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Workday User Guide
Last Updated: 2023-06-23
Concept: Managing Files and Folders in Drive

Concept: Managing Files and Folders in Drive

This table summarizes the primary actions that you can do with files and folders in Drive, if:
  • You have the appropriate permissions.
  • The administrator selected to manage that file type when setting up Drive.
  • Drive supports the action for that file type.
  • The application (such as Workday Slides or Workday Worksheets) is available on your system.
The table also lists actions you can do to customize the Drive user interface.
Available actions can vary depending on whether you're using the mobile app or the web browser. The table lists actions that are available on the web browser.
Action
Notes
Upload files
Convert files to Worksheets workbooks
Select
Add New
Upload
, or drag one or more files into the Drive page.
Drive automatically converts uploaded files to Worksheets workbooks if the file has the type XLS, XLSX, CSV, or HTML.
Drive automatically scans items for viruses when you upload them. Virus scanning doesn't apply to media files (videos and packaged content).
Create Worksheets workbook
From Drive, select
Add New
Workbook
to create a new blank workbook.
From a Workday report, select
Export to Worksheets
to export Workday report data to create a new workbook.
Create Workday Slides presentation
Select
Add New
Presentation
.
Create Workday Docs document template
Select
Add New
Document Template
.
Create a discovery board
Select
Add New
Discovery Board
.
Create a notification template
Select
Add New
Notification Template
.
Preview or open a file
Select an item and then click
Open
, or double-click the item.
You can preview these item types:
  • DOC
  • DOCX
  • GIF
  • JPEG
  • JPG
  • PDF
  • PNG
Download a file
Download options depend on whether download is enabled for that particular file type:
  • For supported items, select the item and then click
    Download
    .
  • For item types that don't have a viewer or previewer, when you double-click the item name you can download it.
  • For item types such as workbooks, Slides presentations, and notification templates, open the item and select
    File
    Download As
    , then select an available file type.
Filter the display of items
Select one of the views along the left side of the home page to see items in those categories, or click the
Filter
button at the top right for additional filtering options. Note that the My Files view is merely a filter that shows items you own; we don't recommend using this view for managing Drive items.
Share a file using a link (URL)
You can share a file with many users at once by giving them a link, which you generate in the
Share
dialog.
For each item that you want to share, make sure the recipient has permission to access that type of item in Workday. Example: If you want to share a Worksheets workbook, the person you're sharing with must have access to the Workday Worksheets product.
  1. Select a file in Drive, and click
    Share
    .
  2. Enable the
    Link Sharing
    option if it isn't already enabled. The ability to use link sharing is a system setting. If you don't see the option, check with your administrator to ensure that it's enabled.
  3. Select the permission level. Everyone who accesses the file using the link will have this level of access to the file.
  4. Click
    Copy Link
    . Give this URL to people you want to share the file with.
When using link sharing, consider:
  • Drive supports link sharing for all Drive file types except discovery boards. You can't share folders using a link.
  • Some items (such as Worksheets workbooks or notification templates) require additional security permissions in order for the sharing recipient to view them.
  • Unlike sharing with individual users, when you share an item using a link, Workday doesn't send notifications. You might want to notify people that you shared an item with them; for example, you can email them a link.
  • If you enable link sharing for an item, any user with access to the related application can access the item if they have the URL.
  • In Drive, files that you share using a link display a
    Link
    icon next to the
    Who Has Access
    avatars. You can open the
    Share
    dialog by clicking the icon or an avatar.
  • If someone shares a file with you by sending you a link, the shared file doesn't display in Drive or in search results. The file displays in Drive only if they shared with you using the
    Share With Individuals
    area in the
    Share
    dialog.
  • If you change the permission level for the item later, the level of access updates immediately. Example: You originally set the Edit permission level and gave the link to Cara, who is now editing the file. If you change the link sharing permission level to View, Cara's permission changes immediately and she can no longer edit the file.
  • Individual file sharing settings in the
    Share with Others
    area of the
    Share
    dialog remain active if you turn off link sharing.
  • If you use link sharing for an item, and you also share it with individual users or groups, the person gets the highest of the possible permission levels. Example: You share a file with Bibi individually and give her View access. You also use link sharing and you set the permission level to Edit. Bibi has Edit permission for the file. If you later turn off link sharing, Bibi continues to have the View permission that you specified for her individually.
Share an item with security groups
You can share an item with groups of users by typing the security group names in the
Share
dialog. The ability to use group sharing is a system setting for each Drive item type. If you don't see the option, check with your administrator to ensure that it's enabled.
