Zoho Mail SMTP Settings
Business email from Zoho, with different servers for free and paid plans
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Outgoing mail (SMTP)
SMTP server
smtp.zoho.com
Port. STARTTLS
587
Port. SSL/TLS
465
Security
SSL/TLS on 465 (recommended) or STARTTLS on 587.
Incoming mail (IMAP)
IMAP server
imap.zoho.com
Port. SSL/TLS
993
Incoming mail (POP3)
POP3 server
pop.zoho.com
Port. SSL/TLS
995
Sending limits & login
Daily send limit
Varies by plan: free plans have low daily send limits.
Authentication
Enable IMAP/POP access in Zoho Mail settings first. Use an app-specific password if two-factor auth is on.
App password
Generate one at accounts.zoho.com > Security > App Passwords.
These names fit a free personal Zoho address. A paid account on your own domain needs pro in the name: smtppro.zoho.com, imappro.zoho.com and poppro.zoho.com. Accounts created in Europe live on Zoho's EU data centre and end .zoho.eu instead. Zoho Mail shows the exact pair for your account under Settings > Mail Accounts.
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Zoho Mail SMTP, IMAP and POP3 settings
Zoho Mail is the email part of Zoho's office suite, and it splits its servers by plan: personal and free organisation accounts use imap.zoho.com and smtp.zoho.com, while paid custom-domain accounts use imappro.zoho.com and smtppro.zoho.com. Zoho also switched off IMAP and POP for people who sign up on the free plan now, so those mailboxes work only in the browser and in Zoho's own apps.
For incoming mail, use the IMAP server imap.zoho.com on port 993, or POP3 at pop.zoho.com on port 995. Pick the exact values from the tool above and copy them straight into your mail client.
Checked against Zoho Mail's own documentation: zoho.com, help.zoho.com. Ports and limits change, so check there too if something will not connect.
Zoho Mail settings at a glance
One card with every server and port on it. Right click to save it, or share the page and this is the preview people see.
What to enter as your Zoho Mail username and password
Wrong credentials, not a wrong port, are the usual reason a Zoho Mail connection fails. These are the exact values to type.
Your full Zoho email address, for example you@yourdomain.com for hosted domains or you@zoho.com for personal accounts
Your Zoho account password, or a 12-character application-specific password if multi-factor authentication is on. Zoho recommends the app password for mail clients either way.
Get your application specific passwordHow to set up Zoho Mail in a mail client
The exact path through Zoho Mail's own settings, in order.
- 1
Check your plan actually allows IMAP
Zoho's IMAP help states that for newly signed-up users on the Free plan, the IMAP Access feature is not available, and its POP help says the same about POP. A paid plan is needed before any desktop or phone client can connect.
- 2
Turn on IMAP access in Zoho Mail settings
In Zoho Mail go to Settings > Mail Accounts, click your primary email address in the Mail accounts list, tick the IMAP Access checkbox under the IMAP section and click Save. POP is switched on the same way under POP Access.
- 3
Copy the server names from your own account
Zoho says the precise server details for your account, based on account type and data centre, are shown in the Server Configurations Details section inside your account. Use those names rather than assuming the .com ones.
- 4
Create a 12-character app password if two-factor authentication is on
Sign in at https://accounts.zoho.com, open Security > Application Specific Passwords, click Generate New Password, name it and copy the 12-character passcode. Zoho shows it once only.
- 5
Enter the server settings in your mail client
Paid organisation accounts: imappro.zoho.com port 993 with SSL and smtppro.zoho.com port 465 with SSL or 587 with TLS. Personal and free organisation accounts: imap.zoho.com, pop.zoho.com port 995 and smtp.zoho.com on the same outgoing ports.
What Zoho Mail looks like filled in
Every mail client asks for the same handful of fields. Here they are with Zoho Mail's values already in place.
Account settings: Zoho Mail
Server
smtp.zoho.comPort
465Encryption
SSL/TLSAuthentication
RequiredUsername
Your full Zoho email address, for example you@yourdomain.com for hosted domains or you@zoho.com for personal accountsPassword
Your Zoho account password, or a 12-character application-specific password if multi-factor authentication is on. Zoho recommends the app password for mail clients either way.Server
imap.zoho.comPort
993Encryption
SSL/TLSAn illustration of the fields, not a screenshot of any one app. Field names differ slightly between Outlook, Apple Mail and Thunderbird; the values do not.
Zoho Mail SMTP settings in Thunderbird
The outgoing server dialog with Zoho Mail's details entered. Outlook and Apple Mail ask for the same four things under slightly different names.
Which port should you use for Zoho Mail?
SSL/TLS on 465 (recommended) or STARTTLS on 587.
STARTTLS
Starts as a plain connection, then upgrades to an encrypted one. The modern standard for sending.
SSL/TLS
Encrypted from the first byte. Widely supported and a good choice when 587 is blocked.
Plain SMTP
Meant for server-to-server relay. Home networks and cloud hosts block it, so do not use it to send from a client.
Why your Zoho Mail connection is failing
The failures people actually hit with Zoho Mail, and what fixes each one.
Zoho's own IMAP page states the IMAP Access feature is not available for newly signed-up Free plan users, and the POP page says the same. Move to a paid plan, or use the Zoho Mail web client and Zoho's mobile apps.
