Microsoft may be requesting an app password in the background. Try the steps described here:

(quote)

1. Sign in to your Microsoft account.
2. Under Password and security info, tap or click Edit security info. If you're prompted for a security code here, enter it and tap or click Submit.
3. Under App passwords, tap or click Create a new app password. A new app password is generated and appears on your screen.
4. Switch to the app or device for which you need the password, and enter the app password displayed on the screen.

For more info about signing in to specific devices, see App passwords and two-step verification.

(end quote)

The info may be outdated. What triggers the error may be the page asking you to protect your account by a secondary email or code when logging in using webmail. Try visiting that and enter the email or (let it) send the code.

Also see When you can't sign in to your Microsoft account.

Could you report back?

I signed into my Microsoft account but could not find anywhere a "Password and security info" tab, section, or anything like that. I tried links that looked like they might work but nothing did.

This link to a Microsoft help topic is the same problem I am having: http://tinyurl.com/gn7zpt5 It's from back in 2014 and that might be why the solutions suggested in the replies don't help me :(

Unfortunately, none of the suggested solutions in the replies are possible within my Microsoft account. In fact, the URL when signed into my hotmail account is https://outlook.live.com, not the https://XXXXX.mail.live.com shown in the replies.

The tab headings across the top of my Microsoft account pages are: Account, Your Info, Services & Subscriptions, Payment & Billing, Devices, Family, Rewards, and Security & privacy.

I'd think the Security & privacy section would be the right one but nothing there helped.

Do I need a smart phone to access the "apps"? I am using laptop PC and have no smart phone.

All of my other email accounts work fine in Thunderbird. The problem is only with Hotmail.

Hotmail works fine with Yahoo mail, as do all my other email accounts.

Poopypantz it seems you have the same problem I have. I am surprised that I can compose and send an email. It does send it but does not put one in the sent folder. Weird it can connect to send, but not to receive. Just wondered if you had tried to send an email. My last email received was at 11:30pm on Nov 17. It seems something happened this week and I suspect others will be posting trouble soon.

Tonnes, I want to be as helpful as I can in solving this problem. Unfortunately, in trying to provide useful info, I clearly smother useful info with useless ramblings :(

I think it will be more productive to keep me focussed with brutally directive and specific questions. I'll commit to timely and specific responses.

I am also replying yo the issue on the Microsoft Support page (http://tinyurl.com/gn7zpt5) to see if I can get an updated solution to this problem from their end.

Thanks again for your interest and time is helping! :)

Yes, the info I posted was copied from and pointing to the "here" link, which is exactly what you found, and offered as a solution in the Microsoft forum. Apparently they can’t offer "the" answer.

Thank you for your offer to help out. The short answer: could you please read this question? You are not alone.

Hi Tonnes, I posted this on the thread you referred me to also. But I'm posting it here too.

I got a reply from Microsoft support thread. Perhaps this is the problem?

http://downdetector.com/status/outlook/map/

Hello, if that can help, I posted a workaround on the Microsoft thread you are pointing at, and also here https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1147439

Hope it will help you.

Note: I found the workaround while waiting for a person to answer me in the support chat. I was #50 ... !! So had plenty of time to continue investigating. Since I had another account in outlook.com which was working, and while exploring the menus to find something which could unblock me I saw the notion of aliases, that gave me the idea to try creating an alias in outlook.com for the account .. :-)

Hey aaFn, changing my Outlook alias from @hotmail.com to @outlook.com worked for me - I think! :) At least my hotmail/outlook email account finally opened once again in Thunderbird!!! Yaaay!

Being a weirdo, I worried that this ordeal was Microsoft's way of eliminating @hotmail.com email addresses :( I didn't want to lose my @hotmail.com email because I've been using it as my primary email for the last 15+ years.

So I went back into my Microsoft account and attempted to change my alias back to @hotmail.com. A red warning popped up saying Microsoft "limits how often you can change aliases. Check back NEXT WEEK." Whaaat?!?!? and it looked like I was locked out. Whaaat whaaaaat ? ! ? ! ?

I went into Thunderbird's Account Settings and changed my @outlook.com email Account Name back to @hotmail.com. The account continued to work in Thunderbird :) But the Email Address still showed as @outlook.com :(

Being weirder, I wasn't satisfied with that so I went into Thunderbird's Account Settings again and changed the Email Address back to @hotmail.com. Account still worked! :)

Well well well - I'm still a weirdo BUT really really happy! :-o

Now I'm wondering if this workaround was necessary or did Microsoft resolve the problem at the same time we were monkeying with the aliases?

Can anyone verify that their hotmail accounts now work again within Thunderbird without doing anything with their Outlook aliases?

I don't know if that actually matters as long as it is working again but I am curious.

It is 11:30pm 11/19 here and no hotmail in thunderbird. That makes it 48 hours without a download server connection, I did just try and was able to send an email.

@poopypantz

I just checked with the acccount I kept in hotmail.com in my thunderbird, still not working at time of this post.

Not sure of the manipulation you did in thunderbird, but probably you are still accessing the server with your outlook.com alias.

Now, your hotmail.com account is not over .. just make a test sending a mail to it from another mail address, and you should see the mail appear in your hotmail account and in thunderbird right away ..

@aaFn

Did some more "manipulations". Lots and lots, in fact :-\

Bottom line is it appears the Thunderbird Username needs to be xxx@outlook.com AND the Microsoft Account must have an xxx@outlook.com alias listed. It does not appear that it must be listed as primary alias. Thunderbird email worked with my sh***te@hotmail.com listed as primary alias also.

I think I tried every combination using sh***te@hotmail.com and sh***te@outlook.com as Thunderbird Usernames and Microsoft aliases.

The Thunderbird Username is the one on the Tools->Account Settings->Server Settings page.

In Thunderbird, the email Account Name and Email Address that's on the Tools->Account Settings page for the email in question does not appear to be involved in this problem. Hence no worries for me about losing my sh***te@hotmail.com email address :)

Interesting exercise :)

I confirm, no need for the alias to be primary. And yes this is the user name in server settings that counts. Further more, I believe there is no problem with the SMTP server for outgoing mail, this is only for ingoing mail .. (meaning you can leave your hotmail account name in the SMTP setting).

there were many reports last week about service. http://downdetector.com/status/outlook might offer some insight

I am not in the red or orange zones

22Nov201469: Happy to confirm for others... that the above workaround does correct the problem (ie that hotmail.com accounts stop working with Thunderbird... that the password is requested, although nothing changed... that the server then shows as disconnected... ie. it's again Microsoft's incompetance / don't care a damm attitude).

That is, to set up a new e-mail alias of " 'your email'@outlook.com" with the on-line web-mail, then change the Thunderbird user-name under Server Settings to the same " 'your email'@outlook.com" instead of the" @hotmail.com" version previously. Then you have to enter the password when asked, checking 'use password manager'... and you're good to go.