TBird can't login to one Gmail account after Sierra OS update on Mac
Since a High Sierra OS update two days ago, TBird cannot log in to one of my two gmail accounts. It asks for the password (which was saved like all the others), then comes back with a "login failed" error message. I haven't changed ANYTHING relative to my two Gmail accounts. Thunderbird is the latest version, 52.5.2 (64-bit).
I've looked through similar threads about this and tried all the solutions I found, but nothing worked. Tried restarting with no add-ons; tried deleting the Gmail account through Preferences>>security>>saved passwords—none worked.
Both error messages shown in images.
Chosen solution
All Replies (5)
Thank you, christ1! I had seen this but didn't think it applied to my situation. Moreover, it didn't make sense to me that only one of my two Gmail accounts was having this problem.
My concern now is that turning on this feature has made my accounts more vulnerable. Could there possibly be an alternative solution to the problem, so that I can turn the "less secure apps" feature off again?
You don't need "less secure apps" when you turn on 2-step authentication. In any case, "less secure apps" is by no means less secure as long as you use a strong password. As an alternative you can set up your Gmail account as IMAP, and use OAuth2 authentication. This won't require "less secure apps".
Modified by christ1
Thanks again! I've just turned on 2-step authentication and will see how Thunderbird works with it.
I'm still curious, though—why would I have had this problem with one GMail account and not the other, especially when the only change I made in all of my set up was that High Sierra OS update? Any ideas?
UPDATE: Turning on 2-step verification brought back the login problem, again with the same account.