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

Cannot get email to download from server

  • 5 replies
  • 1 has this problem
  • 8 views
  • Last reply by sfhowes

more options

For weeks I have been getting this message when I try to retrieve new email: "Sending of password for user xxxxxx@swbell.net did not succeed. Mail server pop.att.yahoo.com responded: Server error - Please try again later." I have tried everything on the help files associated with this message and nothing seems to work. My server name is: pop.att.yahoo.com, outgoing server is: smtp.att.yahoo.com. It apparently is not accepting my old password that I've had forever but not sure this is the issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

For weeks I have been getting this message when I try to retrieve new email: "Sending of password for user xxxxxx@swbell.net did not succeed. Mail server pop.att.yahoo.com responded: Server error - Please try again later." I have tried everything on the help files associated with this message and nothing seems to work. My server name is: pop.att.yahoo.com, outgoing server is: smtp.att.yahoo.com. It apparently is not accepting my old password that I've had forever but not sure this is the issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Modified by mpusley

All Replies (5)

more options

I think you have to use inbound.att.net for the POP server and outbound.att.net for the SMTP. Plus, create a secure mail key and use that in place of the password in TB.

https://www.att.com/support/article/dsl-high-speed/KM1010523/

more options

The instructions for creating a secure mail key don't seem to work. I login into my at&t profile and there is nothing there about email accounts.

more options

Are you referring to these instructions? I don't have an AT&T account to test, but many account holders have managed to create keys for TB in the last several months. Once you have a key, remove the passwords from Saved Passwords in TB Preferences or Options, restart TB, enter the key when asked for a password.

more options

Yes, those instructions don't work for me. When I go to the att&t profile, which is my at&t account for my cell phone there is nothing there about email accounts or secure mail keys. I will try a chat session with them and see if they can provide direction. this is a mess, if I can get it fixed I'm going to move to Outlook and get ride of Thunderbird.

more options

Keep in mind that a secure mail key is required for any desktop mail client.

If you can access your swbell account through the Yahoo servers, pop.mail.yahoo.com or imap.mail.yahoo.com and smtp.mail.yahoo.com, the authentication method can be OAuth2, which is practically equivalent to the method of secure keys and normal password authentication.