Set up SPF, DKIM and DMARC for Zoho Mail

What it means

Zoho Mail lets you use email addresses on your own domain, like you@yourdomain.com. To make your emails trusted, your domain needs three records:

• SPF: says that Zoho's servers may send email for your domain.
• DKIM: a key that lets receivers check Zoho's signature on your emails.
• DMARC: tells receivers what to do when the checks fail, and sends you reports.

Zoho does not publish these for you unless your DNS is hosted with it: you add them at your DNS provider.

Why it matters

• Without SPF and DKIM, Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo are more likely to send your emails to spam.
• Gmail and Yahoo expect DMARC from bulk senders.
• Zoho shows the domain as not fully configured until these records are in place.

How to check

Delivmail checks this for you in two ways:

• Send a test email: on the home page (/), copy your unique test address, send it a normal email from the mailbox or tool you want to check, then open the report.
• Use the Domain scanner: type your domain at /domain-scanner to read your SPF, DMARC and MX records without sending anything.

How to fix it

1. Know your Zoho region

Zoho runs separate data centers. Your account address tells you which one: zoho.com, zoho.eu, zoho.in, zoho.com.au and others. The SPF and MX values depend on it. Always confirm them in your Zoho Admin Console.

2. Check your MX records

To receive email, your MX records must point to Zoho, for example for the US region mx.zoho.com, mx2.zoho.com and mx3.zoho.com, or the zoho.eu equivalents in Europe.

3. Add SPF

Add Zoho to your single SPF record. For the US region:

v=spf1 include:zoho.com ~all

For the EU region:

v=spf1 include:zoho.eu ~all

If you already have an SPF record, add the include to it instead of creating a second one.

4. Turn on DKIM

1. In the Zoho Mail Admin Console, open your domain settings and find the DKIM section.
2. Add a selector (a short name, for example zmail). Zoho generates a TXT record.
3. At your DNS provider, add a TXT record at zmail._domainkey with the value Zoho shows. Copy it in one piece.
4. Back in Zoho, click "Verify" and make sure DKIM is enabled for the domain.

5. Add DMARC

Add a TXT record at _dmarc.yourdomain.com:

v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com

Read the reports for a few weeks, then move to quarantine and reject.

Common mistakes

• Using the US values with an EU account (or the reverse).
• DKIM added in DNS but never verified or enabled in Zoho.
• Other tools (newsletters, shop) forgotten in the SPF record.

Check that it is fixed

DNS changes can take from a few minutes to 48 hours. Run the Domain scanner again, then send an email from Zoho Mail to a fresh Delivmail test address. SPF, DKIM and DMARC should all pass for your domain.