Isolation (CBI)

Transferring and Viewing Files in Isolation

Watch a video about transferring and viewing files in an isolation browser.

Isolation gives you the ability to render, transfer, download, view, and print web pages, inline content, and files. These controls are available in the Isolation Bar.

Different rendering methods of web pages may provide different results for files viewed in Isolation, especially if you have Turbo Mode enabled for your isolation profile. To learn more, see Using Turbo Mode for Isolation.

Files that you render within isolation are not rendered in their original format, but are converted into a PDF in the isolation browser and then rendered for viewing. The isolation browser provides a secure area called Protected Storage, where certain files can be rendered and held temporarily for the duration of the isolation session. You can view available file types in isolation in both Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox browsers.

Enable File Controls for Your Isolation Profile

Before you can begin downloading, uploading, or viewing files within isolation, make sure the Security Controls for your Zscaler Internet Access (ZIA) or Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) isolation profile are set to allow you to do so. To learn more, see Creating Isolation Profiles for ZIA and Creating Isolation Profiles for ZPA.

File Type Capabilities in Isolation

The lists below show the different file types and what you can do with them while they are in isolation.

You can upload and download the following file types to your Protected Storage and your device, and you can open them directly to render and view while in isolation:

Video formats: .MP4, .OGG, . WEBM, .WAV
Audio formats: .MP3, .WAV, .OGG
Document formats: .PDF, .TXT, .DOC, .DOCX, .XLS, .XLSX, .PPTX, .PPT, .ODT, .ODS, .ODP
Image formats: .JPG, .PNG, .GIF, .BMP, .SVG, .ICO, .WEBP, .APNG
Compressed formats: .ZIP, .TAR, .7Z, .RAR
Other formats: .JSON, .XML, .HTML, .CSV, .RTF, .VSDX

If a user accesses an Office file or password-protected file, they are prompted to enter the file-specific password. Then the file is rendered on the isolation browser for the duration of the isolated session.

Depending on the mobile device used, some file types such as PDFs require the user to allow pop-ups on their device. To learn more, see Mobile User Experience in Isolation and Ranges & Limitations.

You cannot render or view the following file types in isolation. However, you can still download or upload them directly to and from your device:

Video formats: .AVI, .MOV, .WMV, .AVIF, .M4V, .M4A, .MKV, .OGV, .OGA
Image formats: .TIFF, .MNG, .CUR

Downloading and Viewing Files in Isolation

The file size limit for downloading and uploading files in an isolated session is 1 GB. To learn more, see Ranges & Limitations.

Depending on the policies related to your isolation profile settings, some files might not be viewable or downloadable in isolation. To learn more, see Sandbox Integration with Isolation.

To download and view a file during an isolated session:

Download a file while in isolation as you would in a normal browser window.
Depending on your isolation profile settings, the file downloads either directly to your isolation browser's temporary Protected Storage or to your device's local storage. To learn more, see Creating Isolation Profiles for ZIA and Creating Isolation Profiles for ZPA.
Go to the Isolation Bar and click Show Saved Files.
From the list of downloads, double-click the file. A new tab within the isolation browser opens to display the rendered file for viewing.

Printing Content in Isolation

You can print web pages, inline content, and files from an isolated browser.

Disabling the printing feature for an isolation profile disables all possibility of being able to print the web page or document that is rendered in isolation. When printing is disabled on an isolation profile, the user cannot see the print option from the right-click menu or the print button in the Isolation Bar. If the user tries to select File > Print from the browser menu, or enter the key command CTRL/CMD+P shortcut, a message appears noting that this ability is disabled by policy.

To print Office files from your isolated browser:

Click the Print button on the Isolation Bar or use the right-click menu.
You can also use the commands Ctrl+P on Windows devices or Cmd+P on Mac devices.
Depending on what you are trying to print, different settings windows appear before the Print preview.
- If you are printing a web page or hyperlink that requires choosing sections of the page to print, the Print checklist appears.
  In the Print checklist:
  1. Select the sections of the web page to print. The isolated browser automatically creates sections of the page to choose from.
  2. Click Print. When in mobile isolation, the appearance of the print button depends on the mobile device. To learn more, see Mobile User Experience in Isolation.
    See image.
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- If you are printing Office files, the Office file settings window appears.
  In the Office file settings window:
  1. Select the number of Pages to print: all, current page, current view, or specific pages.
  2. (Optional) Select the checkboxes to include comments or annotations.
  3. Select the Print Quality: High or Normal.
  4. (Optional) Select the option to Add Watermark.
  5. Click Print.

See image.

The Print details window appears in a new tab in the isolation browser.
In the Print details window:
1. If printing inline content, select the number of pages to print: All, or a quantity from the drop-down menu.
2. Select the Layout: Portrait or Landscape.
3. Select the Paper size for the print job.
4. Select the number of Pages per sheet.
5. Select the Margins of the printed page(s): Choose the Default or enter your own dimensions.
6. Select the Scale of the printed page(s): Choose the Default or enter your own dimensions.
7. Select the checkbox for Header and footers and Background graphics.
8. Click Print.