Get Zoho Mail API working (including DRE Connector, Oauth Token, ZUID, ZOID & ACCOUNT_ID)

Get Zoho Mail API working (including DRE Connector, Oauth Token, ZUID, ZOID & ACCOUNT_ID)

Disclaimer: I’m not a professional coder!



Do you need to use Zoho Mail API?


Me too. It lets you do all sorts of things — like reading the complete header of an email, or forwarding an email with its attachments — which is what I wanted to do.


But setting up the API (application programming interface) took me hours.


It didn’t need to, but advice on this forum sent me in circles and, while the Knowledgebase probably has all the information, it’s not easy to determine which are the relevant bits. So…


Maybe this little guide will help you.

       To use Zoho Mail API you need:

a) A working OAuth Token (Open Authorization token)

b) Up to three Zoho IDs — User, Organization, Account

c) Depending on what you want to do, additional IDs for emails, folders, etc


OAUTH TOKEN


The token validates you when you make an API call. There are various ways to create it.

The hard way: it’s possible to create an OAuth token via Developer Space but this requires lots of options to be chosen and the OAuth token needs to be frequently refreshed. This route is intended for developers who are using external apps to link with Zoho.


The easy way, at least for me, was via a custom function in filters — because it’s simple to do, refreshing the OAuth token is handled by Zoho, and creating a custom function is what I was trying to do anyway


If you already have an OAuth token, great. If not, but have already created a custom function, jump to 4 below. Alternatively:


      1)    In Zoho Mail, go to settings/filters

      2)    Create a new filter and, under Actions, select ‘Custom Function’. Zoho help file here.

      3)    Click ‘Select Function’ and create a new function or use an existing one

      4)    Once the custom function is on screen, select ‘DRE Connectors’ (Deluge Runtime Environment) at the top right

      5)    Click ‘Create Connection’ and under ‘Default Services’ choose ‘Zoho OAuth’

      6)    ‘Connection Name’ can be anything you like. It’s the ‘Connection Link Name’ that you will use in your Deluge scripts.

      7)    Chose the ‘Scopes’ of your token. There are zillions of them and they determine what your script can and can’t do. The most basic might be ‘ZohoMail.messages.READ’. The API Guide Index lists every API command and, for each, details what scope you need (e.g. the send an email page shows you’ll need the scope  ZohoMail.messages.ALL or ZohoMail.messages.CREATE). It's good security practice to only use the minimum scope you need.

      8)    After you click ‘Create and Connect’ you should have a working OAuth token with a lowercase ‘link name’ that you can paste into your Deluge scripts.


NB: The OAuth token only applies to the Zoho area where you have your account (Zoho.eu in my case). So, for example, if I cut and paste a snippet into my script from the send an email page: https://mail.zoho.com/api/accounts/{accountId}/messages it will NOT work with my Europe OAuth token. I would need to change the snippet to: https://mail.zoho.eu/api/accounts/{accountId}/messages


GETTING YOUR IDS


Without API

You’ll see from the snippet above that this particular API needs your ‘accountId’ to work. Zoho advises getting your IDs via an API call, but you don't need to:


1)   Zoho User ID (ZUID).  Just log into Zoho and click the ‘My Profile’ icon (top right). Your user ID is right there under your name and email address.

2)  Zoho Organisation ID (ZOID). Open your Zoho Mail Dashboard (remember, this link is for zoho.eu, you’ll need to use your area). Then select ‘Organization’ on the left menu bar to display ‘Organization Info’, including your Zoho Organization ID.

3) Zoho Account ID (ZAID). Select any of your emails in Zoho Mail. Right click and pick 'Open in New Window'. Your Zoho Accound ID is the number following "accId=". (See Zoho's help page to get the message ID of emails — it also shows the accountId.)

With API
Alternatively, you can get all three IDs with one API call: https://mail.zoho.eu/api/accounts (remember to adjust for your area). Help page here for what scope you need for this API call. The call returns a mass of information but buried in it are your Zoho User ID (ZUID), Zoho Organisation ID (ZOID) and Zoho Account ID (ZAID).


So how do I make the API call?

