I spoke to BT this afternoon and they confirmed that many of their customers are having login problems using "email clients" so hopefully once they fix this problem my login problem with Thunderbird will resolve itself.

Have had the same problem for a long time. I changed the password, it doesn't recognize or says it's already in there. I go through the change password, request user name game over and over and it just stops, I can get in, and then poof, problem resurfaces

Hi wwwoollf,

I thought my problem had resolved once BT resolved things on their end but I *am* getting (albeit less frequently) the same prompts for my password as I was last week-it seems that it may only happen each time Thunderbird opens (in other words, the first time I try to send/receive from any of my email accounts, I am prompted but then things seem to work fine...till the next time the email client is open). I only use TBird at work so will monitor things today and report back here. (I'm home at the moment and don't have these same problems with Outlook).

Nope:). Problem still occurring in Thunderbird (constant password prompt for one of my email accounts in particular). What a nuisance.

Marla13 said

it seems that it may only happen each time Thunderbird opens (in other words, the first time I try to send/receive from any of my email accounts, I am prompted but then things seem to work fine...till the next time the email client is open).

This particular situation I have quoted will occur if you do not tell Thunderbird to save the password. See my screenshot below.

Select the option "Use Password Manager to remember this password", before clicking OK.

Marla13 said

Nope:). Problem still occurring in Thunderbird (constant password prompt for one of my email accounts in particular). What a nuisance.

Create a new "account" in Thunderbird for the same e-mail address, to test to see if it works better than the old account.

If you are using POP, then first move all your e-mails from the faulty account to Thunderbird's "Local Folders", then remove the faulty account before creating the new account. This will be necessary if you create the new account using POP also.

For IMAP:

1. Thunderbird menu: Tools: Account Settings. (If you cannot see the Thunderbird menu, press the Alt key or F10 key on your keyboard to show the menu)

2. Click the "Account Actions" button on the bottom left and choose, "Add Mail Account".

3. Enter your name, e-mail address, and password, then press the "Continue" button.

4. Continue with the setup until the correct settings are obtained.

5. Thunderbird may probably complain that you already have an account with the same name, and will prompt you to enter a different name for the account you just created.

If the new account works properly, then use it from now on.

Before removing the old account (Thunderbird menu: Tools: Account Settings: Account Actions: Remove Account), make sure that your e-mails are the same, or moved from the old faulty account to the new one.

wwwoolf said

Have had the same problem for a long time. I changed the password ...

Your issue may be different than Marla13's. This is a support forum, so we want different people to submit their own questions so they can be handled in their own forum help "thread".

This is part of the Forum rules and guidelines, which you should have read before posting.

Please start your own thread by asking your own question. When you do, please provide lots of information so we can help you.

Hi Bruce,

Thanks hugely for the above suggestion. I am tempted to create a new account to test whether the problem resolves; that's a great idea. I do use IMAP. My only concern is that I have *a lot* of emails on my server (and want to keep them) so I will need to download them all over again to test whether my new account works. This will eat up my broadband allowance (I don't have unlimited BB).

I can live with the problem provided that my emails all send-I am sometimes concerned that the prompt of the password interrupts the "sending" of my emails and wonder if they all send.

Your idea is a good one and if I decide to go for it I'll be sure to update you here.

Thanks very much and best wishes, Marla

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for the above. Firstly, just to say that I do always tell my password manager to remember my passwords and I've checked-they are all correct.

Thanks hugely for the above suggestion re-creating a new account.

I am tempted to create a new account to test whether the problem resolves; that's a great idea. I do use IMAP. My only concern is that I have *a lot* of emails on my server (and want to keep them) so I will need to download them all over again to test whether my new account works. This will eat up my broadband allowance (I don't have unlimited BB).

I can live with the problem provided that my emails all send-I am sometimes concerned that the prompt of the password interrupts the "sending" of my emails and wonder if they all send.

Your idea is a good one and if I decide to go for it I'll be sure to update you here.

Thanks very much and best wishes, Marla

For the test, you can create the new IMAP account with the same e-mail address, but tell Thunderbird not to "Keep messages for this account on this computer". That way it will not automatically download everything for the test. See my screenshot below.

Thunderbird menu: Tools: Account Settings. (If you cannot see the Thunderbird menu, press the Alt key or F10 key on your keyboard to show the menu)

Select "Synchronization & Storage" on the left side under the new account.

Thanks Bruce, but from memory, any time you create a new account using IMAP your emails start to download automatically from the server. As far as I know, this cannot be prevented.

