🚀 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

    • Zoho Invoice Now Supports VeriFactu for Businesses in Spain

      Starting from January 1, 2026, Spain requires real-time invoice reporting for all B2B transactions. From July 2026, this requirement will extend to B2C transactions as well. All reporting must be carried out through the VeriFactu to AEAT (Agencia Estatal

    • Zoho Billing Now Supports VeriFactu for Businesses in Spain

      Starting from January 1, 2026, Spain requires real-time invoice reporting for all B2B transactions. From July 2026, this requirement will extend to B2C transactions as well. All reporting must be carried out through the VeriFactu to AEAT (Agencia Estatal

    • Weekly Tips : Make your email content error free with Spell check in Zoho Mail

      As someone who writes multiple emails a day, we are bound to make both grammatical and spelling errors. Most of them we may not even notice, and even if we do, we may not have the time to correct each one individually when we are in a hurry. So how do

    • Introducing Enhanced Storage Management

      We’re excited to roll out two new enhancements in Zoho Recruit, Subscription Information and Storage Management — designed to give admins complete visibility into subscription details, feature limits, and storage consumption — all from one place inside

    • how to download all my files

      We are in the middle of zoho docs to zoho workdrive migration. I can not access my zoho docs page. I get redirected immediately to a zoho workdrive page. I would like to download all my files so that I have a backup in case something goes wrong with the

    • Convert Zoho Books SalesOrder - Invoice

      Converting a Zoho Books Sales Order into an Invoice Using the SalesOrder Convert API Hello Zoho Developers, Today, we are sharing a simple and effective solution to convert a Zoho Books Sales Order into a Zoho Books Invoice using the SalesOrder Convert

    • Zoho Expense - Report Templates

      Hi Expense Team, I do a recurring trip once every week which has the same cost: Per diem Milage Toll Payment It would be great if there was a feature which allowed me to clone a previously submitted report or create a template reports. This would save

    • How to add tabular data when execute Add Record API

      Hi everyone! I was send api updateRecord follow by this request url : https://people.zoho.com/people/api/forms/json/<formLinkName>/updateRecord with parameters "inputData", "tabularData", "recordId". Ex picture below And response success: But. When I

    • Tip #51- Centralized Contact Management for Better Remote Support- 'Insider Insights'

      For our final topic of November, we’re diving into one of the most helpful features in Zoho Assist, the Contacts section on Zoho Assist;s dashboard. Whether you’re managing multiple clients, tracking past sessions, or simply looking to streamline your

    • Say Hello to Telephony in Zoho FSM

      Zoho FSM now brings complete telephony support so your team can manage inbound and outbound calls without switching tabs. Faster responses, smarter routing, and total call visibility—all in one place. Choose the telephony setup that works for you Zoho’s

    • E-Invoicing in Belgium with Zoho Inventory

      Starting January 1, 2026, Belgium is introducing mandatory electronic invoices (e-invoicing) for all B2B transactions between VAT-registered businesses. Invoices and credits notes must be exchanged in a prescribed digital format. How E-Invoicing Works

    • Employee ID is not correct in get records api V2 for leave

      Hi Team, We are facing an issue when calling the Get Records API V2. The employee.id returned in the response is not the actual employee record ID in Zoho People. As a result, our integration is forced to make an additional Get Record API call for every

    • Formatting Mailing Labels

      I want to use the "Print Mailing Labels" function on the drop down list, but I am not seeing a way to change the formatting on the mailing labels. At the moment, the information that appears on the mailing labels ARE NOT mailing addresses, but random

    • Zoho People. Updating TabularData

      I am trying to update tabular data in the record. I always have the same response. I have checked many times. Section ID is correct. May be something wrong with request structure itself. Can someone help me. Body content type: form urlencoded query params

    • Canvas View - Print

      What is the best way to accomplish a print to PDF of the canvas view? Latest update (27th November 2025): We are excited to announce that the Canvas Print View is now available! We encourage you all to try it out and share your feedback with us. Learn

    • Zia Conversation Summary: Context at a glance for every customer interaction

      Hello everyone! Every customer conversation tells a story—but in CRM, that story is rarely in one place. A sales rep moving between multiple leads has to reopen long email threads, check call remarks, and revisit meeting notes just to remember what was

    • How to set a fixed width of column/cells

      Is there a way to set a 'fixed' width for cells in zoho sheet?   I know how to adjust the size of the colums.... but after I past a large block of text into a cell, it expands the cell size again. (yes, I have turned off word wrap)   How can I set a fixed width so the cells don't change size each time I add data to a cell?   Thanks.

    • Workdrive Oauth2 Token Isn't Refreshing

      I have set up oauth for a bunch of zoho apis and have never had a problem with oauth. With workdrive i am using the exact same template i usually use for the other zoho apps and it is not working. All requests will work for the first hour then stops so

    • Single Portal for Multiple Apps

      Hello, I'm just getting started with Zoho and I'm very overwhelmed. I am currently using the free trial of Zoho One, but if I can figure it out, I intend to upgrade to the paid version. Zoho One, of course, gives me  access to an entire suite of services/applications. One of the things I'd like to do is have a single place for clients (customers?) to log in and view current projects, invoices, contact information, etc. A single login for my clients. A single portal. I've come across documentation

    • 【開催報告】 大阪 ユーザー交流会 2025/11/20（木）Zoho CRM Plus 活用のアイデアとデータの“見える化”

