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Thunderbird asks me to sign in every time

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I have not changed my email accounts or my Google & Microsoft usernames or passwords. A few days ago when I started Thunderbird, two Google pop-ups arrive reading "Mozilla Thunderbird Email wants to access your Google Account" demanding that I deny or allow it. Why might this be happening and how do I stop it? This does not occur with other email apps such as Outlook for Windows.

I have not changed my email accounts or my Google & Microsoft usernames or passwords. A few days ago when I started Thunderbird, two Google pop-ups arrive reading "Mozilla Thunderbird Email wants to access your Google Account" demanding that I deny or allow it. Why might this be happening and how do I stop it? This does not occur with other email apps such as Outlook for Windows.
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All Replies (20)

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Any account that uses 'Authentication Method: Oauth2' will need to be allowed access to the server.

You may be prompted for password followed by the request to allow Thunderbird access to server. You need to click on 'Accept' or else google will not allow access.

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Make sure you have the latest version 128.2.3, which includes fixes for gmail OAuth2 authentication, the source of those notifications.

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Rebecca, are you still seeing this issue?

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I still see this problem every time I load Thunderbird. No-one has suggested a solution that works.

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Do you use a VPN? They have been a long term problem when accessing Google mail accounts. Google thinks you phone that also get mail or accesses maps and is according to their record in your home and your laptop that is apparently 20,00km away might indicate you are being hacked. SO the require a password to verify it is actually you.

Note that a number of antivirus products now include complimentary VPN's and enable them automatically.

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No, none of that applies. I don't use a VPN, and nothing (so far as I know) changed before this started occurring about six weeks ago. I'd have thought others would have come across the same problem but it seems I'm alone.

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re : A few days ago when I started Thunderbird, two Google pop-ups arrive reading "Mozilla Thunderbird Email wants to access your Google Account" demanding that I deny or allow it.

You get the pop up, but have you clicked on 'Allow' ?

Have you got the following....you need to have these settings. Please check.

  • In Settings > Privacy & Security'
  • Web Content
  • Select ' Accept cookies from sites'
  • Accet third party cookies 'Allow'
  • Click on 'Exceptions'
  • Add: https://accounts.google.com and set to allow.
  • Click on 'Save Changes'

Confirm you have the above.

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I always click on Allow when those pop-ups appear. I have added https://accounts.google.com/ to the Exceptions list, exactly as you suggested. On restarting Thunderbird, the two pop-ups re-appeared. I am at a loss to understand why.

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I've just had another look at those pop up error messages and they are not talking about the email address and emails. So this is not about the mail accounts.

They mention the gmail calendar and contacts - address book.

Do you have the gmail calendar visible in the 'Calendar' tab ? Do you use the addon extension 'Provider for Google Calendar' ?

Have you set up the gmail address book ? In Thunderbird this can be done and does not require any addons.

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Yes, my Gmail calendar is one of my tabs. These popups began appearing about two months ago, but I had made no changes to Thunderbird. 'Provider for Google Calendar' is not an extension I have installed. Should I do so?

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It might be worth removing the gmail calendar, restarting Thunderbird to ensure all is updated and then adding it again.

I use 'Provider for Google Calendar' because the extension allows bidirectional access to Google - Thunderbird can read and write events and tasks to a Google Calendar.

You do not have to use it.

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I would try removing the calendar but I can't see a way to do that, whether in Settings or in the drop-down list on the calendar name. I see 'Unsubscribe Calendar' but that is greyed out. What if I uninstalled Thunderbird then installed it again? I'd have to Export all the settings of course.

Endret av Rebecca Turner

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re :What if I uninstalled Thunderbird then installed it again?

There are very few reasons for uninstalling and reinstalling because it rarely fixes anything. Why ? Because the problem is not with the program.

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re: I see 'Unsubscribe Calendar' but that is greyed out.

Sounds like you are not connected to gmail calendar. Not surprising if it's asking for password.

I'm in Calendar tab - looking at 'Calendars' listed on the left side. I have my gmail email address as Calendar Right click on gmail calendar in Calendars to see drop down options and all of mine are enabled, so selectable.

