🚀 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

    • 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

    • Recent Topics

    • delete departments on zoho desk

      I created test departments on zoho desk. how can i delete them now?

    • Validation, checking if a file has been attached to the ticket

      A very useful option would be to allow checking, under specific conditions, whether the user has attached a file to the application, e.g., a bug report. Some applications require files to be attached, and the system could enforce this after the system

    • AI & Zoho Recruit

      Hello, I guess we all are using AI in our personal and professional lives. Now, let's imagine. Recruitment is just a succession of stages and steps. For which step would you like to see AI implemented into Zoho Recruit ? I'll start : - Automatic translation

    • Zoho Flow not handling Boolean properly

      Hi, I have a checkbox in one system that I'm trying to sync with a checkbox in Zoho CRM. The value from the source system comes in as blank (unticked) or 1 (ticked). I've written the following custom function to convert the output to either boolean false

    • Quotes Module - import data

      Hello Zoho, is it possible to import Quotes records? I was trying and i have no results. Raport shows no data imported. Could you help me please how to do it?

    • Balance Sheet - Zoho Analytics

      Hi Team, I’m looking to implement a feature that captures the conversion rate based on the filters applied. By default, it should fetch the most recent conversion rate, and when a filter (such as a timeline filter) is applied, it should return the conversion

    • files sent will not open for recipient

      work files (done in writer) which previously opened will not open for the recipient

    • Migration of Mails from Pipedrive

      Hi, so far the migration from Pipedrive to ZOHO works pretty good. For full completeness of the migration we miss all the mails linked to Deals, Contacts, Customers, ... What possibilities do we have to have Pipedrive fully migrated to ZOHO? Best Regards,

    • Published sheets don't work anymore

      Hi, Published sheets don't work anymore. The display of values is very very slow and calculations are not displayed at all. Thanks!

    • #1 Zoho Billing vs. Zoho Books: Which one should I choose?

      Managing your business finances isn't just about sending invoices. It's about keeping everything organized, accurate, and moving towards your organization's goals. At Zoho, we understand the complexity, which is why we offer two powerful yet distinct

    • Is Zoho tables still being developed?

      Has this product been abandoned? I haven't seen any useful new features or stability improvements over the past six months or more. I think Tables is a great concept, filling a niche between spreadsheets and full database tools, but the current implementation

    • How to connect oracle ADW with Analytics

      I want to add Oracle ADW as a data source in Zoho Analytics, but I couldn't find any relevant documentation. Can anyone suggest how to do it, or let me know if it's even possible? Thanks!!

    • add attachments to automated emails?

      Hi, I'm looking for a way to have documents saved under an account, be grabbed and sent to an email address once a specific status has been updated.  For example we have a tab we've labeled as sales orders, when the status is changed to shipped, it emails the customer the tracking number and estimated delivery date.  I'd like it to also grab pdf docs (COA, BOL, etc) from that order and send in that email.   Currently we have to go into zoho change the status to shipped, then email all the docs to

    • [Action Required] Zendesk - Zoho Analytics integration requires re-authentication

      Dear Zendesk integration users, Zendesk is transitioning to a new OAuth model that uses refresh tokens for improved security and stability (read more). As a result, all Zendesk users in Zoho Analytics must re-authenticate their Zendesk connections on

    • Rerun Migration?

      I migrated a mailbox a few days ago, but didn't do the cutover on the MX records until today.  How can I rerun the migration to sync the mailboxes?  The old account has had a fair amount of activity since the first migration. I am used to other systems

    • طلب حذف الدومين والمؤسسة من حساب zoho

      السلام عليكم، أود طلب حذف الدومين التالي من حسابي في Zoho، حيث لا يظهر لي خيار الحذف في لوحة التحكم: اسم الدومين: hudajstore.com البريد المرتبط: [contact@hudajstore.com] علمًا بأنني المسؤول عن المؤسسة، ولا أستخدم الدومين حاليًا، وأرغب في إلغاء ربطه وحذف

    • Microsoft Outlook Add-in Update: Enhancing Efficiency for Recruiters

      We've released an update to the Zoho Recruit Microsoft Outlook Add-in, which brings a host of features designed to streamline your recruiting process and boost productivity. Let's delve into the details: Associate Emails with records in Zoho Recruit You

    • New integration: Zoho Books + Zoho Forms

      Hello Zoho Forms community! We are thrilled to announce the addition of another integration that brings speed and efficiency to your financial workflows. Zoho Forms can now be integrated with Zoho Books! Here’s a quick rundown on Zoho Books! For anyone

    • Witness Sign - Automation with Zoho Creator

      Hi there, I used to be able do automatically send a Zoho Sign document from Zoho Creator where each signer had one witness. The action code was as follows for each signer and witness:       // CLIENT eachActionMap1 = Map(); eachActionMap1.put("signing_order","1");

    • Announcing: custom color palette + free workshop

      Hello everyone, We're excited to share new feature in Zoho Bookings—a color palette within booking page themes. You'll find this option under Manage Bookings > Workspaces > Booking Page Themes. You can customize the color of every element in your booking page and even alter the transparency of your background image. Please note that this is a paid feature included in the Basic and Premium plans. At the moment, it's available only under the Modern Web theme. This means you can create billions (7,

    • Removing To or CC Addresses from Desk Ticket

      I was hoping i could find a way to remove unnecessary email addresses from tickets submitted via email. For example, a customer may email the support address AND others who are in the helpdesk notification group, in either the TO or CC address. This results

    • Ability to Export Field Dependency Structure in Zoho Desk

      Hi Zoho Team, We’d like to request a feature enhancement in Zoho Desk that would greatly improve configuration management for organizations like ours: Requested Feature: The ability to export the full structure of Field Dependencies, especially for multi-level

    • [URGENT] Allow reorder (drag&drop) of subform record

      Very simple user case: a wedding planning app where you want to send your client a form to fill with information about their wedding. Form includes some field for general purpose information and a subform for event pacing/schedule. Clients are invited to create a new row (When? - What? - Where? - Who?) for each thing happening during their wedding chronologically. Ex: When                  What 10h                      Something TBD                    Speech After speech      Yet another thing happening

    • Departments in Zoho

      I'm trying to set up a department. It looks like Departments have been removed from Zoho One. Is there another option? We have our main account setup, but want to set up a separate small department that can't see our tabs.

