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Susan Calvin

(1,647 posts)
Sun Mar 3, 2024, 09:46 PM Mar 3

Windows 11 Thunderbird and Yahoo mail issue

It's me again. Every time I get new hardware I suddenly remember why I resist getting new hardware. 99% of the time it is a terrible time sink.

I am trying to set up Yahoo mail to work with Thunderbird. My Gmail and Outlook addresses set up just fine, but Thunderbird doesn't find Yahoo automatically. I've Googled everything I could about setting it up manually, but not only does nothing work, at least not yet, a lot of the stuff I search refers to settings that aren't even there, both in Yahoo and in Thunderbird.

This is not critical, I guess. I just like being able to download all my mail and have it locally. Since I am replacing an old computer, if I still want to have everything locally I need to figure out how to access everything through Thunderbird on the new computer.

Thanks in advance. This is very much the most frustrating thing I've tried to do on the new computer so far.

18 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Windows 11 Thunderbird and Yahoo mail issue (Original Post) Susan Calvin Mar 3 OP
You've probably already found this canetoad Mar 3 #1
Thanks Susan Calvin Mar 3 #2
Sorry no direct suggestions, but a similar experience on Apple 4dog Mar 3 #3
I would be interested in your recommendation for that. Susan Calvin Mar 4 #4
Since you mentioned Yahoo, here is my story. 4dog Mar 4 #5
Good Grief LPBBEAR Mar 4 #6
Well, ridiculous back to you. Some years back, Thunderbird stopped working well 4dog Mar 4 #8
I've used LPBBEAR Mar 4 #9
Oh I hate that garbage that shows up in the start menu for Windows 11. Susan Calvin Mar 4 #10
They do canetoad Mar 5 #13
No, I did not. Susan Calvin Mar 5 #14
This may LPBBEAR Mar 5 #16
Oh my yes, thank you! Susan Calvin Mar 6 #17
Here LPBBEAR Mar 4 #7
Thanks. Susan Calvin Mar 4 #11
Linux is LPBBEAR Mar 5 #15
Yeah, I should have copied the files instead of setting things up by hand. Susan Calvin Mar 4 #12
If anybody is interested, Susan Calvin Mar 10 #18

canetoad

(17,175 posts)
1. You've probably already found this
Sun Mar 3, 2024, 09:55 PM
Mar 3

The Imap settings for Yahoo mail: https://help.yahoo.com/kb/SLN4075.html

But, I also found this on Mozilla.org - there is a issue with Yahoo and Thunderbird that apparently can be fixed.

https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/thunderbird-and-yahoo

Susan Calvin

(1,647 posts)
2. Thanks
Sun Mar 3, 2024, 11:02 PM
Mar 3

Yes, I've tried everything in those except the ones that were purported to exist but didn't. Tomorrow I'm going to find the Thunderbird files on my old computer and see if I can't isolate the entry for Yahoo and copy it over. Failing that, I guess I could just put down setting up my other email accounts on the new computer as time wasted and copy over all the entries for my email accounts from the old to the new. Probably should have done that in the first place. I'd still rather be able to set up Yahoo manually on the new computer.

4dog

(505 posts)
3. Sorry no direct suggestions, but a similar experience on Apple
Sun Mar 3, 2024, 11:34 PM
Mar 3

suggests being open to trying a more modern mail client if things don't work.

Susan Calvin

(1,647 posts)
4. I would be interested in your recommendation for that.
Mon Mar 4, 2024, 09:37 AM
Mar 4

Yeah, it takes a lot to get me to abandon my old hardware and software. Partly because I like it, and partly because I know anything new that involves a computer is almost certain to be a time sink.

4dog

(505 posts)
5. Since you mentioned Yahoo, here is my story.
Mon Mar 4, 2024, 12:36 PM
Mar 4

A year or two ago, my 15-year-old ATT.NET account, handled by Yahoo, started telling me that I had made too many login attempts and that I had no choice but to reset my password. I could do that, going through some screens that seemed to be telling me lies, resetting it repeatedly to the old password on desktop, phone, and laptop. This could happen several times a week. Much discussion dating back some years on Apple forums, no real apparent resolution. My wife with similar history never had this problem. Eventually, my present semiworking but much better solution is to use a different browser to access the Yahoo/ATT account via web mail and Apple mail to access my icloud and google mail accounts. All I have to do is dismiss requests to update my password from my client.

