I removed my gmail account, and attempted to add it back. Getting "Authentication error." even though Oath2 appeared to work.

Then, I get the "Mozilla Thunderbird Email wants to access your Google Account" window again, and I click on "Allow". Is there a max length on the password, or something, that is biting me?

My new password is 24 characters long. Is that a problem for Thunderbird?

Do you have both cookies and javascript enabled?

Thank you for your reply.

Yes, I confirmed that I have them cookies AND javascript are enabled. Was looking at: Automatic Conversion of Google mail accounts to OAuth 2.0 Authentication https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/automatic-conversion-google-mail-accounts-oauth20

The weird thing is that SOME of Thunderbird is working for gmail, even though I keep getting these approval requests. Folders are synchronizing. Address book appears to be synchronizing. This was happening before I Uninstalled Thunderbird, and reinstalled the latest version I downloaded, Thunderbird Setup 143.0.1.exe.

Uninstalling and reinstalling did NOT fix this problem.

Chris

There is NO entry for gmail in the Saved Logins under Privacy & Security/Passwords, yet it accepted my OATH2. Chris Shaker

Here are my cookie settings, exceptions, and Javascript.enabled Chris

Before uninstalling Thunderbird, and Re-installing it, I also deleted my gmail account, and tried to add it back. It failed to be added back, giving me the Authentication Failed window again.

Is there some way to clear the Oath2 status for gmail so that it tries it again?

Chris

To create my current Gmail account in Thunderbird, which is 12% synchronized, I had to push the button to manually create the account even though it had an error.

Chris Shaker

I opened the DeveloperTools, and this is what it is showing. Chris

More screenshots. Tried clearing "Create accounts in the new Account Hub" has not helped yet. Maybe I'll try deleting my Gmail account and creating it again now. Chris

Deleting my gmail account and creating it with "Create accounts in the new Account Hub" cleared. It also failed with "Unable to log in at server. Probably wrong configuration, username, or password". I hit "Configure manually", and it popped back up with the OATH2 permission approval windows. I approved it, and the password manager did this time create a password entry for gmail.

But I still get the approval windows popping up over and over again.

This image that you posted is a web page hosted by Google (as the URL at the top indicates.)

The step that follows is the passing of the new OAuth key (token) from Google to your local machine via a redirect that used localhost. That you are getting that far an no further would indicate that something is interrupting or consuming the traffic.

If an oAUth entry appears in the password manager at the completion of the setup and authentication, then that process was successful and the information was passed to the local machine.

Then on successful completion of authentication, there is the longevity of the OAth token. These are tokens auto renew automatically for as long as, (in this case google), the provider permits, then the dialog is presented asking for explicit permission renewal. This might be quite a short time if you are using a VPN or other tools to mask your location or original IP address. Google in particular appears to have an issue with the use of a VPN, any VPN. I think it is related to the physical location of a phone that is also signed into Google, but I am reaching. I do not know. What I do know is most folk with a VPN and a problem find the problem goes away when the VPN does.

Just based on your handle, do you perhaps have a web development tools installed, or perhaps Apache web server software. Anything that might be intercepting communication of the localhost (127.0.0.1), such as Microsoft's Visual Studio

Additional late note:

This is a failed attempt to connect using the password you provided in the account setup process is my guess. This failure to be specific.

Remove the IMAP entry and check again for an OAth token after the permission step.

Looking something like this I don't think you will have an oauth entry and we will be back to the blocked or traffic consuming software on localhost. But please check and post back as I am doing to lot of connecting of dots here.

My Brave browser is using NordVPN, so maybe that is involved with the Oauth process? I'll try disabling. Thank you for the ideas! Chris

Wow. I moved my old Thunderbird profiles away, to: C:\Users\cjshaker\AppData\Local\Thunderbird\OLD Profiles

Deleted my gmail account from account settings. Uninstalled Thunderbird again. Reinstalled the latest version Thunderbird Setup 143.0.1 again.

And, it appears that Thunderbird still has my Oauth squirreled away somewhere else. Where does it store it? In the registry? Somewhere else? How can I remove it?

Thank you, Chris

I uninstalled Thunderbird again, then removed the Thunderbird folders in:

C:\Users\{USER_NAME}\AppData\Local C:\Users\{USER_NAME}\AppData\LocalLow C:\Users\{USER_NAME}\AppData\Roaming

I disabled NordVPN extension in Brave, disabled NordVPN on my phone (which I used for the Oath approvals).

Then I reinstalled Thunderbird Setup 143.0.1 again. Did the Oauth again, and all is working now! Thank you for the pointer to VPN as a possible culprit. I had not thought of that.

Chris

It got broke again. First, it stopped authenticating only for SMTP. Then, it stopped authenticating at all.

Why are we not allowed to choose the "FIDO2 security key" on Windows 11 to authenticate with? It only wants to let me use a phone, tablet, or physical USB key. WHY?

Chris Shaker

> Why are we not allowed to choose the "FIDO2 security key"

Because Firefox is still in the process of implementing, and Thunderbird depends on Firefox code.

You can vote for this idea at https://connect.mozilla.org/t5/ideas/thunderbird-desktop-passkeys-support/idi-p/104159