I tried the below fix from Bo445 and it corrected the problem. Thanks Bo445!

  duncanst

Bo445 7/15/21, 1:40 PM more options Found this info below on https://downdetector.com/status/aol/. I used it and my AOL/Verizon incoming and outgoing mail now works. You retain your existing webmail password, and generate a new one for your Thunderbird in- and outgoing mail.

Thunderbird users, listen up. We have to enter a new password for incoming & a new password for outgoing. In AOL webmail, click on "Options" in the upper right, under your email address. Go to Account Info Go to Security (list on the left) Scroll all the way down to "Manage App Passwords" Generate a code for "other" by inputting "Thunderbird" Copy and save it to clipboard.

Go back to Tbird. Click on 3 bars in upper right, then "options" Then "privacy and security" Scroll down to "saved passwords" Delete the old ones. Attempt to receive emails. When prompted, give Tbird the new password. Make sure to check "manage with password manager," or something like that. Then do the same for sending an email. Check to make sure the "saved passwords" have one for incoming & one for outgoing.

(ht to DeborahFeller and MegansUncle2)

I got PART of the problem solved....I did generate a password for the "app" Thunderbird. However, when I try to SEND email from Thunderbird, it won't accept that password, nor the password I had for AOL.

Is there something I'm missing? Am I supposed to generate a new password for the SMTP, and if so, how do I do that???

THANK YOU!

Crockadilla,

You need to create two new AOL Manage App passwords (one for incoming emails and one for outgoing emails).

So, go back into the AOL web site (AOL Mail) and create a 2nd Manage App Password for Outgoing e-mails. Give it a different name from your 1st AOL App Password (maybe name it Thunderbird Out).

 duncanst

Thank you so much duncanst! I AM making progress. Everything is working well, EXCEPT one problem:

I have 2 different verizon.net (through AOL) accounts. I went in and got a password generating for Thunderbird and Thunderbird Out for EACH of them.

However, when I look at the list of stored Passwords (Options/Privacy and Security/Saved Passwords), ONE of the accounts will save a Password for the POP and one for the SMTP. But the OTHER account will only save a Password for the POP.

Therefore, everytime I want to send an email from Thunderbird, I get this error message: "An error occurred while sending mail. The mail server responded: Request failed; Mailbox unavailable. Please verify that your email address is correct in your account settings and try again."

When I got the Account Settings page for that email address (the one I am trying to send from), I scroll down to the "Outgoing Server" and then I click on "Edit SMTP Server" and I see that the OTHER email address is listed under "user name."

So, I change the "user name" to the name of the email address I am using. Then it WILL send out the email. But I have to do this every single time I want to send out an email!!!

I have a feeling it has something to do with the "default" setting and the "identities" but I have no clue how to solve this vexing problem.

Thank you, duncanst.....I would have NEVER thought of that (“Thunderbird Out”)!!!

I am making progress, and now I CAN download my email AND I CAN send emails out from Thunderbird.

HOWEVER, there is a vexing problem with the SMTP Server passwords.

I have 2 different email accounts (BOTH are verizon.net at AOL). I went in and generated App passwords for each of them.

BUT when I try to send an email from ONE of the accounts, I get this message:

“An error occurred while sending mail. The mail server responded: Request failed; Mailbox unavailable. Please verify that your email address is correct in your account settings and try again.”

So I go to the Account Settings for that account, scroll down to the SMTP Server, click on EDIT SMTP Server, and find that the OTHER email account is listed as the User! I have to change the User to the first email address and then I can send the email out.

Now, if I go to Options/Privacy & Security/ Passwords, I see that there are only 3 listings:

For one of the email accounts, I have passwords for the POP server AND for the SMTP Server.

For the OTHER email account, I only have a password for the POP. I can’t find any place to enter the password for the other email’s SMTP Server.

I have a feeling it has to do with the “default” setting and/or “identities.” I DON”T KNOW!!!

I am so frustrated.

Crockadilla,

When you go into Tools, Account Settings, and Outgoing Server, there should be two Verizon Online settings shown (one for your primary email address and another one for your secondary email address). If you only have one setting shown, use the "Add" button to add another Verizon Online SMTP Server setting.

