Authentication failure while connecting to the server imap.gmal.com after Google account password change
I use Thunderbird with Gmail. I just changed my Google Account Password after my email was hacked. Now I can't get or send emails from Thunderbird, getting the following Thunderbird error message: "Authentication failure while connecting to the server imap.gmal.com" I'm a 72-year-old stroke survivor with somewhat limited cognitive/attention capabilities. I can still send and receive emails via Gmail, but the interface does not meet my special needs. I find it unusable, which is why I have gone to Thunderbird in the past. Was it a mistake to change my Google account password as a way of countering the hacking threat to my email account? What do I do to solve the can't send or receive emails from Thunderbird problem? Please help! George Witterschein, Mendham, NJ USA
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When you change a password, you have to delete the old ones and the oauth:// tokens, if using OAuth2 authentication, in Tools/Options/Security/Passwords/Saved Passwords, restart TB, and enter the new one when prompted.
Thank you, sfhowes. Are we talking apples to apples here? I ask because the password I changed was my Google Account Password, and not a Thunderbird password, as your reply suggests.. I don't even know if I have a Thunderbird paswsword. And this is the first I've ever heard of "OAuth2 authentication". Assuming we're on the same page, could you please Reply with steps I should take? I apologize for asking to have my hand held, but given my cognitive issues, I'm afraid I must. George Witterschein
There's no TB password - TB just applies and stores the password that is managed on the mail provider's site. Delete the old Google account password in Options, then enter the new one after restart when prompted. You may need to use OAuth2 in the future, but for now just ignore it.
Thanks again! I think were getting closer. I've located what I think are the password you're talking about in Thunderbird \tools\options\security\saved passwords. Which of these three should I delete: >>> [please see "uploaded images"] George W
Delete all of them, then enter the new password when you restart TB, either in the OAuth browser window or the normal TB password dialog.
Thank you again, sfhowes.
I went to bed at 11 last night and didn't see your Reply until after my doctor's appointment this morning (life of the senior citizen).
Your procedure above seems to have done the trick nicely, thank you! Thunderbird is back up and running normally.
I do have a further question for you though. (You resolved my trouble ticket very well...and no good deed goes unpunished, right? ~smile~)
In the Thunderbird Tools\Options\Security\Saved Passwords box, I now have only one entry (see attached jpg). The password in it is:
a. not of my making; and b. a very long string of gibberish.
Is this password situation ok? Can/should I live with it...or change it somehow?
GDW
That's the OAuth token set by Google, and is expected. If you change the account password, delete this item, restart TB, enter your new password when prompted, and a new token will be stored in Saved Passwords.
Your fix is holding up perfectly! Thanks once more.
One final question though: I'm thinking this exchange has permanent value. Will this page and thread remain posted here indefinitely, or should I find some way of capturing it to disk on my PC?
George Witterschein, Mendham, NJ USA
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A webpage can be saved (right-click, Save Page As..) in plain text or html. All of your posts are listed in your profile, for as long as this forum is in service.