Email Setup Wizard

Zoho Mail + Amazon Route 53

Set up Zoho Mail email 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
  • Sources checked October 21, 2026

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.
  • The code is unique to each domain, so a code from another domain won't work.
  • Zoho recommends deleting the verification record once verification succeeds.
  • Zoho also offers a CNAME method: host zb followed by your code, pointing to zmverify.zoho.com.

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 every other mail server where to deliver email for your domain. They must point to your provider and nowhere else.

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.
  • Some hosts need a trailing period on the value.
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

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 is a TXT record that lists the services allowed to send email from your domain, so receivers can spot forgeries.

Type
TXT
Record name
Leave this field empty
Value
"v=spf1 include:zohomail.com -all"
  • Use -all only if Zoho is the only service sending mail for your domain. If others also send, merge every include into one record and end it with ~all, for example v=spf1 include:abc.com include:zohomail.com ~all.
  • Keep only one SPF record and stay under 10 DNS lookups.

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 publishes a public key so receivers can confirm your messages really came from you and were not changed on the way.

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.
  • DKIM can take 4 to 48 hours to propagate.

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 fails SPF and DKIM, and where to send reports about it.

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.
  • Replace the report address with a mailbox you read.
  • Configure SPF and DKIM first. Only one DMARC record is allowed per domain.
  • Zoho can generate the exact record for you under Domains > Email Configuration > DMARC.

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.

Adding a second SPF record

Multiple SPF records can make SPF fail and send mail to spam. Merge every include into one record.

Forgetting to verify and enable DKIM

After publishing the TXT record, click Verify for the selector in Zoho, then enable DKIM.

Publishing more than one DMARC record

Multiple DMARC records cause a permanent error and the policy is ignored. Keep exactly one.

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".

Visit Zoho Mail Visit Amazon Route 53

Rather have someone do it for you?

Tell us your domain and we will add and verify every record for Zoho Mail on Amazon Route 53, then send you the check results.

Request done-for-you setup

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.

Where do I get my Zoho Mail DKIM record?

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.

How long until Zoho Mail email 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.

Zoho Mail on other hosts

Other email providers on Amazon Route 53