For each item that you want to share, make sure the recipient has permission to access that type of item in Workday. Example: If you want to share a Worksheets workbook, the person you're sharing with must have access to the Workday Worksheets product.
  1. Select an item in Drive, and click
    Share
    .
  2. In the
    Share with Groups
    area, select a permission level for the item in the
    Permissions
    drop-down menu.
  3. In the
    Share with Groups
    area, type the names of the groups that you want to share the item with.
  4. (Optional) If you're the item owner, you can click
    Advanced
    to select whether or not to let editors share the file, and whether to let commenters and viewers copy or print/download the file. These options aren't applicable to folders: all users you give folder edit access to can add, remove, and change permission for contributors; all users you share the folder with can download, copy, and print files in the folder.
When sharing with security groups, consider:
  • Drive supports sharing with security groups for all Drive item types, including folders.
  • Unlike sharing with individual users, when you share an item with a group, Workday doesn't send notifications. You might want to notify people that you shared an item with them; for example, you can email them a link.
  • You can view and manage which groups have access (and the level of access) to a group-shared file in the
    Who Has Access
    tab of the
    Share
    dialog.
  • If you gain or lose membership in a group, you automatically gain or lose access to items that someone shared with that group.
  • If you use link sharing for an item, and you also share an item with a group, the group member gets the highest of the possible permission levels. Example: You share a file with the Managers group, which Bibi is a member of, and give the group View access; you also use link sharing and you set the permission level to Edit. Bibi has Edit permission for the file. If you later turn off link sharing, Bibi continues to have the View permission that you specified for the Managers group.
  • In general, groups that you share files with can see any data in the files, except:
    • For discovery boards, row level security applies, and groups see only the data they have access to.
    • For workbooks, you can hide content, but if you allow users to copy the workbook, they can unhide the content after copying the workbook.
Share an item with individual users
You can share items in Drive with individual users. Sharing with individual users enables you to set a specific permission level for the person.
For each item that you want to share, make sure the recipient has permission to access that type of item in Workday. Example: If you want to share a Worksheets workbook, the person you're sharing with must have access to the Workday Worksheets product.
  1. Select a file in Drive, and click
    Share
    .
  2. In the
    Share with Individuals
    area, select a permission level for the item in the
    Permissions
    drop-down, then enter the names of the users that you want to share the item with.
  3. (Optional) Type a message for the users you're sharing with. The message displays in the Workday notification that the users receive after you click
    OK
    .
  4. (Optional) If you're the item owner, you can click
    Advanced
    to select whether or not to let editors share the file, and whether to let commenters and viewers copy or print/download the file. Media (video and packaged content) files have an additional administrator setting that determines whether owners can allow viewers and commenters to copy or download. If the option to allow copy, download, and print is grayed out, this indicates that the administrator disabled the action.
These special considerations apply for folder sharing:
  • All users you give folder edit access to can add, remove, and change permission for contributors.
  • All users you share the folder with can download, copy, and print files in the folder.
When sharing with individual users, consider:
  • Drive supports sharing files with individual users for all Drive item types, including folders.
  • If you use link sharing for an item, and you also share an item with individual users or groups, the person gets the highest of the possible permission levels. Example: You share a file with Bibi individually and give her View access; you also use link sharing and you set the permission level to Edit. Bibi has Edit permission for the file. If you later turn off link sharing, Bibi continues to have the View permission that you specified for her individually.
  • If you change the permission level for the item later, the level of access updates immediately. Example: You originally gave Can Edit permission to Cara, who is now editing the file. If you change the permission level to View, Cara's permission changes immediately and she can no longer edit the file.
  • When you share an item, the user receives a Workday notification and an email (if your administrator enabled email notifications).
  • In general, users that you share files with can see any data in the files, except:
    • For discovery boards, row level security applies, and users see only the data that they have access to.
    • For workbooks, you can hide content, but if you let users copy the workbook, they can unhide the content after copying the workbook.
Edit an item
For item types that provide an editor, you can double-click the item name to open and edit it.
For videos:
  1. Double-click the file to open the
    View Media
    page.
  2. Click
    Edit Media
    .
Move an item
Select the item and click
Move
; then navigate to the location where you want to put the file.
Copy an item
When you copy a file in the Drive user interface, the default destination is the location of the original file. You can navigate to a different location from the Copy dialog. When you're copying an item from within one of the integrating applications, such as copying a workbook from the Worksheets user interface or a presentation from Slides, the default destination might vary from what you see in Drive.
Rename an item
Right-click the item name and select
Rename
.
