Mail can’t open browser to complete authentication of google account

Think I did it. didn't go as you expect and didn't work.

Removed ok, and just did Mail, cause account also used by Contact. clicked on minus tab at bottom of Preferences>Account. All in-box and sent on the account disappeared from Mail.

then did plus, and click on it as a google account. and for 5 minutes got the spinning wheel.

fortunately account still listed as "not enabled" in Preferences>Account. clicked on enable and all reappeared. clicked but still got spinning wheel to connect.

Just account. others fine. And no changes in any account. As I said, initial popup that needed to enter password for an account to completing authentication in your web browser would happen in any of the accounts, usually all of them at once, every few weeks, but would take 1 click to open browser and autofill provided the password.

Till now I assume it was a small delay b/c logging in for 1st time of day.

no, haven't contacted google. i have found google impossible. And I'm out of US for 6 weeks and like everybody else (including Apple) only have 800 numbers.

Thanks, Missy.

Good link and info. I am a rigor, constant 2FA-phobe. It’s based on parochial assumption that everyone is in USA, can ALWAYS receive a text, and if not, backup is ALWAYS an 800 number. I travel and work outside USA often; am right now. I get locked out of accounts all the time by 2FA. Todays its amazon. Has been Apple in past. I NEVER TURN ON 2FA.

I checked my google accounts, and I had done what I always do when possible: don’t provide phone number. So, at least not trying to send me a text.

Also on 2FA, typically works with a page in between saying that sending a text to a certain number. I don’t get that page. It’s only the spinning wheel when trying to connect to google.

Also, on my iPhone connects to all google Mail accounts with Mail/iOS and no problem. Same password. And I can go online to google and open the account. No 2FA prompts. Same computer and location.

It’s something in Mail app it seems to me.

Assume Chrome ok substitute? and it's google? Let me check to see what else switching default changes. I've 2 work-around for this problem, going online to account to read messages or using iPhone. I move slowly on cures that might cause bigger problems

You were right. switched default browser to Chrome, and Mail account now works. Next test will be to switch back, b/c I don't want Chrome to be my default all the time. maybe it was a glitch in 1 connection, since others have worked. Will see, and report back.

thanks

Safari flunked the test. I switched default browser back to safari. All accounts said they were online. I was able to send from another account to the one Safari could connect to verify. but then to send from problem account, I got popup asking for its password. Copied in the identical pw I had just successfully entered in Chrome, and I got, “unable to verify account name or password.”

now to get mail on all accounts, I need to keep Chrome as default browser. To use it regularly to open internet sites-pages probably means moving my extensive bookmarks. But need to still keep in Safari. So adding to my continuing problem that 250 GB isn’t enough space. I already have all photos, music, audiobooks stored on external HD.

You’d think that with all the space macOS takes up, it could work better than this.