There are various ways but I use a bit of deluge script:

apiUrl = "https://mail.zoho.eu/api/accounts";
response = invokeurl
[
    url :apiUrl
    type :GET
    connection:"your_oauth_token" // the OAuth token you created, in quotes
];
info response;

1) Create a new Zoho Mail custom function and paste in the above script.
2 ) In the function window, click 'Test Run' (top right). You'll be asked for a Message ID.
3) For this script, any message will do. Select any message in your Zoho Mail inbox. Right click and choose 'Open in New Window'. You'll see the Message ID after 'msgId=' in the URL displayed by your browser. See here for visual.
4) Paste the Message ID into the function window and press 'Proceed'. You'll be presented with the heading 'Console' and the result of your API call beneath it, where you'll find the IDs you need after 'zuid=', 'zoid=' and 'accountId='.

FOLDER & EMAIL IDs


      1)    You may be able to use the name of a folder (e.g. “Trash”) in your Deluge script but if you need the folder ID number, either use this API or, even easier, select an email in the folder your interested in, right click and pick 'Open in New Window'. The folder ID comes after 'folId=' in the browser URL.

      2)    All my scripts are triggered by an email by arriving in my inbox. The ID for that current email is held in the variable ‘mail_messageId’.

      3)    For everything else refer to the API Guide Index


Finally, there might be a better way to do any of the above — I did warn you I’m not a pro! — please feel free to add improvements.

    • Sticky Posts

    • Pocket from Mozilla is closing shop. Don’t lose your favorites . Move them to Zoho Mail Bookmarks now! 📥🔖

      The end of Pocket shouldn't mean the end of your important links and content. Easily import them into Zoho Mail's Bookmarks and continue right where you left off. You can bring over your entire Saves, Collections, and tags just the way they are. Bookmarks

    • Zoho Mail POP & IMAP Server Details

      Hello all! We have been receiving a number of requests regarding the errors while configuring or using Zoho Mail account in POP/ IMAP clients. The server details vary based on your account type and the Datacenter in which your account is setup. Ensure

    • Workplace - Zoholics Europe Customer Awards

      Dear Zoho Mail Community! 📣 We're excited to announce that at this year's Zoholics events across Europe, we're holding customer awards for the first time ever! Workplace - Zoholics Europe Customer Awards This is your chance to shout about the amazing

    • Important update on Group Management | Zoho Mail

      Dear Zoho Mail Community, This post is to inform you all of the following updates on the Group Management in Zoho Mail. Group Member Addition: If a group member is added to an organization group in a Zoho Application, the member will be automatically

    • Mastering email etiquette and best practices to follow in Zoho Mail

      Hello Zoho Mail Community, We’re thrilled to invite you all to our upcoming webinar: Mastering email etiquette and best practices to follow in Zoho Mail. Join our live webinar for expert etiquette tips to enhance your professionalism and elevate your

    • Recent Topics

    • ZOHO.CRM.UI.Record.open not working properly

      I have a Zoho CRM Widget and in it I have a block where it will open the blocks Meeting like below block.addEventListener("click", () => { ZOHO.CRM.UI.Record.open({ Entity: "Events", RecordID: meeting.id }).catch(err => { console.error("Open record failed:",

    • How Does Knowledge Base Search and Article Recommendation Work?

      Hello, I would like to understand how the Knowledge Base search engine works. Specifically, does it search based on: The article title only? The full article content? Both, the article and the content? Keywords? Tags? Also, how does the system determine

    • Super Admin Logging in as another User

      How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are working

    • Do buttons and vba msgbox work on mobile, specifially the iPhone zoho sheets app?

      In Zoho sheets on the web, I inserted a button and assigned a VBA macro to it. It pops up a msgbox with some text. When I go onto the iPhone mobile zoho sheets app, the button is there. When I click on that button, the spinning asterisk appears for a

    • [Webinar] Solving business challenges- Handling the challenge of transitioning to Zoho Writer from legacy tools

      Moving to Zoho Writer is a great way to consolidate your business tools and become more agile. With multiple accessibility modes, no-code automation, and extensive integration with business apps and content platforms, Zoho Writer helps solve your organization's

    • How exactly does "Reply assistance" work in Zoho Desk? What context is sent to the LLM?

      Hi, Im trying to better understand the technical behavior of the feature "Reply assistance" in Zoho Desk, and I couldn’t find detailed information in the current documentation. Specifically, I have questions about what data is actually being sent to the

    • Custom Fonts in Zoho CRM Template Builder

      Hi, I am currently creating a new template for our quotes using the Zoho CRM template builder. However, I noticed that there is no option to add custom fonts to the template builder. It would greatly enhance the flexibility and branding capabilities if

    • How can I effectively manage a website with your help?

