Zoho Mail + Amazon Route 53

Set up Zoho Mail on Amazon Route 53

The records Zoho Mail needs, written with the field names Amazon Route 53 uses (Record name, Value), in the order to add them.

  • 5 steps
  • 7 DNS records

Not sure of your region? Check the address you sign in at: accounts.zoho.com, accounts.zoho.eu, accounts.zoho.in, accounts.zoho.com.au, accounts.zoho.jp, accounts.zohocloud.ca, accounts.zoho.sa.

Before you start

  1. Have your Zoho Mail account ready. Some values are unique to your account and come from the Zoho Mail Admin Console .
  2. Open DNS at Amazon Route 53: Open the Route 53 console and select Registered domains, then your domain. Select Manage DNS, then the hosted zone for your domain. If no hosted zone exists, create one first.
  3. Keep both tabs open and add the records below one at a time.

Records to add

Copy each value with the button next to it. Rows marked “Copy from Zoho Mail Admin Console” are unique to your account.

Domain verification Proves you own the domain Type TXT Record name Leave empty Value Copy from Zoho Mail Admin Console Looks like: zoho-verification=zb followed by a unique code and .zmverify.zoho. Priority n/a TTL Default
MX records Where incoming email goes Type MX Record name Leave empty Value 10 mx.zoho.com Priority in the value TTL Default
MX records Where incoming email goes Type MX Record name Leave empty Value 20 mx2.zoho.com Priority in the value TTL Default
MX records Where incoming email goes Type MX Record name Leave empty Value 50 mx3.zoho.com Priority in the value TTL Default
SPF record Which servers may send as you Type TXT Record name Leave empty Value "v=spf1 include:zohomail.com -all" Priority n/a TTL Default
DKIM A signature on every message Type TXT Record name <selector>._domainkey Value Copy from Zoho Mail Admin Console Priority n/a TTL Default
DMARC record What to do with fakes · recommended Type TXT Record name _dmarc Value "v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com" Priority n/a TTL Default

Step by step in Amazon Route 53

Verify your domain

Your email provider needs proof that you control this domain before it accepts email for it.

Type
TXT
Record name
Leave this field empty
Value
Copy it from Zoho Mail Admin Console (see below)

Where to find your value

In the Zoho Mail Admin Console (mailadmin.zoho.com) open Domains, select your domain and go to Verify Domain Ownership. Choose TXT from the drop-down to see your value.

It looks like: zoho-verification=zb followed by a unique code and .zmverify.zoho.

  • Enter @ or leave the host blank.

3 more notes from Zoho Mail on this record

In Amazon Route 53

  1. Select Create record.
  2. Enter the Record name (leave it empty for your bare domain) and choose TXT.
  3. In Value, enter the text inside double quotes. If you already have a TXT record on that name, add the new value as another line in the same record.
  4. Select Create records.

Point your MX records

MX records tell other mail servers where to deliver your email. How MX works

Type
MX
Record name
Leave this field empty
Value
10 mx.zoho.com
  • Remove existing MX records first. Records from a previous provider with equal or higher priority (such as 0 or 5) can stop mail reaching Zoho.
Type
MX
Record name
Leave this field empty
Value
20 mx2.zoho.com
Type
MX
Record name
Leave this field empty
Value
50 mx3.zoho.com

1 more note from Zoho Mail on this record

In Amazon Route 53

  1. In the hosted zone, select Create record.
  2. Leave Record name empty, choose MX as Record type, and keep Simple routing.
  3. In Value, enter the priority, a space, then the mail server (for example 10 mail.example.com). Put each mail server on its own line in the same record.
  4. Select Create records, then delete any older MX records.
  5. Repeat for each MX record above.

Add the SPF record

SPF lists the services allowed to send email as you. How SPF works

Type
TXT
Record name
Leave this field empty
Value
"v=spf1 include:zohomail.com -all"
  • Keep only one SPF record and stay under 10 DNS lookups.

