If activated on your domain, Google Workspace's client-side encryption (CSE) allows specific Google Drive users to encrypt any kind of content (Google and non-Google files) without providing Google with the encryption keys.

Using client-side encryption impacts some features in both Google Drive and AODocs. The main restrictions to functionality concern the following features:

• Copy
  In Google Drive there are restrictions to the ability to copy encrypted files. As a result, any AODocs features that involve copying files don't work as expected. This includes copying and exporting documents, checking out documents, copying libraries. and creating new versions of documents.
• Access the content of files
  Google Drive and AODocs can't access any encrypted content. As a result, any features that involve reading or extracting the content of files don't work with encrypted files. This includes search engines and displaying content in thumbnail images. 

Important: We recommend not using CSE with AODocs for the moment.
Although it is possible to use Google attachments encrypted with CSE in AODocs, some important AODocs features are rendered unusable or inconsistent by CSE. The product team is working towards improving support of CSE.

This article specifies which AODocs features are impacted and how.

For more information, contact your AODocs sales representative or send an email to sales@aodocs.com.

This article describes how using CSE affects the following features:

Automatically generated table of contents

Search documents

❌ When you search for documents in AODocs, any documents with encrypted attachments whose content matches the search criteria don't show in the search results.

You can search for documents:

• on the AODocs homepage – this search applies to documents across all your libraries; if a document with encrypted attachments matches the search criteria through its unencrypted attachments or the document name, it shows in the results.

Search field on the AODocs homepage

• on the library homepage – this search applies to the default view; if a document with encrypted attachments matches the search criteria through its unencrypted attachments, property values or the document name, it shows in the results.

Search field on the library homepage (search is applied in the default view)

• in views – this search applies to the current view and functions in the same way as the search for documents from the library homepage.
  Learn more:
  
  • Search for documents in beta views
  • Search for documents in legacy views

Search field in a view

Add document attachments

When adding attachments to a document in the AODocs user interface:

• ✅ you can import existing encrypted files from your My Drive to a document
• ❌ you can't create new Google encrypted files (Google documents, spreadsheets, presentations or drawings) as attachments – you must first create the encrypted file in Google Drive and then attach it to your AODocs document
• ❌ you can't encrypt and upload files from your device (with or without conversion to a Google format)
• ❌ you can't replace an existing encrypted attachment in a document – learn more: Replace existing attachments

Preview and edition

The example below shows a document with two attached files that are client-side encrypted: one is a Google format, the other is a non-Google format.

#Google format	#Non-Google format

The table below shows which preview, edition and download features are available for encrypted attachments in the Google Drive and AODocs interfaces.

Note: Features marked with ❌ are unavailable. Available features marked with ✅ work as expected.

Copy libraries

You can't copy any encrypted content or templates as it results in inconsistencies in the new library.

• Copy the configuration only:
  • ⚠️ If there's one or more encrypted attachment in a template in the source library, inconsistencies can happen. Learn more about creating documents from templates containing one or more encrypted attachments.
  • ✅ You can copy the configuration if there's one or more encrypted attachment in a document in the source library because the attachments aren't copied in any case

• ⚠️ Copy with content (with or without versioning) by API:

If there's one or more encrypted attachment in a document in the source library, the document isn't copied at all, even if it contains unencrypted attachments.

Copy documents

Copy and export

• ❌  The Duplicate menu option and the Copy [current document] option under the New button are unavailable.
• ⚠️ Exporting to another library by copy or transfer results in inconsistencies in the new document. Don't use the export feature with encrypted attachments.
  Learn more: 
  • Export or copy documents from Document Management libraries
  • Export or copy documents or folders from Team Folders or Secured Folders

Create documents from templates

⚠️ Creating documents from templates containing encrypted attachments results in inconsistencies in the new document. Don't configure templates with encrypted attachments.

Check-out / Check-in

❌  If you have one or more client-side encrypted attached files in a document, the Check-out feature is unavailable. If you hover over the option in the More actions menu, a message appears.

Versioning

❌ If you have one or more client-side encrypted attached files in a document:

• the Create new version feature is unavailable – if you hover over the option in the More actions menu, a message appears
• you can't create versions through workflow transitions

Display thumbnails

Google Drive

When you add document attachments using the Google Drive picker, thumbnails mask the content of any encrypted attachments.

AODocs

In AODocs, thumbnails mask the content of any encrypted attachments in the following contexts:

• when you open the Edit/view attachments dialog in views

• when you access attachments directly in beta views using the right side panel

Universal file opener (UFO)

 ❌ You can't edit or view encrypted attachments with UFO. An error message appears.

Integrations (API) and Scripting (custom scripts)

All the features listed above behave similarly when executed from the AODocs REST API or from custom scripts.