Mac Mail keeps asking for password which I know is correct

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Level 1

105 points

Mac Mail keeps asking for password which I know is correct

I cannot believe that Apple doesn't have Mac Mail available as an option, so I'm posting here. This issue was also a problem in Ventura.

I have three email accounts. All three are working on my phone and my iPad, but on my iMac, one of them keeps asking for a password. If I enter what I know is the correct password, Mac Mail still keeps asking for the password.

What's really odd is that Mail keeps asking for an old server name (box437xxx@xxx.com) rather than the current server address (mail.xxx.com)

Here's what I've tried so far:

• Deleted the account and re-creating it.

• Searching Keychain Access and deleting older entries for that email address. Also searching on the old server name (see above) and deleting two instances of that.

• Restarting

• Upgrading my Mac OS.

This is making me crazy. Any help with other suggestions will be greatly appreciated

iMac 27″, macOS 13.6

Posted on Jan 20, 2024 1:45 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

etresoft

Level 9

56,290 points

Jan 30, 2024 6:02 AM in response to branfordman54

There is another, hidden set of login accounts in Apple Mail.

Go to Mail > Settings
Click the Accounts tab
Pick the associated account (could really be any account) in the sidebar
Click the Server settings tab
Under Outgoing mail account click on the pop-up button and select the last item Edit SMTP Server list
Hopefully you will see the old account there and you can delete it

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Answer 2

Jul 8, 2024 1:24 AM in response to etresoft

Deleted old smtp server from the list and manually re-create it, then bind it to the account works good so far.

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Answer 3

Jul 31, 2024 7:55 AM in response to branfordman54

Step 1: Go to System Settings.

Step 2: Go to Internet Accounts.

Step 3: Look for the email account that keeps asking you for "correct" password.

Step 4: Click on it.

Step 5: You should see "Mail" and "Notes" there.

Step 6: Deactivate the function of "Mail".

Step 7: Click on the "Details" above. Re-type your password there.

Step 8: Go back to the "Mail" and activate it.

Step 9: Close the System Settings and open your mail.

Step 10: Key in the same password of your email account when it pops out again. And it should work now.

Not 100% guarantee but I tried this way and it worked.

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Answer 4

JazzSoft

Level 1

28 points

Aug 1, 2024 10:14 AM in response to branfordman54

I've been using Mac and Mail app since 2017 but this issue still persists. I don't think Apple can fix it.

This issue sometimes stopped when I did one (or more) of following tricks. But some days later I saw the problem again.

Close Mail app. Go to live.com (in my case) on Safari and login. Safari may be connected to the Mac Keychain. I usually use Chrome, though. And launch Mail app again.
Right-click on "All Inboxes" and choose "Take All Accounts Online" instead of attempting to make individual account online.
Shutdown macOS and then restart again. Rebooting will put your macOS into hibernation and won't clear the memory.

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Answer 5

Jul 8, 2024 7:21 PM in response to ClarkTTFu

Someone on the Reddit said manually entering the password on the Server Settings page resolves the problem too.

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Answer 6

mkamelg

Level 1

4 points

Jan 30, 2024 5:07 AM in response to branfordman54

When the window asking for a password pops up again, enter the password and finish entering the password by pressing the Tab key. Finish the entire procedure by clicking the OK button. If the password is not accepted again, repeat the entire procedure. I have no idea how long this solution will last, I hope it will last as long as possible. I found a way to solve this problem at this link https://www.reddit.com/r/MacOS/comments/15kw1f7/internet_accounts_keeps_asking_for_email_password/

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Answer 7

branfordman54 Author

Level 1

105 points

Jan 30, 2024 7:23 AM in response to etresoft

Hi. You are a life-saver. Editing the SMTP Server List (deleting the account’s server as well as a few others that are no longer used). I've been living with this issue for months and had all but given up on it after the Apple tech support guy couldn't solve it. All the best to you!

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Answer 8

branfordman54 Author

Level 1

105 points

Jan 20, 2024 1:48 PM in response to branfordman54

Follow up note: Even after I completely delete the problem email account, when I re-open Mail, it's still asking for the password for that deleted account, which does not show in Settings > Accounts. How is this even possible?

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Answer 9

branfordman54 Author

Level 1

105 points

Jan 29, 2024 2:38 PM in response to Wordman7

I spent almost 2 hours on the phone with a very helpful tech who ran out of ideas. He escalated it to a supervisor who said I may need to contact my web host and/or completely install a new OS from scratch. I have not yet contacted bluehost, but don't expect much as several of the other email addresses I have use the same domain and all—except for that one—and only on the Mac are working properly on all devices. Installing a complete OS from scratch is not something I really want to do. Good luck to you. Please let me know if you discover anything that might help.

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Answer 10

Wordman7

Level 1

8 points

Jan 29, 2024 2:14 PM in response to branfordman54

Running Sonoma's latest version, and I'm having the same problem. This is ridiculous, to say the list. I do not know what to do. Frustrating!

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