Locked out of gmail
I have been using Thunderbird for about a month for a number of e-mail accounts. I have just changed the gmail password and have been able to continue to use gmail from my Moto G and Galaxy S6 phones but not from Thunderbird on my PC. I have input the new password via Thunderbirds password manager for incoming and outgoing mail. When I select the gmail account in the left pane I get a window open up on top of Thunderbird, from Google with a sign in box. I complete this with the new password, it goes away, then I get an almost identical window open up. At the same time my mobile gets a 2 stage security message with the 3 numbers on, but I don't get a window on my PC telling me which number to select Help!
Chosen solution
I have got round the problem by switching on "Allow less secure apps to access your account" in my Google account and then, in Thunderbird, switching to "Normal Password". An answer I got on Google said "This appears to be a Thunderbird problem. Something broke in the release of 68.2 that was working previously. I had multiple accounts fail since the update and the one thing they all had in common is I changed the password recently. Thunderbird is NOT storing the new OAuth2 token properly any more that it receives from Google so the authentication continues to fail. It appears they implemented 2FA which seems to work properly with physical security keys now but still there's a token issue. 'Old' tokens continue to work so if you want Thunderbird to keep working, do NOT change your passwords" This answer was dated 2019!
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Thunderbird does not support two factor authentication oAth is the preferred method for gmail (per google)
Thanks for your quick response. The Thunderbird account is set up, as per the Google advice, with OAth, so I don't understand what is going on.
Chosen Solution
I have got round the problem by switching on "Allow less secure apps to access your account" in my Google account and then, in Thunderbird, switching to "Normal Password". An answer I got on Google said "This appears to be a Thunderbird problem. Something broke in the release of 68.2 that was working previously. I had multiple accounts fail since the update and the one thing they all had in common is I changed the password recently. Thunderbird is NOT storing the new OAuth2 token properly any more that it receives from Google so the authentication continues to fail. It appears they implemented 2FA which seems to work properly with physical security keys now but still there's a token issue. 'Old' tokens continue to work so if you want Thunderbird to keep working, do NOT change your passwords" This answer was dated 2019!
brian.ramsden said
This answer was dated 2019!
And it was relevant and pertinent then. But a change to oAth handling was made very quickly to fix that issue. So while you mat have things working. it is not because of that.
You question was about two factor authentication. Your solution was about oAth. One is not the other. So I guess you will have issues going forward. Why do I say that? Because Google have expressed their intent to remove the less secure apps option and have already done so for their paid google suite.
Thunderbird support oAth or the use of an application password with Google and the use of a normal password only until they remove the less secure apps option. Expected around now really.
Modified by Matt