Plain-English email rules for Zoho Mail
Sort Zoho Mail with rules written in plain English. Turn on IMAP access, connect with an app password, and preview every rule before it acts.
Two settings before you connect
Zoho keeps IMAP switched off and lets you hide folders from it. Turn on IMAP Access, check that the folders your rules move mail into are visible, and the connection test will pass first time.
Business and personal accounts differ
Zoho uses different IMAP servers for personal accounts, paid organisations and different data centres. The MailRules preset uses imap.zoho.com. If your organisation pays for Zoho with its own domain, check the server Zoho shows you before connecting.
Rules for the mail Zoho filters can’t name
Write “supplier invoices go to Accounts” once. MailRules checks each new email against it within seconds, and anything it is unsure of waits in Needs review.
Connect it in MailRules
- In MailRules, open the connect wizard and choose Zoho Mail. The server, port and encryption are filled in for you.
- Enter your email address and paste the app password (or your Zoho password if two-factor authentication is off).
- MailRules tests the connection and finds your Junk, Trash and Archive folders.
- Pick starter rules or write your own in plain English, check the preview, then go live.
- New installs start in dry-run: MailRules shows what it would do and changes nothing until you switch it live.
Good to know about Zoho Mail
- IMAP is off until you turn on IMAP Access in Zoho Mail's settings.
- Zoho asks for an app password only when two-factor authentication is on. Without it, IMAP uses your normal Zoho password.
- imap.zoho.com is for personal @zohomail.com addresses and free organisation users. Paid organisations with their own domain use imappro.zoho.com. Your exact server, which depends on your account's data centre, is listed in Zoho Mail under Mail Accounts, Server Configurations Details.
- Zoho lets you choose which folders IMAP can see. A folder you hide there cannot be used by a rule.
- Archived emails only appear over IMAP if you tick Include Archived emails in the IMAP settings.
Sources
Checked on 8 October 2026.
Questions
I use Zoho Mail with my own domain. Which server do I use?
Zoho lists imappro.zoho.com for paid organisations with their own domain. Check Server Configurations Details in your Zoho Mail settings, and enter that server in MailRules.
Do Zoho app passwords expire?
No. They keep working when your web password expires. Revoke the MailRules one in Zoho Accounts to cut access.
Why can't MailRules see one of my folders?
Zoho may be hiding it from IMAP. Open Launch folder settings in the IMAP section of Mail Accounts and select it.