Can not connect AOL email account to Mozilla Thunderbitd.

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I have three email accounts on AOL Web Mail. All accounts have the same settings and passwords and address @verizon.net. All accounts were connected to Mozilla Thunderbird.

Suddenly, one account stopped receiving messages about couple weeks ago. I removed it and tried to set anew, but it is saying can not log to server pop.verizon.net. I can receive and send messages on AOL Mail web site with the same address and password I enter in Thunderbird, but not Thunderbird, not Outlook 365 can ‘t connect to pop.verizon.net. The only difference is that this account is also connected to iPad with different setting.

The same address and password, but on iPad it is IMAP mail with OAuth 2.0 topic authentication, but on my Win 10 desktop it is POP3 with normal password authentication.

When I was setting the connection on iPad it was the same POP3, but somehow it was changed automatically in respond to offer best security on iPad, I suspect.

I have to use AOL Mail site to get this mail now, Can I return to Thunderbird or Outlook?

 

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This article gives two solutions – using an “app password” instead of your real password, or removing the account and adding it again https://help.aol.com/articles/allow-apps-that-use-less-secure-sign-in

Thunderbird will have to be the latest version for the remove and re-add method to work.

But see here for warnings.  Backup your messages first and avoid choosing option “delete my data”  https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/disaster-did-as-asked-by-aol-to-sync-thunderbird-now-missing-folders-etc/

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Thank you for replay.

So I generated app password and set add he account using the app password. This account is working now. But I need to add the second account, and I cannot to do it. I generated the second app password, but it did not work. I entered the email password, did not work too.

How can I add the second AOL verizon.ne account to Thunderbird.

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Same issue connecting to verizon/aol account… was working fine until 2 days ago…
I made no changes on my end

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I think that it is AOL Web Mail guilt.

Before they announced that from in December  they will stop accept third party email clients connections. In the same notification they gave receipts what to do for they accepted third party mail clients. For Thunderbird it was : remote email address and enter it as a new client. There was no date when to do that.

Probably, they switched to 2-poiht authentication, but following their recommendation, you will remove client and will not able to connect to this server again.

Now I have on Thunderbird one account not changed for couple of years; one account connected with app password and working; and one account that randomly is shown in account panel and  randomly not shown when I  try to add new email account, but always not receiving any mail messages.

The same problem stays with Outlook 365

So I think that the problem stays with AOL Mail Security settings changed by AOL and not fully developed ways for old mail clients to restore connections. For example, one of my AOL mail addresses is connected as POP3 on Win 10 machine and as IMAP on iPad (It was changed from POP3 without me.

So my solution is: forgot Thunderbird, use AOL Mail site in any browser.

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This maybe a late reply. I hope it’ll be saved as a reference when people have the same problem with AOL mail (as of 2021-2022), when accessing by a 3rd party mail handler/client, such as Thunderbird.

I had it working on my Thunderbird, Version 91.5.1, 64-bit, on Windows 10.
Here is how (make the change manually on Thunderbird):
(1) go to menu-Tools-Account Settings
(2) On the left column, click ‘Server Settings’ of the email of concern
(3) On the right, on POP3, or POP, Server,
enter “pop.aol.com’. Port is 995 (default is 995)
(4) For User Name, enter the full email address, such as xyzabc@verizon.net
(5) Under Security Settings, Connection Security is ‘SSL/TSL”
(6) For Authentication Method, choose “OAuth2”   [this is the trick]

Now try to access AOL email.
When asked, enter your most recent password. If it reports back ‘wrong password’, enter your LAST OLD password.
AOL, when changing security to using OAuth2, for some reason, retains only your last old password, and the most recent password is discarded. At least, this was for me. I had to enter the old password to get it to work. Of course, after that you can later change your password if you’d like to.

On the SMTP setup (for sending out email via AOL),
The SMTP server name is smtp.aol.com. Port is 465 (default is 465).
The ‘User Name,’ again, requires to enter the full email address. You cannot enter only the front part of the email address before the ‘@’. You must enter the entire email address, such as ‘xyzabc@verizon.net’.

 

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Thank you, fixed the issue for me.

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For sending email, the server named: pop.verizon.net with port 995 also works, because AOL has retained it, or at least has retained the name.

Ex-Windows user (Win. 98, XP, 7); since mid-2017 using also macOS. Presently on Monterey 12.15 & sometimes running also Linux (Mint).

