Introduction
This guide covers the end-to-end process of migrating from a personal account to a professional domain-based email system.
How to enter Admin Console
- Enter Zoho Mail Admin Console and login.
- From Mail Admin Console, click user icon (top-right) and select Admin Console
Why? The Admin Console is the central hub for managing users, security policies, and domain-level configurations for your entire organization.
1. Domain and Records Setup
Adding New Domain to Zoho
- Click the plus icon to add new domain
- Select Configuration manually
- Copy TXT Name / Host and TXT Value / Content
- Enter Cloudflare dashboard -> domain -> and select your site domain -> DNS -> Records
- Click Add Record
- Type = TXT and paste the Host and TXT Value you just copied from Zoho.
- TTL = Auto.
The wait should be instant. Now at the domain listing, the Status should say Yet to point MX Records
Why? This TXT record acts as a "digital handshake," proving to Zoho that you have administrative control over the domain before they allow you to create mailboxes on it.
Adding MX Records
- In Zoho Admin Console -> Domains -> Your site -> Email Configuration -> MX -> Configure manually and copy all three records
- Go back to Cloudflare and add more records with this data the same way you added domain to Zoho
Why? MX (Mail Exchange) records are the internet's traffic controllers. They tell other mail servers exactly where to deliver emails sent to your domain.
Adding SPF Record
Do it the same way as the previous records.
Why? SPF (Sender Policy Framework) prevents "email spoofing" by listing the specific servers authorized to send mail from your domain. This keeps your messages out of the recipient's spam folder.
Adding DKIM Record
To set up DKIM, you first need to generate a unique digital "key" for your domain, which Zoho refers to as a Selector.
- Click the + Add button
- Enter Selector name e.g., zoho-silfa.
- Set the key length to 2048 bits for the best security and to ensure your emails aren't rejected by modern providers.
- Click Add
- Zoho will generate a TXT Name/Host like zoho-silfa._domainkey, click on it and you'll see long value string.
- Add this as a new TXT record in your Cloudflare DNS records.
Why? DKIM adds a cryptographic signature to your headers. It ensures that the content of your email wasn't tampered with in transit between your server and the recipient.
2. Zoho Email
- In the Admin Console, select the Users menu
- Click the current user, select Mailbox Settings -> Email Alias
- Add new alias using your prefer information and check Set as Mailbox Address (making the email primary identity within Zoho).
Upgrade to Zoho Workspace Standard
- Go to Zoho Pricing and select Workplace Standard.
- Complete the purchase
At this point, you could test sending an email to your Zoho email and it should go to your Zoho Mail inbox.
3. Setup DMARC Record
Now that you can receive Zoho email (at you@yoursite.com), you have a valid internal address to handle the security reports Zoho will generate.
In your Zoho Admin Colsole, go to Domains -> your site -> Email Configuration -> DMARC.
Use the following settings:
- Action to be taken when DMARC validation fails: Do nothing to the emails
- Aggregate notification email address: you@yoursite.com
- Foresic notification email address: you@yoursite.com
- Action to be taken when DMARC validation fails for subdomains: Do nothing to the emails
- Policy percentage: blank
- Alignment for SPF: Relaxed
- Alignment for DKIM: Relaxed
- Clik Generate
Add The Record to CloudFlare
Go back to Cloudflare dashboard -> Domains -> Your domain -> DNS -> Records
- Add new record
- Type: TXT, and copy the name and content from Zoho accordingly
- Save
- Go back to Zoho and click Verify