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OAuth2 with Google workplace works with Windows but not with Linux Mint

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  • Last reply by tsepati

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My host institution recently made a contract with Google and now we all use Google Workspace; our institutional e-mail server (Zimbra) is replaced with GMail. My full emailadress is the username, and then Google forwards one to a log-in-page of the institution via OAuth2.

At the institute I use Thunderbird on WIndows, and it is able to access the new account, as expected.

But here at home, where I use Linux Mint (Ubuntu/Debian based), also with Thunderbird, it doesn't work. I think the configuration is correct (it is identical to the one I use at the workplace) (first attached screenshot)

But when it's supposed to open the institution's authentication window, it gets stuck in a previous step, which is the Google window that should pass/redirect to the institutional log-in window via oAuth2. (second attached screenshot)

But instead, from here it goes to an unknown error, according to Google. (third attached screenshot)

I don't know what functionality I possibly haven't installed or activated in Thunderbird here at home, but which is functional on Windows? Or whether some security/privacy switch of Thunderbird or Linux' firewall or whatever, is 'on' and is blocking the redirection to the third-party log-in window?

How do I (in)activate or change what needs to be (in)activated or changed? Any ideas? Where can I look for this information? I scanned the questions on OAuth2 here, and none seemed related to what I experience.

It's important for me that I access my work email from home. Please help.

My host institution recently made a contract with Google and now we all use Google Workspace; our institutional e-mail server (Zimbra) is replaced with GMail. My full emailadress is the username, and then Google forwards one to a log-in-page of the institution via OAuth2. At the institute I use Thunderbird on WIndows, and it is able to access the new account, as expected. But here at home, where I use Linux Mint (Ubuntu/Debian based), also with Thunderbird, it doesn't work. I think the configuration is correct (it is identical to the one I use at the workplace) ''(first attached screenshot)'' But when it's supposed to open the institution's authentication window, it gets stuck in a previous step, which is the Google window that should pass/redirect to the institutional log-in window via oAuth2. ''(second attached screenshot)'' But instead, from here it goes to an unknown error, according to Google. ''(third attached screenshot)'' I don't know what functionality I possibly haven't installed or activated in Thunderbird here at home, but which is functional on Windows? Or whether some security/privacy switch of Thunderbird or Linux' firewall or whatever, is 'on' and is blocking the redirection to the third-party log-in window? How do I (in)activate or change what needs to be (in)activated or changed? Any ideas? Where can I look for this information? I scanned the questions on OAuth2 here, and none seemed related to what I experience. It's important for me that I access my work email from home. Please help.
Attached screenshots

Chosen solution

If you had to enter your email manually in the 2nd picture, it means cookies aren't accepted in TB (not browser) Settings/Privacy & Security. Cookies must be allowed for the OAuth authentication to complete.

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Chosen Solution

If you had to enter your email manually in the 2nd picture, it means cookies aren't accepted in TB (not browser) Settings/Privacy & Security. Cookies must be allowed for the OAuth authentication to complete.

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Thanks a lot @sfhowes, you nailed it. I enabled the cookies, and it worked. (Although I did not have to fill in my user name manually in the second window, by the way.) (And after doing the authentication, I could turn cookies off again.)

Modified by tsepati