    • Add Timer for Agent Status Duration in Zoho Desk Dashboard

      Hello Zoho Desk Team, We hope you're doing well. We would like to submit a feature request to further enhance the agent status tracking functionality within the Zoho Desk Dashboard. 🎯 Current Functionality As it stands, Zoho Desk allows us to view the

    • [Beta Feature] Parent-Child Ticketing

      Hello there, a beta parent-child ticketing feature has recently been made available for some, read more here: https://help.zoho.com/portal/en/kb/desk/ticket-management/articles/understanding-parent-child-ticketing-system#Business_scenarios I would like

    • Enable Sorting by Ticket Count in Category Reports

      Hi Zoho Desk Product Team, I hope you're doing well. We would like to submit a feature request to improve the reporting capabilities in Zoho Desk. 🎯 Feature Request: Sorting by Ticket Count in Category Reports Currently, category-based reports in Zoho

    • Reactivating a CRM user...

      I'm a 1-man business primarily using CRM under my Zoho1 subscription (I have NO other employees or users). I wish to re-activate a prior user (my son, once more working with me) but when changing his status from inactive to active I receive this message:

    • Zohoサポートにスコープ開放を依頼する

      お世話になっております。 現在、弊社にてZoho DeskのナレッジベースをAPI経由で取得し、AIツール（NotebookLM等）に連携する仕組みの構築を検討しています。 つきましては、ZohoDesk.articles.READ スコープを使用したOAuth認証の許可をいただけますでしょうか。 API Console から Server-based アプリを作成済みですが、認可URLにアクセスすると「スコープが登録されていません」と表示されます。 お手数をおかけしますが、スコープの開放をご

    • Where can I configure the notifications for everything KB-related?

      Hi all, I'm receiving notifications for some actions happening in our Knowledge Base (e.g. someone leaving a feedback) and I would like to customise the template or have the choice to enable/disable such notifications like it is possible for ticket notification

    • Self Client Authorization Code Flow for Mail returns 404

      Hello, I'm having trouble getting the Zoho mail api setup and want a sanity check. I am trying to follow this guide to get an access token for the mail api: https://www.zoho.com/accounts/protocol/oauth/self-client/authorization-code-flow.html Unfortunately

    • Zoho Knowledgebase Help Center Categories linkages are wrong

      Greetings, I am build a help center in zoho desk, based on the additional custom brand I have paid for. My knowledge base has 4 main categories. I have this setup this way in my knowledgebase customization theme area. The page layout is like this: Here

    • Can Answer Bot read private articles if I have ChatGPT activated?

      I've uploaded an article that is basically a data dump of our website. I want Answer Bot to be able to look through that article and find answers via OpenAI. I've connected with OpenAI API and all seems well, however it doesn't seem to find anything.

    • Zoho Social integration with Zoho Flow

      Is there any plans for Zoho Social integration with Zoho Flow?

    • Connecting Learn to a Custom GPT

      Hi all! I am attempting to connect a Learn Space and all it's articles into a custom GPT. Has anyone successfully done this? I have worked on it with no success so far.

    • Tip 12: How can you customize the display name while sending emails from Zoho Creator.

      Hi folks, Usually when you send emails to your users, the display name defaults as your From email address. Most often, you would like to set a custom display name to represent your organization or the context of the email. You can mask or customize the display name (From Address) using Deluge script as long as the From email address has been verified. This would be very useful to you if you want to send bulk emails to a large audience.    Let's say you have a Student Registration form for your dance

    • Importing Data to update and not add

      I'm very new to Zoho created and tried searching the forums for the answer. Nothing I found has helped me make sense of how to do this. I created a app based on an excel spreadsheet but no matter what I do, whenever I import data it duplicates the record. I have a field I would like to use as a unique identifier, but I'm not sure how to tell my app that.  Any assistance, even a link to a tutorial on creating functions in the workflow of the app, would be very helpful. Unfortunately I can't share

    • Allow me to duplicate a field

      Hi, Many times I need to create new field with slightly change compare to an existing one. So when I click an existing field, can you add one more option "duplicate"? That'd be very helpful. You mayc heck wufoo.com to see this feature. Thanks, Li lhong1

    • Community Digest Noviembre 2024 - Todas las novedades en Español Zoho Community

      ¡Hola, Español Zoho Community! Wow, ya termina el año, ¡gracias a vuestra participación se nos ha pasado volando! Por eso mismo estamos preparando sorpresas para todos los que participáis en la Español Zoho Community para el próximo año, ¡estad atentos

    • Zoho Mail iOS app - Complete revamp of the UI including insert image option, toolbar customization, calendar widgets and more!

      Hello everyone! The new Zoho Mail iOS app introduces a fresh look, blending native iOS features with a refined UI and UX to make email management more intuitive. The updated design focuses on simplicity, ensuring smoother navigation throughout the app.

    • Next Page