Zoho Writer and Workdrive

Zoho Writer and Workdrive

I am finally making the last major step into the Zoho One realm (been for 5 years) by migrating from Google Drive/Docs/Sheets. I'm fairly happy with the other apps, but Writer got me concerned in the first few days of using it.

I installed the Writer desktop app (Windows) and mobile (Android). A client sent me his .docx file; I saved it through desktop Workdrive from his email and opened it in desktop Writer. The right margin is messed up, but I'll look into it later. There is something more important now. 

Am I seeing it right—if I open the .docx file in the mobile Workdrive app, it is view only? I cannot edit it?? Opening a .gdoc from Google Drive automatically launches Google Docs and opens the file for viewing and optional editing, and I expected a similar behavior with Zoho. Instead, I can view in Workdrive but can't send it to Writer for editing...

A bummer, I thought, and went to manually open the Writer app on my phone. The document in question did not appear on the recent list. I refreshed and refreshed... Another bummer. Well, there is a Workdrive icon on top, so I clicked that and saw my folders. Navigated to the one where I saved the file, but it shows empty! More refreshing, and nothing again. I can see the file in Workdrive on both PC and mobile, but not through Writer (double-checked the folder, it is one of "My Folders"). So:

Workdrive: can view, can't edit (by sending to Writer)
Writer: can't view (via Workdrive), can edit (I suppose)

To make it worse, I experienced these discoveries in the field while on assignment from that client. It was embarrassing not to be able to show him that Zoho handles docs as well as Google...

I tried converting .docx into .zdoc, hoping that this will be handled better. Same outcomes.

Please tell me this is not what you're experiencing. I'm hoping for my own fault somewhere, and for being able to use the docs. I want to keep loving Zoho! I hope not to hear "this is in our pipeline", as the tool is at least 5 years old—it was there when I joined, and I can't think that no one else needed such business functionality.

Is it about the separation between My Computer files and Zoho Cloud? Forgive my raised voice: WHY ARE THEY SEPARATED? Why can't computer files sync with the cloud and vice versa in 2025?