Apple Mail won't connect to GMX.com

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Level 2

493 points

Apple Mail won't connect to GMX.com

I have several email accounts at gmx.com, which I access through IMAP via Apple Mail (macOS 10.12 Sierra, 15" 2014 MacBook Pro). Every now and then Mail says it can't access one or another of the accounts, tells me to enter my password in Internet Accounts Preference Pane. Sometimes it does work when I do this – though the password is the same as before. Sometimes I've found that if I quit Mail, then open it again, now it connects okay. Then sometime later (days, weeks, months) it stops working again.

Yesterday it did this again. I entered the password, it didn't work, I went to the gmx.com website and checked the password, it worked fine. So it's not the password. I quit Mail and restarted it, now it worked. Only ten minutes later, again it couldn't connect. Shortly it was unable to connect with any of the gmx.com accounts. And so it has been for several hours now, though I've quit and restarted Mail several times.

So I tried on my second, backup Mac, a 13" 2014 MacBook Pro, also with macOS 10.12 Sierra. Opened Mail, which had not been used at all, set up two of the gmx.com accounts; both work fine. So the problem is not the password(s), nor gmx.com, nor anything in my Internet connection, but something in the Apple Mail on my primary MBPro.

I know Mail has support files here and there in ~/Library/, but from previous experimentation I don't think any of them are concerned with accounts and passwords. These data seem to be hidden somewhere else, presumably for security reasons. I don't want to delete Mail and reinstall it, and have to go through all the hassle of importing all my old mail again. Is there some support file for Mail that may be corrupted, that can be deleted to get it to start fresh?

MacBook Pro 15″

Posted on Mar 16, 2022 2:59 PM

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Answer 1

BDAqua

Level 10

251,399 points

Mar 16, 2022 3:45 PM in response to HandyMac

Start with this...

Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at startup), does the problem occur in Safe Mode? Could take 10 minutes or more.

Safe mode attempts to repair Disks & clears lots of caches & loads safe Drivers, & prevents loading of 3rd party extensions, so if Safe Mode works try again in regular boot.

Are you running any VPN, Anti-Virus, or Cleaning apps?

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Answer 2

my ginger

Level 5

4,948 points

Mar 17, 2022 6:03 PM in response to HandyMac

Have you tried removing and then re-adding the problem account.Add email accounts in Mail on Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 3

BDAqua

Level 10

251,399 points

Mar 17, 2022 3:51 PM in response to HandyMac

It doesn't sound like Mail itself, but Mail has tins of other files, caches, etc.

I throw out some thoughts...

This looks difficult to some but is pretty easy taken step by step...

Make a New Location, Using network locations in Mac OS X ...

System Preferences>Network, top of window>Locations>Edit Locations, little plus icon, give it a name.

System Preferences>Network, click on the little gear at the bottom next to the + & - icons, (unlock lock first if locked), choose Set Service Order.

The interface that connects to the Internet should be dragged to the top of the list.

Sys Prefs>Network>highlight the Interface you're using>Advanced>TCP/IP>Configure IPv4: Using DHCP.

If using Wifi, instead of joining your Network from the list, click the WiFi icon at the top, and click join other network. Fill in everything as needed.

System Preferences>Network>choose interface>Advanced>Proxies Tab, make sure none are set, like for HTTP & HTTPS.

System Preferences>Network, unlock the lock if need be, highlight the Interface you use to connect to Internet, click on the advanced button, click on the DNS tab, click on the little plus icon, then add these numbers...

8.8.8.8

8.8.4.4

1.1.1.1

9.9.9.9

Apply.

Could be just one of those, but!!!

I've also run across a strange thing, logging out of your account, into another account then out of the other one & back into your account has cleared something that restarting,safe boot, xacje clearing did not for them!???

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Answer 4

HandyMac Author

Level 2

493 points

Mar 17, 2022 3:27 PM in response to BDAqua

Thanks for your response. Took me a while to see it, because… the address to which this post is subscribed is one of those that can't connect, and I hadn't thought to check it in Safari. Yesterday evening Mail suddenly connected to all the accounts again, so this message arrived several hours late.

I shut down the computer and went to bed. Then this morning when I opened Mail, it connected to all the accounts. I quit, then reopened it after about 20 minutes, and it couldn't connect to any of them. Except of course it connects fine as usual to my primary account at Fastmail.

So I tried your suggestion, starting in Safe Mode. Mail still can't connect to gmx.com.

No VPN or Cleaning apps. Running Malwarebytes, but the free version which doesn't monitor, just scans on order. (And also running Malwarebytes on the other computer, where Mail doesn't have this problem.)

Restarted again in regular mode. Mail still can't connect to gmx.com.

Perhaps the problem may be somehow associated with the MBPro having a swollen battery? This will be the third 15" MBPro that's needed its battery replaced (a 2015 last summer, this 2014, and a 2013 that's sitting around waiting for me to get to it) – at $250 each. However, after lengthy experimentation, that does not seem to be the cause of the Mail problem.

Long story short (sparing you another 500 words), after several hours of trying different experiments: cloning the setup from my primary computer to two others (MBPro with swollen battery, MBPro with good battery), cloning the fresh Sierra setup from the MBPro with good battery to the one with swollen battery, then finally replacing the misbehaving Mail.app with a fresh copy (which took some hassle with SIP), it seems clear the problem is somewhere in the Apple Mail setup (but not the app itself) in my primary MacBook Pro, and is not related to the swollen battery.

The problem persists when the setup from the primary MBPro is cloned to another with good battery.

2. The problem does not occur in fresh Apple Mail setup on computer with swollen battery.

3. The problem does not occur in fresh Apple Mail setup on computer with good battery.

4. The problem does not appear to be a corrupted Mail app in the setup where it can't connect, as when it is replaced with a fresh copy (from the volume where it connects to gmx.com okay), it still cannot connect to gmx.com.

As I said, I'm hoping not to have to delete Mail and reinstall it – which AFAIK requires reinstalling the entire OS. So I'm wondering if there might be a few files somewhere (even if hidden I can probably find them) that can be deleted, to force Mail to ask for new passwords without having to start again from zero? Any other thoughts?

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Answer 5

HandyMac Author

Level 2

493 points

Mar 18, 2022 10:54 AM in response to BDAqua

Thanks again. About the time I saw this response, Mail started behaving again. That was about 20 hours ago; it's still doing fine. Maybe you scared it, I dunno. Anyway, if it acts up again, I'll try your suggestions. Thanks for taking the time.

Meanwhile I'm wondering why, when I paste text to reply here, it just shows a spinning circle, which continues indefinitely, until I reload the page. Then it says "We saved the content from your last session. Start this reply from where you left off." Okay, and then indeed it shows the text in the entry frame, so I can go ahead and post it. Kinda tedious.

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Answer 6

HandyMac Author

Level 2

493 points

Mar 18, 2022 10:57 AM in response to my ginger

Ah, no, didn't think of that. 🤦‍♂️ Thanks. For now, Mail is behaving – I don't know why, but not complaining. If it starts acting up again, I'll try your suggestion. Thanks.

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