I see a related question: I am getting a message that my login to my email account failed, and keeps asking for my password.

My account is a Verizon AOL account with server imap.aol.com. Do I have to create another password? How do I create a password for Thunderbird separate from the one that I use to login via a browser?

Thanks!

Do you have the incoming (and outgoing) authentication method set to OAuth2? If you do, enter the account (not app) password in the OAuth window when asked to give TB access.

I have the authentication method set to Normal Password. I didn't receive any notice from TB that I needed to set it to OAuth2. Do I have to change the authentication method for both incoming and outgoing servers to OAuth2?

Yes, OAuth2 has been the recommended authentication for AOL/Yahoo/gmail/MS accounts for at least a few years.

imap.aol.com, 993, SSL/TLS, OAuth2, email address

smtp.aol.com, 465, SSL/TLS, OAuth2, email address

I recently had the same FRUSTRATING problem with CenturyLink. Turns out that their damn server had a problem, not TB! I suspect that their webmail was not propagating password updates to the server... Call/talk/message them and ask them to have their techs look at that server.....

Maybe AOL/Verizon has the same problem as Century Link. My yahoo server and gmail server work just fine with OAuth2. However, with AOL/Verizon I have to have the smtp set up with OAuth2, and imap with normal password. If the Imap is set to OAuth2, TB starts another instance of the browser! I can't sign in with either normal password or application password. With imap as normal password, every time I start TB I have to enter the 16 character generated application password. Something is wrong with the server.

I've had problems since last Friday with sending emails. This was resolved, somehow, yesterday, although this morning it wouldn't send but there was a different message about an authentication problem. It asks me for my password now when I check for new emails; fortunately, the password works. But I'm wondering why this is happening? Optus tell me it's not them but there have been problems with my webmail from time to time as well.

I haven't put any details in here but my previous question about the problem sending emails with TB is still up under 'Suddenly unable to send emails'.

Thank you all for your great suggestions. I was on the phone with AOL/Verizon last Friday afternoon explaining the problem. I got a case number and they basically admitted the problem was on their end. So as of right now, TB works perfectly again, but I had to set the authentication method back to normal password. Apparently, AOL/Verizon doesn't work nice with OAuth2 at this time. Eventually, they might catch up to gmail and yahoo.com.