New Delhi: Several Union ministers, including Home Minister Amit Shah, have said that they are changing their email IDs to Zoho Mail.
Several Union ministers have also called on the public to switch to Zoho Mail across the country. This comes as a major boost to the indigenous email service, indicating a significant step towards digital self-reliance.
Announcing his new email address amitshah.bjp@zohomail.in, Union Home Minister Shah urged the people of the country to adopt the Chennai-based platform that offers an ad-free, privacy-focused alternative to global services like Gmail.
The move is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' and 'Digital India' initiatives. It encourages the use of indigenous technology amid rising tensions with the US.
These US-India tensions include tariff hikes and tough H-1B visa rules that affect Indian professionals and businesses. Founded in 1996, Zoho has steadily gained popularity for its strong data security, privacy, and business-friendly features.
Here's what happens when you switch Mail? What you gain, what you lose, and how to transfer your account smoothly.
Switching from Gmail to Zoho Mail is a simple process that ensures you don't lose any of your important emails or contacts. Here's a simplified guide to help you make the transition smoothly.
Step 1: Create a Zoho Mail account
Visit the Zoho Mail website and sign up for a plan that suits your needs. If you want to use a custom domain (e.g., yourname@yourcompany.com), choose a Business or Zoho Workplace plan. You'll be able to verify your domain and set up user accounts, if necessary.
Step 2: Enable IMAP in Gmail
Log in to your Gmail account.
Go to Settings > See all settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP, and then enable IMAP.
This will allow Zoho to access your Gmail inbox for data transfer.
Step 3: Import emails and contacts to Zoho Mail
In your Zoho Mail account, go to Settings > Import/Export.
Use the Migration Wizard to transfer emails, folders, and contacts from Gmail. This tool ensures that your data is preserved and organized properly.
Step 4: Set up forwarding for new emails
To receive new Gmail messages in your Zoho inbox:
Open Gmail settings
Go to Forwarding and POP/IMAP
Add your Zoho Mail address under the Forwarding section
Notify your contacts and update accounts - Update your email on social media, banking, subscriptions, etc. Review settings like your bank details, filters, and forwarding to ensure that no data is lost.
Privacy and ads: Zoho Mail doesn't scan your emails for ads and offers an ad-free inbox, which is a different system than Gmail's integration with Google's advertising ecosystem.
Custom domains and business features: Zoho allows custom domain email support (even in many of its free or lower-tier plans) and adds tools like Streams for internal comments, task assignments, and team posting.
Attachment limits: Zoho enables large attachments (up to 1 GB), converts additional files into downloadable links. Gmail limits attachments (25 MB) and sends large files via Google Drive.
Meanwhile, Zoho co-founder Sridhar Vembu expressed deep gratitude for the growing popularity. He dedicated the credit to Indian engineers who have worked for over 20 years.