also known as Cadences Studio. As of April 1, 2024, it's
      • customer data security

        We are exploring ways to enhance our within Zoho CRM. Our Goal: We want to fully integrate RingCentral with Zoho CRM to enable click-to-call functionality for our sales team. However, to comply with data privacy regulations and protect customer contact
      • Zoho Cliq not working on airplanes

        Hi, My team and I have been having this constant issue of cliq not working when connected to an airplane's wifi. Is there a reason for this? We have tried on different Airlines and it doesn't work on any of them. We need assistance here since we are constantly
      • Sync CRM inventory data with Zoho Books

        I just switched everything over to ZoHo books, but I am trying to find out why the CRM Estimates, Invoices, and Sales Orders created in ZoHo CRM are not then duplicated in ZoHo Books? I had Quickbooks before, and had to do everything twice, I thought
      • mask Customer phone number and agents cant see customer phone number

        Is there any way we can integrate Zoom Phone with Zoho CRM while ensuring that customer phone numbers remain masked? We need a solution where agents can make outbound calls but cannot see customer phone numbers. Please let us know if there is any solution
      • Presenting ABM for Zoho CRM: Expand and retain your customers with precision

        Picture this scenario: You're a growing SaaS company ready to launch a powerful business suite, and are looking to gain traction and momentum. But as a business with a tight budget, you know acquiring new customers is slow, expensive, and often delivers
      • how to differentiate if whatsapp comes from certain landing page?

        I create a Zobot in SalesIQ to create a Whatsapp bot to capture the lead. I have 2 landing pages, one is SEO optimized and the other want is optimized for leads comes from Google Ads. I want to know from which landing page this lead came through WhatsApp
      • Email Reminders on Shared Calendars

        How do we turn off the setting that emails reminders to everyone who has accepted or declined a calendar invite? If 8 of us have been invited to the same meeting, we receive 8 notifications for every step of the process, from invitation to decision.
      • Default Sorting on Related Lists

        Is it possible to set the default sorting options on the related lists. For example on the Contact Details view I have related lists for activities, emails, products cases, notes etc... currently: Activities 'created date' newest first Emails - 'created
      • additional accounts

        If I brought 5 emails to my account. Can I later buy additional emails.
      • WebDAV / FTP / SFTP protocols for syncing

        I believe the Zoho for Desktop app is built using a proprietary protocol. For the growing number of people using services such as odrive to sync multiple accounts from various providers (Google, Dropbox, Box, OneDrive, etc.) it would be really helpful if you implemented standard protocols such as WebDAV / FTP / SFTP so that alternative inc clients can be used.
      • Open Sans Font in Zoho Books is not Open Sans.

        Font choice in customising PDF Templates is very limited, we cannot upload custom fonts, and to make things worse, the font names are not accurate. I selected Open Sans, and thought the system was bugging, but no, Open Sans is not Open Sans. The real
      • What's New in Zoho Inventory | Q2 2025

        Hello Customers, The second quarter have been exciting months for Zoho Inventory! We’ve introduced impactful new features and enhancements to help you manage inventory operations with even greater precision and control. While we have many more exciting
      • How to refresh a ticket view ?

        I am doing a widget where I send a rest api call to make a new draft to the ticket I am viewing. The issue is sometimes it refresh a ticket view and I can see inserted draft right away, but sometimes I do not see it even if it is inserted correctly and
      • Ugh! - Text Box (Single Line) Not Enough - Text Box (Multi-line) Unavailable in PDF!

        I provide services, I do not sell items. In each estimate I send I provide a customized job description. A two or three sentence summary of the job to be performed. I need to be able to include this job description on each estimate I send as it's a critical
      • Supervisor Rules - Zoho Desk

        Hi, I have set up a Supervisor Rule in Zoho Desk to send an email alert when a ticket has been on hold for 48 hours. Is there a way to change it so that the alert only sends once and not on an hourly basis? Thank you Laura
      • ResponseCode 421, 4.7.0 [TSS04] Messages from 136.143.188.51 temporarily deferred due to user complaints

        Had email bounce. Let me know if you can fix this. Thanks. Michael
      • Zoho Canvas - Custom templates for related lists

        Hi, I see that the example pages load always one of our related lists in a custom template, but I dont know how to work with that:  1) How can i make my own custom templates for related lists?  2) Where and how can i check out existing custom templates?
      • Automation #15: Automatically Adding Static Secondary Contacts

        Rockel is a top-tier client of Zylker traders. Marcus handles communications with Rockel and would like to add Terence, the CTO of Zylker traders to the email conversations. In this case, the emails coming from user address rockel.com should have Terence
      • Next Page