Best wishes, Marla

Marla13 said

Thanks Bruce, but from memory, any time you create a new account using IMAP your emails start to download automatically from the server. As far as I know, this cannot be prevented. Best wishes, Marla

It can be prevented. Create the account from Account Settings, then immediately go to "Synchronization & Storage" for the account, and change the setting. Then click OK.

Worst comes to worst, you can quit Thunderbird right away after that, then restart it.

Thunderbird will only download the basic headers from the e-mail.

Thanks for the above Bruce. I have no doubt that you know what you are talking about but for some reason, I think that the prevention of "not automatically download everything for the test" defeats the purpose of the test; even if I select that option (to stop TBird from downloading from server)-what will happen when I send my first test email? Surely, TBird will try to download all mail from the server-no? I understand that I can interrupt this process (presumably and hopefully) but then how will I test whether I can send/receive an email? I'm thinking that I shouldn't prevent TBird from downloading all mail from server; I may be wrong, but really don't want to find out the hard way-I've been using computers and email clients for 25+years and can't tell you how many times I've been advised to create a new email account only to find that all 10,000 + emails have downloaded all over again. It's a pain:). Let me see what happens over the next few days with TBird. I may decide to live with the issue but will certainly let you know if I try your suggestion. Many thanks for all of your help thus far! Best wishes, Marla

Marla13 said

for some reason, I think that the prevention of "not automatically download everything for the test" defeats the purpose of the test;

Your issue is that currently you are being "constantly asking for password".

The test e-mail account to be created doesn't have to download every one of your e-mails to test whether or not it will constantly ask for a password. It definitely does not defeat the purpose of the test.

even if I select that option (to stop TBird from downloading from server)-what will happen when I send my first test email? Surely, TBird will try to download all mail from the server-no?

No, it will not. The whole point of the setting I mention above is that it will not download all your e-mail, no matter the circumstance.

The above setting I mention makes Thunderbird act like a phone does when it accesses e-mail. The phone doesn't download and save every e-mail on the server (it doesn't have enough space). Neither will Thunderbird with it set to not save messages on the computer.

Thanks for the above Bruce. I have no doubt that you know what you are talking about but

Saying that does not negate the fact that everything else you said after that clearly indicates that you do doubt that I know what I am talking about.

You came to this forum for help with Thunderbird, but then you believe that your 25+ years of experience with computers supersedes what I have to say about this particular program you are asking help with.

I may decide to live with the issue but will certainly let you know if I try your suggestion

Good luck to you.

I will go on to help people here who will actually accept my help.

Hi Bruce,

No need to be defensive. I've expressed gratitude for the help you've provided me thus far, but please understand and try to put yourself in my shoes; I'll be 50 years old in a few months:) and have been advised *many* times in the past to "create a new email account" only to find all my emails downloaded again. And so I'm just being cautious-that's all. I hear you loud and clear and understand that you are saying this *won't* happen if I follow your instructions. Again, and as I said above, I'm going to monitor TBird closely today to see if I can pinpoint which accounts I'm having the issue with (I have 4 different email accounts) and will let you know if I create a new account and what the outcome is. Again-I am grateful for your help. Best wishes, Marla

I'm just upset. It just feels like I wasted my time trying to help you.

I have had this problem for a long time through multiple versions of TB (now 45.1.0) and Windows (now 10) and I am using a master password..

However, what I just discovered which might help in debugging this issue is that TB doesn't prompt multiple times, one prompt at a time, they all occur at once.

If one moves the logon box when it first occurs they will be another one under it (at least on my system there is). I kept moving the logon panels until there was no more underneath the previous one. In my case there were 8 logon panels ( I only have 4 mail accounts) .

I pasted my password into each logon input box and when the last one was entered TB finally was back to normal. Because the logon boxes were exactly position underneath each other it appeared that TB was prompting multiple times.

Doing the usual way which was to enter a password after OK was pressed the current logon panel was closed and the next panel was already there, but it appeared as if it was a re-prompt. In my case it was not as the next logon panel was already there.

I have attached a screenshot showing the multiple logon panels.

@CheechGe Your issue is not the same as the original poster. Like I said to another person in this same thread, this is a support forum and each thread is dedicated to the person who asks the question.

You should ask your own question if you want help, not resurrect an old thread that is another person's. This is in the Forum rules and guidelines.

Bruce A. Johnson said

@CheechGe You should ask your own question if you want help, not resurrect an old thread that is another person's.

OK, did that. According to a reply I received it should be fixed in the next release (I presume after 5.1.1)