I think the intention by Sky, and all mail services based on Yahoo, is to require OAuth authentication to access accounts through 3rd-party mail apps. Until recently, you could apparently generate an 'app password' for Sky that would work with apps that didn't support OAuth. But according to this recent post, you can access Sky accounts in TB by entering the Yahoo servers, instead of the *.tools.sky.com servers. TB currently supports OAuth for Yahoo IMAP accounts, plus a few other providers such as gmail.

First, go offline from File/Offline/Work Offline. Add the account from File/New/Existing Mail Account, enter your credentials, click Manual config. Use imap.mail.yahoo.com on port 993 for the incoming IMAP server, smtp.mail.yahoo.com on port 465 for the outgoing server; SSL/TLS security, User Name = email address. OAuth authentication isn't available from the drop-down (bug), but if you click Advanced Config., OAuth2 can be selected for the authentication in Server Settings. Repeat for the smtp in Outgoing Server (SMTP) at the bottom of the left pane of Account Settings. After the account is set up, go back online, and when you connect to the account, a browser window will appear where you enter your password and the OAuth process will store a token in Saved Passwords.

+Before you do this I suggest you take a serious look at the permissions Yahoo now require you to grant them in order to avail of both their mail and news services. They basically require that you grant them and their partners, which number hundreds, free access to your device. with difficulty you may find their section which allows you to opt out of allowing their partners this free access to your device, you cannot block deny this and must opt out of each partner individually. Unfortunately when I tried to do this I was repeatedly confronted with this option is unavailable notices. It appears to me that Yahoo wants to spy on your device and wants you to grant them permission to do so. I believe they are trying to block email clients such as Thunderbird and Mailwasher which might disrupt this by holding mail on the server or alerting you to intrusion. I have raised this issue with Sky who say they will pass it up the line but I do not hold out much hope of a solution. At present you can still log into your Sky account then go to your mail where these demands are not made. However Yahoo insist on repeatedly head up your inbox with a mail advertising some or other rubbish. I have questioned Sky as to why this is happening when I am paying them for their services. I am so concerned by this that I am prepared to end all my services with Sky and move elsewhere. Has anyone ever heard of security issues with Thunderbird that might give Yahoo reason for concern.

hitbit

Sorry but how do I go offline file/offline/work/offline and do the changes ?

I'm all sorted - thanks for your help

Ann said

Sorry but how do I go offline file/offline/work/offline and do the changes ?

Press Alt if the File menu is hidden, or click the double-monitor icon at the left end of the status bar at the bottom of the window.

I have downloaded version 68.4.2 and now using windows 10 but only one of my email accounts works.

Hi, I am in the same situation as this. I followed sfhowes instructions to the letter and all goes well, until the final step:-

"After the account is set up, go back online, and when you connect to the account, a browser window will appear where you enter your password and the OAuth process will store a token in Saved Passwords."

I go back online, connect to the account, the browser window appears, but no matter how many times I enter my password, it comes back with 'invalid password'. I KNOW it is the correct password, since I can still use it to log on directly to the Sky Yahoo mailbox, via the Sky website. I have even tried setting up a separate mailbox on the Yahoo website itself. I have tried this using the same password I use through Sky Yahoo and also by setting up a new password - each time it comes back 'invalid password'. I cannot set up a completely new account on Yahoo website as I get the message that new accounts are no longer allowed for Sky emails. (AAAHHHH)!

Can someone please tell me how to get this to work. At present, I have 2 email accounts, one is mine, the other my mother's. It is my mother's that isn't working through Thunderbird right now, but I received an email from Sky, yesterday, telling me that mine will no longer work after 24 Feb either. I therefore need to get this sorted now. Why, oh why won't the browser window accept my password? Please can someone help. Thanks in advance.

Check that cookies are allowed in Tools/Options/Privacy in TB, and delete all passwords and oauth tokens, if any, in Tools/Options/Security/Passwords/Saved Passwords, restart TB, and enter the regular account password when prompted.

Don't know if it applies in your case, but some security/AV apps that scan secure (SSL) connections interfere with TB, so as usual, it's best to exclude TB and the profile folder from such apps.

Note that if you have a Yahoo POP account currently using 'normal password' authentication, which Yahoo intends to disallow next month, it's possible to apply OAuth2 authentication with TB 68.5, released today.

Hi, Thank you sfhowes for your speedy reply. I have checked and cookies are allowed in Tools/Options/Privacy in TB. I deleted all passwords for my Mum's account, restarted TB and entered normal account password. Still couldn't get emails.

I updated TB to 68.5 just now and selected OAuth2 authentication, whilst keeping incoming and outgoing servers as pop.tools.sky.com then got the following message "The server does not support the selected authentication method. Please change the 'Authentication method' in the 'Account Settings/Server Settings'.

I therefore changed authentication back to Normal Password and then got the message :- "Sending of password for user.... did not succeed. Mail server pop.tools.sky.com responded: Server error - please try again later".

