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I am locked out of IMAP for want of a password and I don't know what password is required.

  • 4 replies
  • 8 have this problem
  • 11 views
  • Last reply by CMRM43

CMRM43
CMRM43
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I took my laptop overseas (from the UK) and because I was on a quite different wi-fi network, Gmail wanted me to verify my account and change my Google password, which I did. Gmail now works fine via Chrome. But Thunderbird now asks for: 

Enter your password for [my  email address@gmail.com]@imap.googlemail.com:   and I have no idea what password is required.  Whatever password I put in, and I've tried every variant of password that I can ever remember using anywhere, gets rejected.

If I did set up such a password when I downloaded and began to use Thunderbird I can't remember it, and I can see no way to get Thunderbird to remind me. I even uninstalled Thunderbird and then loaded it afresh, but it just restored what I always had - no emails in for the last 2 weeks (though I have them all on Gmail itself).. Any suggestions welcome!

I took my laptop overseas (from the UK) and because I was on a quite different wi-fi network, Gmail wanted me to verify my account and change my Google password, which I did. Gmail now works fine via Chrome. But Thunderbird now asks for: Enter your password for [my email address@gmail.com]@imap.googlemail.com: and I have no idea what password is required. Whatever password I put in, and I've tried every variant of password that I can ever remember using anywhere, gets rejected. If I did set up such a password when I downloaded and began to use Thunderbird I can't remember it, and I can see no way to get Thunderbird to remind me. I even uninstalled Thunderbird and then loaded it afresh, but it just restored what I always had - no emails in for the last 2 weeks (though I have them all on Gmail itself).. Any suggestions welcome!

Chosen solution

You aren't stuck. Thunderbird will prompt you for the password if it doesn't have one. Use the password which works fine with Chrome to access your Gmail.

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All Replies (4)

christ1
christ1
  • Top 25 Contributor
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You'll need to delete the old password Thunderbird has remembered. You'll then be prompted for the new password.

http://kb.mozillazine.org/Setting_and_changing_email_passwords

Use the same password which works fine with Chrome.

CMRM43
CMRM43 Question owner
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Thank you. I have now tried this link, but there are no remembered passwords in the box, so none to delete. Probably I didn't tick 'remember password' when I set it up. So if I can't remember the password, and I didn't ask Thunderbird to save it, am I completely stuck ?

christ1
christ1
  • Top 25 Contributor
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Chosen Solution

You aren't stuck. Thunderbird will prompt you for the password if it doesn't have one. Use the password which works fine with Chrome to access your Gmail.

CMRM43
CMRM43 Question owner
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I did try that first. It generated a tiny reply which didn't stay on screen bottom right long enough for me to read it, so this time I snipped it so that I could.. I was apparently lacking an Application-Specific password, and I got Google to generate one for me which I cut and pasted into Thunderbird's request for new password - and all the last two weeks e-mails suddenly appeared! Next time we go to the Caribbean I'll just take the i-pad instead of a windows lap-top. Many thanks for your help.