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

Thunderbird

  • 7 replies
  • 0 have this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by Bezzie

more options

Thunderbird hangs when trying to send emails. It says it can't authenticate SMTP server or something to that extend. What is weird is that I can save an email in drafts, close Thunderbird, open Thunderbird, open the email and send it without a problem so there is no error with the username or password. I checked the SMTP server GMail settings and all seems to be in order.

It works without a problem for a while and then it looks like it goes into sleep mode or something and then doesn't wake up again. Problem is just with sending emails, downloading emails has no issues.

Windows 10 OS Thunderbird 102.7.2 (64-bit) GMail email provider

Thunderbird hangs when trying to send emails. It says it can't authenticate SMTP server or something to that extend. What is weird is that I can save an email in drafts, close Thunderbird, open Thunderbird, open the email and send it without a problem so there is no error with the username or password. I checked the SMTP server GMail settings and all seems to be in order. It works without a problem for a while and then it looks like it goes into sleep mode or something and then doesn't wake up again. Problem is just with sending emails, downloading emails has no issues. Windows 10 OS Thunderbird 102.7.2 (64-bit) GMail email provider

All Replies (7)

more options

Attached images (don't know how to get them in the message:-() are the messages I get.

All my setting seems to work as emails get send for a while after opening Thunderbird but then after a while it stops and I have to close and reopen Thunderbird to get it to respond again. Biggest irritation is that I have to compose the email, save it to drafts, close Thunderbird, reopen Thunderbird, reopen the email from drafts and click send to get it sent. If I do it like this it works.

Also when I open Thunderbird and I get a reminder I can click the Dismiss and the reminder will be cleared. When Thunderbird has been open for a while then no amount of clicking the Dismiss buttons will do anything. Have to close and reopen Thunderbird to get the reminder(s) dismissed.

more options

Had your account long? Which is a cynical way of saying your server name of googlemail dates to about the time Gmail came out of Beta and is most likely your issue. Especially as GMail now uses oAUth for about everything and it does not work consistently with googlemail server names.

Change it to the SMTP.gmail.com server name recommended by google. See https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7126229?hl=en

more options

Thank you. I will try that and revert.

more options

Nope. Still hanging on sending after TB was open for a while.

I'm using POP3 and SMTP if that could make a difference?

Had the GMail account for probably 15+ years.

more options

Any other suggestions I could try?

more options

Bezzie said

Nope. Still hanging on sending after TB was open for a while.

Have you tried without antivirus mail scanning? It sounds to me like something other than Thunderbird is nodding off "after a while" and A/V is the obvious next guess. I discount Thunderbird because exactly the same code gets executed after each send. If one works that the problem is most unlikely to actually be Thunderbird.

Having said that try running in Troubleshooting mode from the help menu. There are some antivirus products that inject their code into the running Thunderbird with odd outcomes at times. (Sounds a bit malware like hey) Troubleshoot mode disables that.

more options

Ok. It would seem the Norton Antivirus is somehow involved.

Turning off Email scan still had the same problem. Thunderbird hangs after a while.

Turning off Norton Antivirus and the problem seems to go away.

But no idea how to fix the issue other than uninstalling Norton as I can stop Norton only for some time before it turns on again.