Do you have anything in that drop down list which is not greyed out? Are there any options that you could select? If yes, what are they ?

Try to add the gmail calendar..but first end the session by exiting Thunderbird and then restarting. File > New > Calendar select 'Google Calendar' and click on Next select your gmail email address if it is displaying and click on 'Find Calendars' select your email address as calendar as clickon 'Subscribe'

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I think it is connected to Gmail Calendar as in its Properties it shows my Google email address and its location is in apidata.googleusercontent.com. I created a new calendar with the same Google email address. Now the older calendar has Unsubscribe and Synchronise available but the new calendar doesn't have either - but it does have a Delete option. All very confusing...Then... I Unsubscribed the older calendar, restarted Thunderbird and the popups didn't appear. Now I have a new, blank calendar that seems to work (there was nothing much in the one I seem to have deleted) and all appears fine. So thank you!

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Oh, nearly there, I thought it was fixed. There were two pop-ups appearing: one about Calendar, one about Contacts which still appears saying "See, edit, download and permanently delete your contacts". How do I get rid of that one?

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re :Now I have a new, blank calendar that seems to work (there was nothing much in the one I seem to have deleted) and all appears fine.

That gmail calendar.... logon to your webmail account using a browser look at the Calendar - does it have anything in it ?

Look at the gmail Address Book which may be called Contacts Also, do you have a load of contacts in the gmail address book?

In Thunderbird In 'Address Book' You should see: > All Address Books (a virtual search displaying all contacts) >> Personal Address Book >> Collected Addresses

But do you also have another address book ? If yes what is it called? Is it called 'Address Book' ? If you select it and then click on the 3 dot icon - do you the option 'Synchronise' ? Does it contain exactly the same contacts as displayed in the gmail webmail account Contact address book?

What happens if you click on 'Synchronise' ?

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Toad-Hall said

</blockquote>That gmail calendar.... logon to your webmail account using a browser look at the Calendar - does it have anything in it ?

Yes, the web browser Gmail calendar is fully populated.

Look at the gmail Address Book which may be called Contacts Also, do you have a load of contacts in the gmail address book?

Yes, that's fully populated too.

In Thunderbird In 'Address Book' You should see: > All Address Books (a virtual search displaying all contacts) >> Personal Address Book >> Collected Addresses

Yes, I do.

But do you also have another address book ? If yes what is it called? Is it called 'Address Book' ? If you select it and then click on the 3 dot icon - do you the option 'Synchronise' ? Does it contain exactly the same contacts as displayed in the gmail webmail account Contact address book?

Yes, there's an 'Address Book' as well as the other three books and it does appear to have the same list as in the Gmail Contacts.

What happens if you click on 'Synchronise' ? </blockquote>

The address book icon turns into a moving line, and the pop-up window appears again.

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I'm having much the same problems, but I only have ONE pop-up.

The problem as I see it, is that this pop-up want permission to fully take over my email account - quote "Read, compose, send, and permanently delete all your email from Gmail".

Why should we have to do that?

Today as I write, it is December 10, 2024. This only started at the beginning of December. I have emails for November 30 but cannot get any since on my computer. I had done nothing different that might cause this pop-up. As for the calendar some have been discussing, I NEVER use it - not sure if it is even there.

Oddly enough it is not affecting my phone so it HAS to be a Thunderbird problem (doesn't it?). But I prefer the computer for everything other than just reading emails.

Try clicking the "i" button to the right of the <Read, compose, send, and permanently delete all your email from Gmail>. This relists the quote by with more details. e.g. it wants to "Add new emails meant for a different email address into your inbox" and "Create, change or delete your email labels".

Has anyone found an answer yet? Why is Mozilla not helping?

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Firstly, "Mozilla" doesn't make Thunderbird (though it does hold the trademark).

Second, the "pop-up" is a page sent by and controlled by Google for THEIR login purposes to your data on your account. Thunderbird has zero control over how they ask you to give that access to the THunderbird application. Further, if you don't agree that's fine, but then you can't use Thunderbird.

But you do want to use Thunderbird to manage your email? Then you must agree to what Google asks you to give access to.

Phones can work differently - but the choice of how that process works is still controlled by Google.

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