How to Add and Verify a Domain on Zoho Directory

Adding and verifying your domain in Zoho Directory confirms you genuinely own it, and is a prerequisite for a wide range of admin actions across your Zoho organisation, from setting up custom email addresses to sensitive user management tasks such as resetting MFA.

Who Can Do This

This action requires the Organisation Owner or Organisation Admin role.

Two Ways to Add and Verify Your Domain

Option 1: One-Click Setup (Directly)

If your domain is hosted with a provider that supports DomainConnect, such as GoDaddy or Cloudflare, Zoho Directory can apply the necessary DNS settings for you automatically.

On the Domain Setup screen in Zoho Directory, log in to your DNS provider when prompted.
Follow the on-screen prompts to authorise Zoho Directory to apply the required DNS settings.
You'll be redirected back to a summary screen in Zoho Directory once complete.

If you hit an issue during one-click setup: Consult your domain host's own help documentation or support team, since the exact interface for authorising this varies by provider.

Option 2: Manual Setup via TXT Records

If your provider doesn't support one-click setup, or you'd rather configure it yourself, follow the manual TXT record instructions displayed on the Zoho Directory setup screen.

Sign in to your domain hosting site (such as Zoho Domains, GoDaddy, Cloudflare, Namecheap, or Google Domains) and open the Domain Management page.
Locate the option to add a new DNS record.
Add a TXT record: set the Type to TXT, the Hostname to the value shown on the Zoho Directory setup screen, and the Value to the TXT record value copied from Zoho Directory.
Set the TTL to the minimum value your domain host recommends.
Repeat for any additional records shown, and wait for the values to propagate.
Return to the Domain Setup screen in Zoho Directory and click Validate Records.
Review the summary of individual record statuses, then click Done.

Note on DKIM keys: Two DKIM keys, DKIM 1 (for transactional emails) and DKIM 2 (for marketing emails, such as Zoho Campaigns or Zoho Marketing Automation), are listed by default during setup, regardless of whether the associated email apps are actually part of your Zoho One bundle. You can still add both records even if you're not currently using those specific apps; they'll simply be used as and when the relevant services are configured.

Why This Matters Beyond Email

Domain verification isn't only about setting up custom email addresses. Zoho enforces domain verification specifically to protect a range of sensitive user management actions, including Reset MFA, Disable MFA, Generate Backup Code, Create Mailbox, and Manage Email Address. These can only be performed for users whose email domain is verified within your organisation, so completing this step properly is a genuine prerequisite for day-to-day account administration, not just an initial setup formality.

See our related article on disabling or resetting a Zoho CRM user's two-factor authentication, which depends on this same domain verification requirement.