Gmail issues
Hi all, I have two Gmail accounts, one private and one organizational, each one with its own unique problem. I access both accounts through Thunderbird for Windows, the Gmail Android app, and Chrome on my laptop. I use POP to be able to access the emails even when offline and store them in subfolders. I have learned that if I keep the messages marked as unread on the phone and Chrome, TB will download the messages.
1) My private Gmail account downloads only 4-5 messages at a time, and I have to manually hit: "get messages" many times until it downloads all the messages. Very annoying.
2) My organizational Gmail account through the university worked fine and downloaded as many new messages as were on the server. Until May 9th, when it stopped connecting with the Gmail server. It keeps asking me to re-enter the username and password (which it had saved, and hadn't changed), only to claim that Gmail is not accepting cookies. Needless to say that I haven't changed any of my cookies preferences neither on TB (which accepts all cookies) nor on Chrome (which blocked 3rd party cookies, but had an exception for the University's servers). I tried enabling any type of cookie in the account on Chrome, but that didn't help. I tried changing the authentication from password to OAuth2, and it didn't help.
I would appreciate your help. Shahar
All Replies (1)
re : My private Gmail account downloads only 4-5 messages at a time
Likely to be gmail just being a pain and throttling download particulary if you have a Pop mail account.
Is this a pop or imap account ? If it is POP account, then it is possible you have too many old emails still on server . When you delete emails from a POP account, you are not able to put them in the gmail server TRash folder, so in effect on the label gets removed and gmail archives the email. This means the 'All Mail' folder may have tons of old emails which you though had long since been deleted.
Gmail stores all emails in the 'All Mail' folder.
Log on to webmail account via a browser and access the 'All Mail' folder. Delete all the older emails to free up server space.
Then back in Thunderbird you will need to check the 'Authentication Method' as per info below.
re :I tried changing the authentication from password to OAuth2, and it didn't help.
All gmail accounts - both Pop and Imap - will need to swap the Authentication Method over to use OAuth2 for both incoming and smtp outgoing, in the very near future as gmail is removing what they call the 'less secure apps' option. This basically means using a normal password will cease to gain access.
You may have been told you will need to turn on 2 step verification and use an app generated password. That is one method - But in Thunderbird you can use OAuth, so you do not need to turn on 2 step verification.
In order for gmail to use OAuth, cookies must be enabled in Thunderbird.
First make sure the following is enabled: Menu app icon > Preferences > Privacy & Security Select 'Accept cookies from sites'
Click on 'Show cookies' button Do you see any mention of google ? eg: consent.google.com , google.co.uk , google.com
If nothing: Click on 'Exceptions..' button Enter: https://accounts.google.com Set to 'Allow' click on 'Save Changes'
Restart Thunderbird and you should get a pop up from google asking you to login with email address and normal password in order to allow Thunderbird access.
If still problem then do the following. Then this question had issue with Oauth, so please follow the 'Chosen Solution' instructions:
note: At link - In instructions - I missed out it was under 'Help', so should be: Menu app icon > Help > More Troubleshooting Information
in some cases the pkcs.11.txt file was visible and sometimes not existing. Let me know if you were able to delete it along with all the other files.
Okulungisiwe ngu Toad-Hall