Step 1 - Find your unique CNAME

Once you've signed up with Zoho, you'll need to verify that you own the domain name by adding records to your domain. Note: When you first sign up for Zoho, you'll follow a setup wizard that takes you directly to your unique CNAME, so you can skip to Step 2.

  1. Log into the Zoho Control Panel by selecting Mail & Docs from the Control Panel drop-down.
  2. Click Domains.
  3. Click Add Domain.
  4. Enter your domain, and click OK.
  5. Click the Status icon.
  6. In Domain Setup, copy your unique CNAME from the table on the page.

Step 2 - Add a CNAME record

  1. In the Home Menu, click Settings, then Domains.
  2. Click the domain you're linking with Zoho, and then click Advanced Settings to open this domain's DNS records.
  3. Scroll down to Custom Records and select CNAME from the drop-down menu.
  4. Add your CNAME records:
    1. In the www field, paste/add your unique Zoho CNAME.
    2. In the Enter alias data field, enter zmverify.zoho.com.
    3. Click Add.
  5. Don't delete other CNAMEs that you may have added previously.
  6. Click Save at the top of the page.

Step 3 - Add preset MX records

  1. In the same Advanced Settings panel, select Zoho Mail MX records from the Add Presets drop-down menu.
  2. You'll now have two MX records allowing you to send and receive mail from your Zoho account.

Note: It can take 30 to 45 minutes for any DNS changes to process.


Step 4 - Verify your domain

  1. In your Zoho account, click Verify by CNAME at the bottom of the Domain Setup screen.
  2. When your Zoho DNS Zone is updated, you'll see a success message.
  3. On this page, create the administrator email address you'll use for Zoho. This will be the first part of your custom email address, like username@yourdomain.com.
  4. Click Create Account to complete the setup.