      I’m wondering if it’s possible to develop a custom website with specific features using Zoho as an alternative platform. My goal is to create a website similar to https://tmsim.ph, with the same kind of functionality and user experience. I would truly

    • Introducing the Yes/No field: Binary decisions made beautiful

      Greetings, form architects! What would you do when you need a simple yes/no answer on your form? Normally, you add a Radio field. Type Yes. Type No. Until now. The new Yes/No field is purpose-built for binary decisions. It is preconfigured, visually consistent,

    • How to Invoice Based on Timesheet Hours Logged on a Zoho FSM Work Order

      Hi everyone, We’re working on optimizing our invoicing process in Zoho FSM, and we’ve run into a bit of a roadblock. Here’s our goal: We want to invoice based on the actual number of hours logged by our technicians on a job, specifically using the timesheets

    • Move email between inboxes?

      Is it possible to move emails from one team inbox to another? We would like to be able to have a single "catch-all" inbox for incoming requests, and then move the email to the appropriate department inbox. I was hoping we would be able to accomplish this

    • The power of workflows in Zoho Marketing Automation - Video Webinar

      In this Zoho Marketing Automation video webinar, our experts walk you through: Why you may want to create marketing workflows How to create marketing workflows Use Zoho CRM data and apply workflows to automate your marketing strategy How workflows can

    • Offer already made- but I withdrew it

      I made an offer letter, but made a mistake on it. I withdrew the offer but now I can't recreate the correct offer. Zoho keeps saying that "A same offer has already been made". I look in the "offers" and there are NO offers (this is the first time I've

    • Zoho CRM's sales trend and sales follow-up trend dashboards are now customizable

      Dear Customers, We're here with good news! Sales trend and sales follow-up trend are two system-defined dashboards that help you understand trends and anomalies in your sales outreach and conversion efforts. They use Zia's intelligence to identify patterns

    • Task list flag Internal/External for all phases

      Phases are commonly used in projects to note milestones in the progression of a project, while task lists can be used to group different types of tasks together. It makes sense to be able to define a task list as either internal or external however the

    • Approvals in Zoho Creator

      Hi, This is Surya, in one of  my creator application I have a form called job posting, and I created an approval process for that form. When a user submits that form the record directly adding to that form's report, even it is in the review for approval.

    • Introducing Rule-Based AI Coding Assistants for Zoho Finance Widgets

      Hello customers, We’ve introduced rule-based AI coding assistants to speed up Zoho Finance widget development. You can try them out in Cursor AI and GitHub Copilot. This helps you build widgets quickly using simple prompts, while ensuring the generated

    • Marketing Tip #21: Create an About Us page

      People don’t just buy products, they buy from brands they trust. An About Us page helps customers understand who you are, what you stand for, and why your business exists. It adds a human touch to your store and reassures shoppers that there’s a real

    • Zobot to handle single choice menu when dynamic list content is more than 10 items

      Whatsapp supports maximum of only 10 items for its single choice menu. When we need to show a dynamic list with content more than 10, this could be challenging. We essentially need to add a next and previous buton here in order to make it functional.

    • Add the ability to Hide Pages in Page Rules

      Hi, We have Field Rules to show and hide fields and we have page Rules, but we can't hide a page in Page Rules so it isn't completed before the previous page (And then have the Deny Rules to prevent submitting without both pages completed), we can only

    • Column letter from number

      Hello, I am trying to select a cell and i have the column number. How do i do this or is there a way of getting the letter from the number? Thank you

    • Zoho CRM for Everyone's NextGen UI Gets an Upgrade

      Hello Everyone We've made improvements to Zoho CRM for Everyone's Nextgen UI. These changes are the result of valuable feedback from you where we’ve focused on improving usability, providing wider screen space, and making navigation smoother so everything

    • Composite Product (kit) - Dynamic Pricing

      I am setting up Composite Products for item kits that I sell. I also sell the items from the kit individually. Problem is when pricing changes on an individual part, the Composite Product price does not change meaning when the cost of item # 2 in the

    • View Answer Bot conversations?

      We are trialing Zia and are experimenting with Answer Bot on our knowledge base. So far so good! Management asks me if it is possible to view Answer Bot conversations, the purpose being to look over its shoulder and confirm that it is working as des

    • Train Zia answer bot on only part of Knowledge Base?

