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(2025) How to Set Up Free Zoho Business Email: Complete Setup Guide

· 3 min read
dante
dante
Founder of ShipNowKit

Looking to set up a professional business email without spending a dime? This guide walks you through setting up Zoho Mail's free plan, which offers impressive features including 5 user accounts, 5GB storage per user, and a 25MB attachment limit.

Prerequisites​

Before we begin, make sure you have:

  • A registered domain name
  • Access to your domain's DNS settings

Creating Your Zoho Account​

  1. Visit Zoho Mail
  2. Click "Business Email"
  3. Register using your personal email address
  4. Click "SIGN UP FOR FREE"
  5. Complete email verification using the code sent by Zoho

Zoho Registration Page Email Verification

Domain Configuration​

Step 1: Select Free Plan​

After registration, locate and select the free plan option at the bottom of the page. Free Plan Selection Plan Details

Step 2: Domain Setup​

  1. Enter your domain name
  2. Fill in your organization name (this can be any name you choose)
  3. Select your industry Domain Information

Step 3: Domain Verification​

  1. Click "Proceed to domain verification"
  2. Use Zoho's convenient one-click verification by selecting "Log in to my DNS" Domain Verification DNS Login

Note: Using Cloudflare as an example, you'll be redirected to log in. After logging in, simply click "Authorize" to complete the verification. Cloudflare Authorization

Step 4: Create Primary Email​

After verification, you'll be prompted to create your first email account. This will be your primary Zoho account, using the same password you set during registration. Primary Email Setup

Step 5: DNS Configuration​

  1. Skip through "Setup Users" and "Setup Groups" sections

  2. At "DNS Mapping," you'll configure MX, SPF, and DKIM records

  3. Click "Log in to my DNS" for automatic configuration DNS Mapping

  4. Authorize Zoho to add the necessary DNS records DNS Authorization

  5. Click through the remaining steps until you reach the completion page Setup Complete

Keep these two important URLs handy:

  1. Email Access: https://mail.zoho.com/zm/
  • Use this for sending and receiving emails
  1. Admin Console: https://mailadmin.zoho.com
  • Manage your Zoho accounts, domains, and email addresses here

Setting Up Additional Users (Optional)​

For most businesses, we recommend setting up two types of email addresses:

  1. Support Email: (e.g., [email protected])
    • Use this for customer communication
  2. Personal Business Email: (e.g., [email protected])
    • Professional email using your real name
    • Useful for business applications and services

To add new users:

  1. Log into the Zoho Admin Console
  2. Navigate to the Users page
  3. Click "Add User" and follow the prompts Adding Users

Pro Tip: Having a professional email address with your real name can increase approval rates when applying for business services like payment processors.