I am at screaming point here - I just go round and round in circles. What is it that I'm doing wrong - or is it a problem with TB and/or Sky or Yahoo?

Thanks once again for your speedy reply, it is much appreciated.

I wouldn't expect it to work with the .tools.sky.com servers. Use pop.mail.yahoo.com on port 995 and smtp.mail.yahoo.com on port 465, as explained in my first reply.

Just like you I have gone around and around with this issue trying every combination of settings possible but to no avail. Sky Yahoo mail will not work seamlessly with Thunderbird. In the end I gave up and installed eM Client which appears to work fine with Sky Yahoo Mail. Its sad after soso many years of trouble free excellence from Thunderbird.

hitbit

Hello again,

SUCCESS - I have managed to reconfigure BOTH mine and my Mum's email accounts, so that they now work again through Thunderbird.

If it is of any help to others with this problem, this is what I did (with a lot of help from sfhowes (as above):-

First, I updated Thunderbird to Version 68.5 (released today). I did this by closing Thunderbird, then re-opening. By clicking Help Menu in Thunderbird, then 'About Thunderbird' from the drop down list, you can check which version you have (and watch it updating).

Then, I checked that cookies were allowed in Tools/Options/Privacy in TB, and deleted all passwords and oauth tokens, if any, in Tools/Options/Security/Passwords/Saved Passwords, restarted TB, and entered the regular account password when prompted.

Next, go offline from File/Offline/Work Offline. Add the account from File/New/Existing Mail Account, enter your credentials, click Manual config. I then added settings as follows:- Incoming server set to IMAP, then imap.mail.yahoo.com, Port 993, SSL/TLS Outgoing server set to SMTP, then smtp.mail.yahoo.com, Port 465, SSL/TLS Incoming and Outgoing Username set as first part of email address (before the @) Then click on Advanced Configuration (bottom left) Set Authentication Method to OAuth2 Then set up the Ougoing Server (bottom left pane of Account Settings):- Outgoing Server - Choose a description to help you recognise it Server Name should be smtp.mail.yahoo.com and Port 465 Connection Security -SSL/TLS Authentication Method - OAuth 2 Username - (first part of email address - before @)

The above worked for me, so I hope it helps others with the same problem.

Hi, It seems I spoke too soon. All is fine with receiving mail on both email accounts, but for some reason I cannot send email from my account. I can send from my Mum's account with no problem, but not mine. I have tried changing the outgoing server in Account Settings, but repeatedly get the message "An account with this name already exists. Please enter a different account name". I've even tried completely deleting the new IMAP account and setting it up again from scratch, but I still get the same message. Could this be due to the fact that MY old email account (POP) is still working at the moment, whereas my Mum's isn't. Any help would be much appreciated, once again. Thanks in advance.

All accounts should have distinct names in the Account Name field in Account Settings, especially if you have multiple accounts on the same server. TB applies the email address to the Account Name by default, so change it if you are adding an account with the same address, but different POP or IMAP. Same with the outgoing servers: give each one a distinct Description. Then, select an account in the left pane of Account Settings and look at the Outgoing Server (SMTP) drop-down in the lower right pane. Click 'Edit SMTP server' and check that the User Name is the same as the User Name for the selected account. Problems often occur if all accounts are set to send through a Default smtp or one that uses the same server but a different User Name.

Hi, thank you for the reply. Both email accounts DO have distinct names in the Account Name fields in Account Settings (each of our email addresses, which are different). I have the outgoing server for my Mum's account as smtp.mail.yahoo.com and this works fine for her account. However, I cannot send emails from my account. I have tried to change the outgoing server on my account, by clicking the drop down list and choosing the same as my Mum's (smtp.mail.yahoo.com) but each time I get the message "An account with this name already exists. Please enter a different account name." I have tried choosing a different outgoing server for my account, from the drop down list, but still get the same error message. Why won't it let me change the outgoing server on my account?

Open Tools/Account Settings, select Outgoing Server (SMTP) at the bottom of the left pane. How many smtp are listed? There should be one with Description: ladybird, or similar, with Server Name smtp.mail.yahoo.com and your User Name, and another one with Description: Mum, same Server Name, and Mum's User Name. Port, security and authentication the same for both (465, SSL/TLS, OAuth2).

Then, when you select an account in the left pane of Account Settings, set your account to send on the ladybird smtp, and Mum's account to send on the Mum smtp.

Thanks again for reply. The trouble is, every time I try to select an outgoing server or create a new one, using the descriptions you gave above, all I get is the same message - "An account with this name already exists. Please enter a different account name."

It simply won't let me choose, change or re-set any outgoing server.

Open Config. editor from Tools/Options(Mac:Preferences)/Advanced/General and paste mail.server.server in the Search. You will find entries like mail.server.server3.name and mail.server.server2.name, with values the same as Account Name. There are also entries such as mail.server.server3.userName with the account User Name as the value to see which serverN is for which account. Do your two accounts have distinct names? If not, you can right-click, Modify.