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Why is my password for an email account suddenly not working?

The password works fine if I log into the account on the website, and it works fine in my Mac Mail on my iMac, but on my Macbook Pro, it did work fine, until it suddenly didn't, starting yesterday! What could be causing this screw-up? There's no reason why it shouldn't be working as it has....


MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 10.13

Posted on Jul 11, 2022 10:53 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 11, 2022 10:55 PM

Saxman Said:

"Why is my password for an email account suddenly not working?: The password works fine if I log into the account on the website, and it works fine in my Mac Mail on my iMac, but on my Macbook Pro, it did work fine, until it suddenly didn't, starting yesterday! What could be causing this screw-up? There's no reason why it shouldn't be working as it has...."

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Thank you for the screenshot.


Use a New App Password:

Do you use an App Password? If so, try a new App Password. Sometimes, changes (i.e. updates) are made to the device, and then mail server syncing becomes an issue (which is what a new App Password it intended to fix). Go here for gmail: Sign in with App Passwords - Google Account Help - Goog

6 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 11, 2022 10:55 PM in response to Saxman

Saxman Said:

"Why is my password for an email account suddenly not working?: The password works fine if I log into the account on the website, and it works fine in my Mac Mail on my iMac, but on my Macbook Pro, it did work fine, until it suddenly didn't, starting yesterday! What could be causing this screw-up? There's no reason why it shouldn't be working as it has...."

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Thank you for the screenshot.


Use a New App Password:

Do you use an App Password? If so, try a new App Password. Sometimes, changes (i.e. updates) are made to the device, and then mail server syncing becomes an issue (which is what a new App Password it intended to fix). Go here for gmail: Sign in with App Passwords - Google Account Help - Goog

Jul 17, 2022 9:00 PM in response to Saxman

Saxman Said:

"I still have no idea what you mean by an 'app password', [...]Just like I don't understand why when I try to log in to this site, two different passwords pop up, both with my Mac ID email, and when I try to see which is in my keychain, it's impossible to figure out which it is, as it shows a dozen or more, all with my Mac email address!![...]"

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About the App Password:

The app password allows you to access your eMail provider's server for user on a third-part app (i.e Apple's Mail app). The incoming and outgoing servers much have their own protocols. So, who is you eMail provider?


Reinstalling the macOS:

Another option would be to reinstall the macOS. Perhaps an install was not 100% successful? Sometimes, when major changes are made to your Mac(i.e. update installations), system settings (i.e. for the fan) become manipulated, technically. So, when reinstalling, nothing would be deleted. It's just that items that have become corrupted or deleted, would be replaced or reinstalled back to where they should be. Go Here: How to Reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - Apple Support


Important: Be certain to  back up your Mac prior to making any major changes to it, successfully as au update. In doing so, you with have something to restore store your Mac from from, should anything go wrong with the reinstall.

Jul 17, 2022 11:59 AM in response to TheLittles

Hmm... no idea what a new "App Password" is, and didn't have to go to gmail, it suddenly just started working again... Not sure if I tried entering it another time, and that time it took, or if it just self-corrected, as it has done in the past... Oh, and I just remembered, it wasn't even my gmail account, as that was working, it was a different POP account I have.


Jul 17, 2022 6:14 PM in response to Saxman

Saxman Said:

"Why is my password for an email account suddenly not working?: [...]Oh, and I just remembered, it wasn't even my gmail account, as that was working, it was a different POP account I have."

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To Clarify:

gmail is mentioned as an example of an eMail provider. The link is there is an example of a gmail provider's site to go to, to get an app password. So, google your eMail provider, and see if app passwords are things they need.

Jul 17, 2022 8:50 PM in response to TheLittles

I still have no idea what you mean by an "app password", other than the password for the account, which I know. And I realized tonight, while it works fine on my iMac, it's on my Macbook Pro, that it won't work. Now why it works fine on the Earthlink website, my iMac's Mac Mail, but not on my Macbook, is mind-numbing! Just like I don't understand why when I try to log in to this site, two different passwords pop up, both with my Mac ID email, and when I try to see which is in my keychain, it's impossible to figure out which it is, as it shows a dozen or more, all with my Mac email address!! Why is this??? Why is it so impossible to figure out this mess? It's probably also why my Safari won't sync via iCloud with my Safari on the MacBook, as well! I bet there's some kind of user difference, between the two computers, but it's impossible to know which one will have permission to sync.....

Why is my password for an email account suddenly not working?

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