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 has stopped remembering passwords or giving an option to remember them.

  • 4 tontu
  • 1 am na jafe-jafe bii
  • 9 views
  • i mujjee tontu mooy psr2

more options

From a week ago, Thunderbird 60.8.0 (32-bit) ALWAYS starts by asking for the passwords for my two email accounts. When I give them, everything works until I next start Thunderbird. Even after giving passwords, when I show Saved Passwords, it shows the correct password for one account but there is no entry for the second. Even though the first is correct, the next time I start it will ask again. When it asks for the passwords, it does not give an option to remember them. I have tried every suggestion from the help information (complicated by there being 12 ********.default files in Profiles, each of which gets updated on every run), but nothing works. In particular, signon.rememberSignons is true It does manage to remember the password for the Calendar.

Perhaps this is related to another problem I have been having for months: on starting Thunderbird when there is new email, it bleats that it cannot run filters on my accounts.

From a week ago, Thunderbird 60.8.0 (32-bit) ALWAYS starts by asking for the passwords for my two email accounts. When I give them, everything works until I next start Thunderbird. Even after giving passwords, when I show Saved Passwords, it shows the correct password for one account but there is no entry for the second. Even though the first is correct, the next time I start it will ask again. When it asks for the passwords, it does not give an option to remember them. I have tried every suggestion from the help information (complicated by there being 12 ********.default files in Profiles, each of which gets updated on every run), but nothing works. In particular, signon.rememberSignons is true It does manage to remember the password for the Calendar. Perhaps this is related to another problem I have been having for months: on starting Thunderbird when there is new email, it bleats that it cannot run filters on my accounts.

Saafara biñ tànn

re :I have never found a file called pkcs11.txt file anywhere in the profile folder.

Did you perform a search in windows or did you actually access the profile folders?

In Thunderbird Help > Troubleshooting Information click on 'Open folder' button It will open a window showing contents of profile name folder.

At this point exit Thunderbird.

Use 'View' tab to show list as 'Details' and also select checkboxes to show 'File name extensions' and 'hidden items' Sort by the 'Name' column header. scroll down to 'p' section. You should see: pkcs11.txt Delete the file.


Do you use any program like CCleaner to clean up temp files etc ? Note some Anti-virus programs have cleanup file options. If yes, then do not allow it anywhere near any Thunderbird file or folder as it can cause of kinds of problems with passwords, session files etc etc.

Jàng tontu lii ci fi mu bokk 👍 1

All Replies (4)

more options

Just a guess but try deleting the pkcs11.txt in the profile folder and then starting Thunderbird.

more options

Thanks for the suggestion, but I have already looked into that. I have never found a file called pkcs11.txt file anywhere in the profile folder.

more options

Saafara yiñ Tànn

re :I have never found a file called pkcs11.txt file anywhere in the profile folder.

Did you perform a search in windows or did you actually access the profile folders?

In Thunderbird Help > Troubleshooting Information click on 'Open folder' button It will open a window showing contents of profile name folder.

At this point exit Thunderbird.

Use 'View' tab to show list as 'Details' and also select checkboxes to show 'File name extensions' and 'hidden items' Sort by the 'Name' column header. scroll down to 'p' section. You should see: pkcs11.txt Delete the file.


Do you use any program like CCleaner to clean up temp files etc ? Note some Anti-virus programs have cleanup file options. If yes, then do not allow it anywhere near any Thunderbird file or folder as it can cause of kinds of problems with passwords, session files etc etc.

more options

Thanks for the suggestion.

pkcs11.txt was not where the many documents I read was saying it lived (%APPDATA%); it was on a different disc.

The base problem does seem to have been CCleaner, although that does not explain why, even though Thunderbird does appear to be remembering passwords, one of them does not appear in the list of saved Logins or why the automatic running of filters on startup always fails.