Zoho CRM's Data Sharing Rules settings received a significant redesign in Q1 2025, making it faster and simpler to locate, modify, enable, or clone the rules that govern how your CRM data flows across users, roles, and groups.
Why this matters
Every organisation needs precise control over who can see which records — whether that's isolating regional sales teams or giving managers visibility across their reports. Data Sharing Rules in Zoho CRM are the mechanism that enforces those boundaries. When your team structure changes, or when a rule is misconfigured, you need to update those rules quickly and confidently. The refreshed interface introduced in Q1 2025 makes that process considerably more straightforward. [1]
Step-by-step
Step 1. Navigate to Data Sharing Settings.
Log in to Zoho CRM as an administrator and head to your organisation's Settings area. Locate the Data Sharing section — this is the central location for managing how CRM records are shared across the users, roles, and groups defined in your account. [1]
Step 2. Choose the correct tab.
The updated interface now presents two dedicated tabs: one for Default organisation permissions and one for Sharing rules. Select the tab that matches what you need to update — default permissions apply broadly across the org, while sharing rules let you define more granular access. [1]
Step 3. Find the rule you want to update.
Rather than scrolling through a flat list, you can now use the search bar or advanced filters to pinpoint a specific rule. You can also filter the list by module (for example, Leads, Contacts, or Deals) to narrow down results quickly. The detailed list is organised module-wise, so related rules are grouped together for easy reference. [1]
Step 4. Enable or disable a rule with one click.
If you simply need to turn a rule on or off — without editing its criteria — use the one-touch activation/deactivation toggle. A single click changes the rule's active status, so you don't have to open the full edit screen for a quick toggle. [1]
Step 5. Edit an existing rule.
To modify a rule's criteria or conditions, select it from the module-wise list. The detailed view surfaces all the parameters of that rule so you can update access levels, change the roles or groups it applies to, and adjust any conditions before saving. [1]
Step 6. Clone a rule to create a new one quickly.
If you need a new rule that is similar to an existing one, use the clone sharing rules feature rather than building from scratch. Clone the closest matching rule, then adjust the criteria and conditions to suit the new requirement before deploying it across your organisation. This is especially useful when onboarding a new team or territory that mirrors an existing structure. [1]
Step 7. Verify and save.
After making your changes, review the rule summary to confirm the correct modules, roles, groups, and access levels are reflected. Save the rule and confirm it appears correctly in the module-wise list under the Sharing rules tab. [1]
Common pitfalls
- Editing the wrong tab. Default organisation permissions and sharing rules are now separated into distinct tabs. Changing a default permission affects the entire organisation, while a sharing rule targets specific roles or groups. Confirm you are on the right tab before saving. [1]
- Forgetting to activate a cloned rule. Cloned rules may not be active by default. After adjusting the criteria on a cloned rule, use the one-touch toggle to enable it — otherwise it will have no effect on data access. [1]
- Over-relying on module filters. The module filter is a great starting point, but if a rule spans multiple modules or has an unusual name, the search bar or advanced filters will surface it more reliably. [1]
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What to check
- Confirm the rule is active. After saving, verify the toggle in the sharing rules list shows the rule as enabled, not disabled.
- Test access with an affected user. Log in as (or impersonate) a user in the targeted role or group and confirm they can see exactly the records the rule is intended to share — no more, no less.
- Review default permissions. Ensure the organisation-wide defaults under the Default organisation permissions tab are still set correctly, since sharing rules layer on top of those defaults. [1]