MacBook Pro circa mid-2015, 15" display, with 16GB 1600 GHz DDR3 RAM, 1 TB SSD, a Haswell architecture Intel CPU with 4 Cores and 8 Threads model i7-4870HQ @ 2.50GHz.
Intel Iris Pro GPU with Built-in Bus, VRAM 1.5 GB, Display 2880 x 1800 Retina, 24-Bit color.
macOS Monterey; browsers: Waterfox "Current", Vivaldi and (now and then) Chrome; security apps. Intego AV

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thanks–the incoming part worked for me–finally, after months of trying out various “solutions”.  now, i can’t get the outgoing to work.

 

ugh

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Thank you. It worked for me as well.

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davidlee wrote:

now, i can’t get the outgoing to work.

What have you tried?
Are you using SMTP, port 465?
What error messages do you get?

cheers, Paul

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I tried to delete and re register all emails I have with AOL

I used SMTP port 465, and other ports I can find on Web.

Result is: with SMTP 465 address set as default sends message out, all others do not works.

So to send message from address A@… I have to go to Settings and mark this address as default on list of my addresses in settings of SMTP. In next time I need to send message from address B@… I again must to go to SMTP Settings and change the default address to B@…

Before AOL changed algorithm of work with third party mail agents, like Thunderbird, all my three addresses were sending messages without problem, just need to enter address ‘From’

From AOL mail you can send messages from any of registered addresses, just enter it in ‘From’.

I do not want to switch to MS Outlook as a mail agent because I do not like its email interface.

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Open “Write.” In the “From” line of the new blank email,  there is a pulldown that should have all your email addresses. Choose (highlight) the one you want to send from.

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It is exactly I tried many times. If sender address is not made SMTP default, the replay on “Send” is “Sending message failed.”

Is it a bug in Thunderbird? All addresses are set and registered and are receiving emails automatically, only SMTP works with default SMTP only.

 

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Do you have the proper SMTP server set up for each account?
In the Account Settings, under “Outgoing Server (SMTP,” try “Add”ing the other servers with the associated account and the right connections. (Notice there are two accounts)

Next, highlight the account, and at the bottom, specify the Outgoing Server for that account and Edit to be sure the settings are correct for that server. (You can also set the “reply to” address and a “signature” here too)

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Thanks for replay.

It allwas done many times with all SMTP poets I was able to find on web.

The result: you want  to send message from some adders, make it the default SMTP.

I am living with this problem for years, since AOL changed algorithm to work with third party mail agents.

Again, this problem is not about settings of SMTP, I think. It is how Thunderbird handles default and other registered SMTP addresses.

Did you tried, say, three addresses register with Thunderbird and send SMTP messages?

 

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I use Thunderbird and can send mail from different accounts without changing anything. I have an SMTP server configured for the each account I use locally and just choose it from the From drop down when composing an email.

cheers, Paul

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Are your accounts with AOL mail?

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No, I don’t use AOL.

Have you tried creating a second account in TB for the other AOL account?

cheers, Paul

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Thanks for replay.

I did deleted all or selected accounts in TB and started them anew, with no positive results.

My accounts at AOL were transferred there from Verizon when it cancelled its services.

So we can get some conclusions: The AOL dutifully sends messages from all registered with it accounts; the user just has to select sender’s address. The TB agrees to send message only from default SMTP address and ignores message if the sender is not default and primary addresses are from AOL. We can not say is it AOL or TB is is guilty. We do not why TB filtered or marks non-default SMTP addresses, no it seems that AOL can not receive them.

Again, TB receives messages to all registered POP addresses.

 

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The issue will be AOL refusing to send email for user B when logging in as user A. This is standard spam reduction that all mail providers use.

If user B is an alias of user A, then AOL will allow the mail to be sent.
If user B is a completely different user, then Thunderbird must login as user B.

Can you create another user in TB that uses the credentials of user B?

cheers, Paul

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It seems I was not clear: it is not AOL that is refusing. AOL sends from any registered addres, AOL does not have default SMTP adressess, just name the address to it and it will access all settings for given account.. It is TB that sends from default SMTP and refuse if you enter non default SMTP registered address.

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geoyar wrote:

It seems I was not clear

You were clear, TB does not send mail from user B unless user B is the SMTP login. This is the expected behaviour from a mail client talking to a mail server.

cheers, Paul

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In my opinion, it is not a case, because empty message should be sent anyway.

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Empty message? You must have a From address and a To address at a minimum.

cheers, Paul

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