Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

IMAP password saved. SMTP password not. Can receive but not send.

  • 5 majibu
  • 1 ana tatizo hili
  • 1 view
  • Last reply by repeatunit

more options

Thunderbird 115.6.0 running on Kubuntu 22.04.

I can receive email over IMAP fine. Sending email times out.

When I look at my saved passwords in edit > settings > privacy > Passwords > Saved Passwords, I find the correct entry for the IMAP server. But no entry for the SMTP server.

I verified that the IMAP and SMTP server entries were entered correctly for my provider in edit > account settings. For what it's worth, my provider uses the same server (mail.twc.com) for each.

Acting on what I saw in some other threads, I deleted the following in ~/.thunderbird while Thunderbird was closed: key4.db cert9.db logins.json pkcs11.txt

Re-launched Thunderbird. Immediately I was prompted for the IMAP server password. Receiving mail works. When I try to send an email, I do not get prompted for a password, and sending email still times out. When I look at the (new) stored passwords, I again have an entry for the IMAP server, but no entry for the SMTP server. If I enter a different server name under account settings and try to send an email, I get prompted for a password, which I entered and clicked the save password box. The send fails because I am using the wrong smtp server. When go back to saved passwords, I now have an entry for the smtp server I entered. I can change the user name and password for that entry, but I cannot change the smtp server.

Is my intuition (that there should be an entry for smtp server in passwords) correct? If so it seems like I can't enter one if the server name coincides with what I entered for the imap server. Or might the inability to send email caused by something else?

Thunderbird 115.6.0 running on Kubuntu 22.04. I can receive email over IMAP fine. Sending email times out. When I look at my saved passwords in edit > settings > privacy > Passwords > Saved Passwords, I find the correct entry for the IMAP server. But no entry for the SMTP server. I verified that the IMAP and SMTP server entries were entered correctly for my provider in edit > account settings. For what it's worth, my provider uses the same server (mail.twc.com) for each. Acting on what I saw in some other threads, I deleted the following in ~/.thunderbird while Thunderbird was closed: key4.db cert9.db logins.json pkcs11.txt Re-launched Thunderbird. Immediately I was prompted for the IMAP server password. Receiving mail works. When I try to send an email, I do not get prompted for a password, and sending email still times out. When I look at the (new) stored passwords, I again have an entry for the IMAP server, but no entry for the SMTP server. If I enter a different server name under account settings and try to send an email, I get prompted for a password, which I entered and clicked the save password box. The send fails because I am using the wrong smtp server. When go back to saved passwords, I now have an entry for the smtp server I entered. I can change the user name and password for that entry, but I cannot change the smtp server. Is my intuition (that there should be an entry for smtp server in passwords) correct? If so it seems like I can't enter one if the server name coincides with what I entered for the imap server. Or might the inability to send email caused by something else?

Chosen solution

I take it this is under the option "connection security", where I find a STARTTLS option.

When I did that email sends nicely (after prompting me for the password).

Yay. I'll have to do some reading about what this is and why it works. Thank you!

Read this answer in context 👍 0

All Replies (5)

more options

Forgot to say, the same IMAP and SMTP settings I used in the note above work fine when used on my iPhone mail app.

more options

Sometimes it helps to share the settings of the SMTP server, since that is where the problem appears to lie.

more options

IMAP Settings Server Name: mail.twc.com port: 993 User Name: <full email address> Authentication Method: Normal Password Connection Security: SSL/TLS


SMTP Settings Server Name: mail.twc.com port: 587 User Name: <full email address> Authentication Method: Normal Password Connection Security: SSL/TLS

Entry in the saved password entry for the imap entry. imap://mail.twc.com (imap://mail.twc.com)

I guess I was expecting there to be another saved password entry that looks the same, but starts with smtp:// instead of imap://.

As mentioned, these settings are in accord with my provider's instructions, and they work in my iPhone's mail app.

more options

Try changing SMTP to STARTTLS

more options

Suluhisho teule

I take it this is under the option "connection security", where I find a STARTTLS option.

When I did that email sends nicely (after prompting me for the password).

Yay. I'll have to do some reading about what this is and why it works. Thank you!