It should look like this:

Verizon Online - smpt.verizon.net (Default) Verizon Online - smtp.verzon.net

The first Verizon Online SMTP Server setting will be for your primary email address (Default). The 2nd Verizon Online setting should be for your 2nd email address.

If you don't have the 2nd Verizon Online SMTP Server setting set up with your 2nd email address, every time you send an email it will use the default server setting.

Good luck.

duncanst

THANK YOU, duncanst! IT WORKS NOW!!!

I DID have to make sure the SMTP settings matched in the "Account Settings" for each account separately matched with the SMTP settings at the bottom of the Lefthand Menu ("Outgoing Server (SMTP)").

That is, I had to make sure the same account was the "Default" account in both places.

I am able to really breathe freely now! You are a great teacher, duncanst! Your explanations are so clear and you are so responsive. I am so appreciative!!!!! I'd hug you if you were here. ;-)

Normally for AOL you would use an oAuth password on your first use and never be asked again.

For Verizon customers (as Verizon have never offered an oAuth secret that can be used to implement oAuth an application password is required.

If however you can log into your mail using the Yahoo webmail and your Verizon email address and password you have the same option that ATT customers using the dreaded Yahoo service have. of setting up Thunderbird to access the yahoo servers and collect your mail that way using oauth.

If you can access you email on the AOL web site using your Verizon email address and password you get the option of setting Thunderbird up as receiving from AOL server and using oAuth.

Complex but unfortunately neither Verizon or ATT appear to understand the mess they have dropped their customer into with regard to Yahoo email

I have followed the above directions and obtained two passwords from Verizon/AOL. One works for incoming and everything fine there. However outgoing still not working. Have removed the smtp password line under options and restarted TB. Tried to send an email, enter the second new password and it just goes into a "enter new Password" loop. The new password is saved in TB Options. Tried deleting cert9.db, key4.db and logins.json in the profile. No change: incoming works, outgoing does not. I must be missing something, somewhere.

Not sure what to do next. I have removed my second account without improvement. Thinking about reinstalling TB to see if it would solve my outgoing issue. Would rather not set up a whole new account or switch to Gmail. A decade of TB folders and filters . . . .

However Kudos to Verizon for making a FUBAR of the situation and treating customers like mushrooms (in the dark and . . . .} It makes me wonder if they would like to kill off third party apps in order to push more ads on to customers????? Any help would be appreciated!!!

UPDATE: Good News I solved my issues rather simply after spending/wasting many hours before. I already had my Verizon/AOL passwords recorded. I backed up all TB data to separate drive, just in case. Three basic steps: 1. When in TB remove the account using "Account Actions" under Account/settings -- it is on the bottom left of that screen. 2. In that same place "Add Mail Account" then fill in your name, email addy exactly as before and the 16 letter password from Verizon/AOL as described by others. Both mail and smtp are automatically entered into the Saved Passwords by TB. At this point you should be able to send and receive mail. 3. Copy old mail data into a new mail subfolder. Mine for example: (g:)thunderbird/ron/mail/pop.verizon.net is the old. (g:)thunderbird/ron/mail/pop.verizon-1.net is the new. Copy the files Inbox and inbox.msf, sent and sent.msf, etc. into the new pop.verizon-1.net folder for the data. Copy folders inbox.sbd and archives.sbd into pop.verizon-1.net also, At this point things should work as before the Verizon/AOL tinkering.

BTW When doing it this way, I noticed that the SAME password for mail from Verizon/AOL is also used in the smtp login for that account. If you enter more than one Verizon account this way, there will be one mail and one smtp login for each account -- each account with one password.

This solved my issues, I hope it helps you.

UPDATE #2: Better News Apparently Verizon/AOL has NOT forced their new 16 digit password on to all Verizon mail accounts at the same time. There was about a two week difference between my first two PCs. Two of our PCs had TB working normally as before and were NOT asking for a new password.

Was able to copy and paste a new 16 letter Verizon/AOL password directly into Tools/Options/Privacy & Security/Saved Passwords + Show Passwords page. Edit and paste the one new password into both the mail and smtp lines. Close and you're done.

It seems that once TB starts asking for a new password is when things go haywire. A pre-emptive change will same you a lot of time and hassle. I also saved all on my new passwords in a saved file just in case . . . .

Good luck and happy editing.