Generate an application-specific password at accounts.zoho.com under Security > Application Specific Passwords and enter the 12-character passcode. It is displayed once, so copy it before closing the window.
Paid organisation accounts use smtppro.zoho.com, imappro.zoho.com and poppro.zoho.com. The plain smtp, imap and pop.zoho.com names are for personal and free organisation accounts.
The IMAP Access checkbox has to be ticked first. In Zoho Mail open Settings > Mail Accounts, click your primary address and enable IMAP Access under the IMAP section.
Zoho states the precise server details for your account, based on account type and data centre, are provided in the Server Configurations Details section right within your account. Open Settings > Mail Accounts and use the hostnames Zoho shows there.
Zoho Mail sending limits
Counted on a rolling one-hour basis and adjusted by Zoho's servers according to your account's sending reputation, rather than as a fixed daily quota.
Per hour
50 to 500 emails to outside addresses, 1,000 to colleagues in the same organisation
Recipients per message
150 external recipients on paid accounts, 100 on free accounts, 500 internal
Max attachment
40 MB per incoming message, up to 500 attachments
Zoho Mail servers by region and plan
Zoho Mail does not use one set of hostnames everywhere. Match the row to your account.
| Region or plan | SMTP | IMAP | POP3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal and free organisation accounts | smtp.zoho.com | imap.zoho.com | pop.zoho.com |
| Paid organisation accounts on a custom domain | smtppro.zoho.com | imappro.zoho.com | poppro.zoho.com |
Zoho Mail quirks by mail client
Outlook
Zoho's Outlook guide says to select 'My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication' and leave 'Use same settings as my incoming server' checked.
Outlook
Zoho's SMTP servers already file sent mail in the Sent folder, so Outlook adds a duplicate. Zoho's fix is to untick 'Save Copies of messages in Sent Items folder' (Outlook 2007) or choose 'Do not save copies of sent items' under More Settings > Sent Items (Outlook 2010 and later).
Sending cold email through Zoho Mail
Varies by plan: free plans have low daily send limits. Enable IMAP/POP access in Zoho Mail settings first. Use an app-specific password if two-factor auth is on.
Those caps make single-mailbox sending fine for personal mail but a poor fit for cold outreach at volume. Emailchaser spreads sending across warmed inboxes and manages deliverability, so you can scale without burning Zoho Mail accounts.
A new Zoho Mail mailbox also starts with no sending history, and hitting the cap above on its first day is what gets it filtered. Warm the mailbox up first so its daily volume climbs gradually toward that limit rather than starting at it. Emailchaser includes that ramp on every plan.
Other consumer email providers
Setting up more than one mailbox? These sit in the same category as Zoho Mail.
Common questions about Zoho Mail SMTP settings
What are Zoho Mail's SMTP settings?
Zoho Mail's outgoing (SMTP) server is smtp.zoho.com. Use port 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL/TLS). SSL/TLS on 465 (recommended) or STARTTLS on 587. Sign in with your full email address and password (or app password).
What is Zoho Mail's IMAP or POP3 server?
Zoho Mail's incoming IMAP server is imap.zoho.com on port 993 (SSL/TLS). If you prefer POP3, use pop.zoho.com on port 995.
Which port should I use for Zoho Mail?
Use port 587 with STARTTLS wherever it's offered, it's the modern standard for authenticated sending. Port 465 with SSL/TLS is a solid alternative. Avoid port 25, which most networks block for client sending. Zoho Mail's recommended value is above.
Why won't my Zoho Mail SMTP connection work?
Check authentication first: Enable IMAP/POP access in Zoho Mail settings first. Use an app-specific password if two-factor auth is on. Generate one at accounts.zoho.com > Security > App Passwords. Then confirm the host, port and security method match exactly, a 587/SSL or 465/STARTTLS mismatch will fail to connect.
Can I send bulk or cold email through Zoho Mail?
Not at scale. Varies by plan: free plans have low daily send limits. Providers throttle bursts to fight spam, so pushing cold email through one mailbox hits limits and wrecks deliverability. High-volume outreach belongs on dedicated infrastructure that spreads sending across warmed inboxes, which is what Emailchaser does.
Can I use Zoho Mail's free plan with Outlook or Apple Mail?
Not if you signed up recently. Zoho's IMAP help states the IMAP Access feature is not available for newly signed-up Free plan users, and its POP help states the same for POP. Free accounts are meant to be used through the Zoho Mail web client and Zoho's mobile apps. Connecting a desktop client means moving to a paid plan.
Why do some guides say smtp.zoho.com and others say smtppro.zoho.com?
Both are real, and which one you need depends on your plan. Personal and free organisation accounts use smtp.zoho.com, imap.zoho.com and pop.zoho.com. Paid organisation accounts on a custom domain use smtppro.zoho.com, imappro.zoho.com and poppro.zoho.com. The ports are the same either way: 993 for IMAP, 995 for POP, and 465 with SSL or 587 with TLS for sending.
My Zoho account lives in the EU or India data centre. Do I still use the .com servers?
Not necessarily. Zoho runs several data centres and states that the precise server details for your account, based on account type and data centre, are provided in the Server Configurations Details section inside your account. Open Settings > Mail Accounts and copy the hostnames Zoho lists for you. Ports and encryption stay the same.
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