1 more note from Zoho Mail on this record

In Amazon Route 53

  1. Select Create record.
  2. Enter the Record name (leave it empty for your bare domain) and choose TXT.
  3. In Value, enter the text inside double quotes. If you already have a TXT record on that name, add the new value as another line in the same record.
  4. Select Create records.
  5. Repeat for each TXT record above.

Set up DKIM

DKIM signs your mail so receivers can trust it. How DKIM works

Type
TXT
Record name
<selector>._domainkey
Value
Copy it from Zoho Mail Admin Console (see below)

Record name: The selector is the name you type when adding DKIM in Zoho. Zoho's example is zoho, which gives the host zoho._domainkey.

Where to find your value

In the Zoho Mail Admin Console go to Domains, select your domain, open the Email Configuration tab and select DKIM. Click Add, enter a selector, choose a 1024 or 2048-bit key, and copy the TXT value.

  • After the record is published, click Verify for the selector in Zoho, then enable DKIM.

1 more note from Zoho Mail on this record

In Amazon Route 53

  1. Select Create record.
  2. Enter the Record name (leave it empty for your bare domain) and choose TXT.
  3. In Value, enter the text inside double quotes. If you already have a TXT record on that name, add the new value as another line in the same record.
  4. Select Create records.

Add the DMARC record (recommended)

DMARC tells receivers what to do with mail that fakes your domain. How DMARC works

Type
TXT
Record name
_dmarc
Value
"v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:dmarc@yourdomain.com"
  • Roll out in phases: p=none (reports only), then p=quarantine, then p=reject, raising pct gradually.

3 more notes from Zoho Mail on this record

In Amazon Route 53

  1. Select Create record.
  2. Enter the Record name (leave it empty for your bare domain) and choose TXT.
  3. In Value, enter the text inside double quotes. If you already have a TXT record on that name, add the new value as another line in the same record.
  4. Select Create records.

Check your setup

Once the records are saved, run a live check. We look up your domain in public DNS and tell you what is right, missing or wrong, with the fix in Amazon Route 53’s words.

We only read public DNS records. Nothing is stored.

Common mistakes with Zoho Mail on Amazon Route 53

Using US MX values for a non-US account

The MX domain ending changes with your Zoho data center. If you signed up in the EU, India or another region, copy the values from your Admin Console.

Keeping old MX records with a low number

Records from a previous provider with equal or higher priority (such as 0 or 5) can stop mail reaching Zoho. Delete them.

Amazon Route 53: One TXT record per name

With simple routing, Route 53 keeps all TXT values for a name in the same record, one value per line. Add SPF next to a verification value instead of creating a second TXT record.

Amazon Route 53: Split long TXT values

A single quoted string can hold up to 255 characters. Split longer values, such as DKIM keys, into quoted pieces on one line: "part one" "part two".

3 more Zoho Mail mistakes to avoid

Visit Zoho Mail Visit Amazon Route 53

Zoho Mail on Amazon Route 53: questions

Where do I add Zoho Mail DNS records in Amazon Route 53?

Open the Route 53 console and select Registered domains, then your domain. Select Manage DNS, then the hosted zone for your domain. If no hosted zone exists, create one first. Add each record there, one at a time.

What goes in the Record name field at Amazon Route 53?

Leave it empty for records on your bare domain, such as MX and SPF. For the others, enter only the part before your domain, for example _dmarc. Amazon Route 53 adds your domain automatically.

Do I need to delete my existing MX records at Amazon Route 53?

Remove existing MX records first. Records from a previous provider with equal or higher priority (such as 0 or 5) can stop mail reaching Zoho.

How long until Zoho Mail works on Amazon Route 53?

MX changes can take an hour or two to take effect. SPF and DKIM can take 4 to 48 hours.

Sources

Every value and step on this page comes from these official pages. Dashboards change, so if something doesn’t match what you see, tell us.

Amazon Route 53 steps and tips

Some of these are other email providers' official guides for Amazon Route 53. They describe the same Amazon Route 53 dashboard.

Zoho Mail on other hosts

Other email providers on Amazon Route 53