For video files:
  1. Double-click the file to open the
    View Media
    page.
  2. Click
    Edit Media
    .
  3. Click the pencil (Rename) icon to rename the file.
The
Edit Media
button displays for videos (but not packaged content) if these conditions exist:
  • You have the
    Manage: Media
    level of access.
  • You're the owner of the video or the owner gave you edit permission.
Renaming an item in Drive updates the file name:
  • In Drive.
  • When someone opens the item using a shared link or directly in Drive.
In a Help article, if you attached a Drive file or added a link from a Drive file, the file continues to open after being renamed. We recommend that you update the value in the
Text
field to match the renamed file. Example:
  1. In an article, use
    Insert Link
    to link to a file in Drive, or use
    Insert Media or File
    Select from Drive
    to attach the Drive file
    2022 Results
    to an article. In the
    Text
    field, type
    2022 Results
    .
  2. Rename the file in Drive to
    2023 Results
    .
  3. Navigate to the article in the Help Article Workspace, select to
    Edit
    the article, and update the value in the
    Text
    field to
    2023 Results
    .
Replace an item
Select the item and click
Replace
; then navigate to the replacement file.
The replace action preserves sharing permissions and the link to the file. When a user selects a link that previously opened the original file, it opens the replacement file instead.
Drive currently doesn't support these files for replacement:
  • Discovery boards
  • Document templates
  • Media files (ZIP, SCORM, and video/audio files)
  • Notification templates
  • Slides presentations
  • Worksheets workbooks and templates
As you use the new feature, consider:
  • Drive doesn't save the original, replaced file after it's replaced.
  • For file types that Drive automatically converts to Workday files, such as converting XLSX or CSV files to Worksheets workbooks, the conversion does not occur for the new replaced files.
  • The replacement file type must be the same as the original file type.
  • You can rename a file during the replace action.
  • You can't undo the replace action.
  • In a Help article, if you used
    Insert Media or File
    Select from Drive
    to attach a Drive file to the article, Drive doesn't replace the attached file with the new file. An attached file is a
    copy
    of the original Drive file and isn't associated with the file in the article.
  • In a Help article, if you used
    Insert Link
    to add a link to a Drive file, we recommend that you update the value in the
    Text
    field to correspond to the renamed file. Drive doesn't update the
    Text
    field with the name of the replaced file.
Remove to the
Trash
folder and recover from the trash
From the Drive Home page, right-click the file or folder and select
Remove
to move it to the
Trash
folder. After you move an item to the trash, no other users can access it even if you previously shared it with them.
To restore an item, from the Drive Home view select the
Trash
icon. Select the row containing the item and then click the
Restore
icon. Workday places restored items in the Drive Home view.
If you remove an item that someone shared with you, you remove yourself from the list of shared users. The item disappears from your file view and it doesn't display in the
Trash
.
Administrators can permanently delete some types of items from Drive.
Transfer ownership of individual files or folders
Make sure that you already shared the item with the person you want to transfer ownership to. Then select to
Share
the item, and select
Transfer Ownership
in the permissions drop-down list for that user.
When you transfer ownership:
  • Your permission level for the item changes to Can Edit.
  • The new owner has the ability to remove your access.
  • If the transferred item is a Worksheets workbook:
    • You won't be able to edit any protected ranges.
    • Worksheets cancels any existing live data update schedules; the new owner must create a new schedule.
Only individual users (not groups) can own items in Drive.
Transfer ownership of several workbooks
Only administrators can do this action. See
Transfer Ownership of Drive Items to a Different User
in the Administrator Guide, if you have the appropriate permissions, for details.
Customize the navigation pane
Click the
Settings
icon to:
  • Assign a default (home page) view for Drive by dragging the item to the top of the list. The new default view displays when you sign in to Workday and navigate to Drive. If you open an item and then return to Drive, Drive shows the last used view.
  • Reorder the standard filters in the navigation pane by dragging them to the desired position, or hide items by dragging them into the
    Hidden Menu Items
    list.
  • Add one or more folders to the navigation pane for quick access, by clicking the
    Add Folder
    link. You can add up to 10 folders in the visible list of filters, and up to 100 folders total, including items in the
    Hidden Menu Items
    list.
Navigate to a user profile from a Drive item
Click the link on the:
  • Info dialog
    Owner
    ,
    Created By
    , and
    Last Modified
    fields.
  • Share dialog
    Who Has Access
    field.
The user information displays as regular text when the applicable user is the same as the user viewing the item.
Collapse or expand the right pane
Click the arrow icon on the right pane divider.