      We are trialing Zia answer bot and hope to use it on the knowledge base to help our users find the information they are looking for. I have found how to train Zia on the entirety of our knowledge base. But is there a way to train it on only certain categories

    • Smarter holiday planning with yearly-specific Holiday Lists

      Hello everyone! Managing holidays and business hours is now easier and more efficient. Holiday Lists now support holidays that fall on different dates every year, while business hours now supports more than one holiday list. This helps businesses manage

    • Temporary Outage in Zoho Cliq Affecting US Users – July 23, 2025

      We experienced a service disruption in Zoho Cliq that impacted core functionality for users in the US region. The issue occurred between Jul 23, 2025, 06:54:00 PM IST and 07:13:13 PM IST, lasting approximately 19 minutes. To restore service stability,

    • Zoho Writer for Proposals

      Hi, one of the things we've struggled with since moving to Zoho ecosystem is our proposal software Qwilr does not integrate well. It surprises me Zoho doesn't have proposal software but given all the capabilities of Zoho Writer, I'm wonder if anyone is

    • How Do Mutliple Sales People Prospect in the "LEADS" module without calling the same leads?

      We have 4 sales reps and the Leads module does not have real time intuitive knowlodge to make the sales rteps dont call the same people at the same time. How can we crate a fluent prospecting sytem where the salres reps can go out bound without calling

    • Possible to delete the "Big Deal Alert" in Zoho CRM?

      Hi, Is it possible to delete the "Big Deal Alert" in Zoho CRM? My company has no need for it and I want to remove it to clean up my email templates list. Thank you.

    • How to Create a Fixed Sliding Time Window (D-45 to D-15) in Zoho Analytics ?

      Hello, I would like to create a report in Zoho Analytics based on a sliding time window between D-45 and D-15, with a fixed snapshot of that specific period. The data displayed should strictly reflect activity recorded between D-45 and D-15 only, without

    • Wie veröffentliche ich ein PDF Datei?

      Hallo! Wie veröffentliche ich PDF Datein ich habe ein PDF Datei und den sieht ihr im Upload ich möchte ihn veröffentlichen wie? Mit Freundlichen Grüßen, Herr Bahaa Addin Chkirid

    • 🚀 WorkDrive 6.0 (Phase 1): Empowering Teams with Content Intelligence, Automation, Accessibility, and Control

      Hello, everyone! WorkDrive continues to evolve from a robust file management solution into an intelligent, secure, and connected content collaboration platform for modern businesses. Our goal remains unchanged: to simplify teamwork, strengthen data security,

    • Zoho Campaigns: An Outstanding Email Marketing Tool

      Introducing Zoho Campaigns! A product designed by Zoho, the Zoho Campaigns is made to create, deliver, and manage integrated email campaigns that can help in boosting the sales of a company and its customer base. Zoho Campaigns is actually an email marketing

    • Zoho Creator Developer Console | Improved Distribution and Lifecycle Management for apps

      Hello everyone, We're excited to introduce new enhancements now in the Zoho Creator Developer Console. These updates strengthen private app distribution through licensing controls and extend environment support across all installed apps, helping teams

    • Anchor Links in Dashboards

      Hello,  Our dashboards frequently have multiple sections that would be more easily skipped between using anchor links. Please consider adding an anchor link feature to the text widget? This could be done by adding an anchor link option to the text widget next to the "remove" option (see screenshot). The option would assign an ID to the <div> containing the text widget in the live dashboard. Then, the chosen ID could be linked using a traditional <a href="#link_id"> in the html section of the text

    • Sync images with Shopify/Cart

      Hello, sync images with shopify or other cart, it cuts out the double work of having to upload to shopify/cart and zoho. Thanks

    • Allow selection of select inactive users in User data fields

      Hello, We sometimes need to select a previous employee that has an inactive account in the User data field. For example, when doing database cleanup and indicating actions are done by a certain employee that weren't filled out when they were part of the

    • Is it Possible to Modify Standard Report Urls

      Is there a way to permanently modify standard report Urls? Use case: Suppose I have a Products report. Showing list as timeline, calendar, or kanban doesn't make sense. Want to hide that from users by adding #Report:Products?zc_ShowAs=false&zc_Print=false

    • Assessment Answered - Automation (Related List)

      Hello everyone, We have linked a candidate assessment to our job posting. When someone applies, they are required to answer all the assessment questions. However, some candidates submit their applications without completing the questions. In such cases,

    • Next Page