      皆さま、こんにちは。コミュニティチームの中野です。 11/20（木）に、大阪 ユーザー交流会を開催しました。本投稿では、その様子をお届けします。 当日の登壇資料などもこちらに共有しますので、参加できなかった皆さまもご参照ください。 （Zoho 社員セッションの登壇資料については、11/28(金)に開催予定の東京回の開催報告で共有いたします） 今年2回目の開催となる大阪 ユーザー交流会では、株式会社KDDIウェブコミュニケーションズ 山田さんによる Zoho CRM Plus の事例セッションのほか、「Zoho

    • Every rating counts: Shaping customer experience

      We are back to that beautiful time of the year. It is the season to reflect, be thankful, and appreciate everything that has happened throughout the year. Thanksgiving is a time we connect with our family, friends, and relatives to strengthen relationships,

    • How to remove duplicate contacts

    • Custom Field for Subscription

      Hi, I can't find a way to add a custom field (to contain a license key generated from our software) against a subscription? Is the only place to add this information in the Invoice module (as custom field for invoice)? When a customer views his subscription via the customer portal, there appears no way to display a license key for them? The invoice is not the natural place to store a license key for a particular subscription, so where else can this be stored and displayed?

    • Custom View and Custom Fields on Zoho Books

      Hi, I have some custom fields on Estimates and Invoices. I also use Custom Views so I can have a lot of information at a glance. I want to include my custom fields as columns in my custom views of estimates / invoice, but it looks like is not possible.

    • Dropdown data depends on filters in another field.

      In my quote form I have a lookup field called Reseller that pulls from Accounts. I would like it to pull from Accounts, but only those accounts with an account field 'Type' where that is 'Reseller'. Does anyone know a way to do this? Similarly, I'd like

    • Is it possible to adjust the web browser tab title (when a ZoHo Desk ticket is opened)

      Hi All, When I open a ZoHo Desk ticket in a web browser, the tab title (text that appears at the top of the browser tab) uses the logic: *company icon picture* (xxxx) #ticket number - company name See below (highlighted in red) for reference. Company

    • Collections Management: #7 Common Mistakes during Payment Collection

      Payment collection may appear straightforward in most cases. Still, as your customer base expands and transaction volume increases, it becomes clear that even small inefficiencies can lead to delayed payments, increased support load, or even revenue loss.

    • Rename Record Summary PDF in SendMail task

      So I've been tasked with renaming a record summary PDF to be sent as part of a sendmail task. Normally I would offer the manual solution, a user exports the PDF and uploads it to a file upload field, however this is not acceptable to the client in this

    • Text/SMS With Zoho Desk

      Hi Guys- Considering using SMS to get faster responses from customers that we are helping.  Have a bunch of questions; 1) Which provider is better ClickaTell or Screen Magic.  Screen Magic seems easier to setup, but appears to be 2x as expensive for United States.  I cannot find the sender id for Clickatell to even complete the configuration. 2) Can customer's reply to text messages?  If so are responses linked back to the zoho ticket?  If not, how are you handling this, a simple "DO NOT REPLY" as

    • Custom Field in Zoho Projects pulling into Analytics

      We have a client that we have built our their new business process using Zoho Projects, and we have build a lot of custom fields with their their Projects where they are capturing specific data points that we want to be able to track and pull data, as

    • Marketer's Space - Holiday season email marketing tips you should know

      Hello Marketers! Welcome back to another post in Marketer's Space! 'Tis the season—that time of the year everyone eagerly anticipates. While most look forward to relaxing, marketers will be super-busy from late November to early January. Mistakes can

    • Zia Competitor Alerts made easy with Zia's suggestions

      Hi everyone, In addition to the existing manually added competitors, Zia will now find your competitors for you - instantly. Earlier, you had to identify competitors through research manually, support tickets, or tradeshows—a time-consuming process that

    • Add Custom Field Inside Parts Section

      How to Add Custom Field Inside Parts Section in Workorder like Category and Sub- Category

    • Zoho CRM Community Digest October 2025 | Part 2

      Hello Everyone! From new mobile capabilities and smarter integrations to real-world workflow fixes and developer insights, all the highlights from the second half of October is covered right here. Let’s dive in. Product Updates: Zoho CRM Mobile Updates:

    • Understanding Zoho Contracts

      Effective contract management relies on systems that are structured, organized, and reliable. Every feature, workflow, rule, and restriction in Zoho Contracts are designed the way they are to ensure consistency, compliance, and control across every stage

    • Tip of the Week #76– Automate your inbox during vacation in Zoho TeamInbox

      When you're on vacation or away from your desk, the last thing you want is for important emails to be missed or left unanswered. The good news is, you can easily set up rules in Zoho TeamInbox to assign incoming messages automatically to a teammate who's

    • Domain restriction for User Management actions in Zoho One

      Greetings, Zoho One Admins! To strengthen account security further and safeguard user management settings, we are imposing domain-based restrictions for user account-focused admin actions in Zoho One. In addition to password reset of user, organization

    • Zoho Mail iOS app update: Signature

      Hello everyone! In the latest version(3.1.7) of the Zoho Mail app update, we have brought in support to create, edit and remove signature within the app. You can create signature from the compose screen as well as from within the Settings module(inside

    • Desktop app doesn't support notecards created on Android

      Hi, Does anybody have same problem? Some of last notecards created on Android app (v. 6.6) doesn't show in desktop app (v. 3.5.5). I see these note cards but whith they appear with exclamation mark in yellow triangle (see screenshot) and when I try to

    • Approval Button in Subform

      Hi Team, I’m working on a subform-based requirement where users will submit requests, and these requests must go through approval by multiple team managers. Each line item in the subform needs to be individually approved or declined based on the user's

    • Next Page