On trying a different browser or client: I would start with Microsoft products and or go to forums to see what people like. Most of them work, you will discover your preferences.

Yes, "improvements" are a time sink.

LPBBEAR

(296 posts)
6. Good Grief
Mon Mar 4, 2024, 03:01 PM
Mar 4

The bias in your post is ridiculous. Thunderbird IS a modern email client. I use it daily. It works fine and I have Yahoo mail set up on it with no issues.

4dog

(505 posts)
8. Well, ridiculous back to you. Some years back, Thunderbird stopped working well
Mon Mar 4, 2024, 04:37 PM
Mar 4

for my wife, and I was unable to get it to work, so she switched. I'm glad to see you were able to try to be more helpful to the OP.

LPBBEAR

(296 posts)
9. I've used
Mon Mar 4, 2024, 04:51 PM
Mar 4

TBird for many years going back io the first release in around 2003. Its always been stable for me. I have helped many people move to it after they've suffered issues with Outlook. Its always worked better than Outlook for them.
Microsoft's latest move to forcing ads into Windows, and its other software is another very good reason avoid products that disrespect the consumer.

https://windowsreport.com/microsoft-forces-ads-outlook-inbox/

Not sure what happened with your wife's copy but I suspect it could have been easily corrected based on my experience with both Thunderbird and Outlook.

Susan Calvin

(1,647 posts)
10. Oh I hate that garbage that shows up in the start menu for Windows 11.
Mon Mar 4, 2024, 08:23 PM
Mar 4

One of my non-urgent problems is figuring out if I can get rid of it or block it somehow. I also hate that when I do a search that I mean to be a search of my computer, if it doesn't find it it goes to the web. And it does it in Edge even though Firefox is my default browser. Yes, intrusive is a very good word for it.

I too have been using Thunderbird more or less forever. I was under the impression that they maintain it fairly well.

canetoad

(17,175 posts)
13. They do
Tue Mar 5, 2024, 05:06 PM
Mar 5

Maintain it well. I've used Thunderbird since it was it was new and never had a problem with it. You may already know about this little utility - It has saved my skin on a number of occasions and made changing computers pain free.

MozBackUp - Backs up both T'bird and Firefox profiles including settings, mail, extensions, passwords etc. Extremely easy to restore your data and mail. And it's free!

https://mozbackup.jasnapaka.com/

LPBBEAR

(296 posts)
16. This may
Tue Mar 5, 2024, 10:38 PM
Mar 5

help.

https://www.laptopmag.com/how-to/block-ads-in-windows-11

As a Linux user I find it hard to believe people put up with forced ads in their computers. I mean ads on TV, ads in your newspaper, ads on your radio.....for craps sake there should be at least one sanctuary from ads. Your own personal computer should be that sanctuary.

Yes, Thunderbird is regularly updated and has been for years.

Susan Calvin

(1,647 posts)
17. Oh my yes, thank you!
Wed Mar 6, 2024, 07:48 AM
Mar 6

That will no doubt save me a bunch of time trying to find out stuff for myself.

My new computer is a dual boot with Linux precisely because I was worried about this kind of crap with Windows 11. I have a feeling I'm going to start using Linux more and more.

Is there tax software that runs on Linux? Really the only reason I finally broke down and got Windows 11 is that I was worried this would be the year the tax software wouldn't run on my old computer.

LPBBEAR

(296 posts)
7. Here
Mon Mar 4, 2024, 03:20 PM
Mar 4

are the settings I use in Thunderbird.

Its been a while but as I remember Yahoo requires some initial password authentication setup. I don't remember the details.

Here are my current settings:

Server Settings
Server Type: POP Mail Server
Server Name: pop.mail.yahoo.com
Port: 995
User Name: yourusername@yahoo.com

Security Settings
Connection Security: SSL/TLS
Authentication Method: OAuth2

Outgoing Server

Description: Yahoo Mail
Server Name: smtp.mail.yahoo.com
Port: 465

Security and Authentication: SSL/TLS
Authentication Method: OAuth2
User Name: yourusername@yahoo.com

Additionally you should be able to copy your entire Thunderbird user data from your old computer to your new one by following the methods I described in another set of posts to another user here.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/109533323

Susan Calvin

(1,647 posts)
11. Thanks.
Mon Mar 4, 2024, 08:30 PM
Mar 4

I use IMAP myself. I remember reading about that OAuth thing when I was searching (I am training myself not to say Googling anymore since their search went to %$#&) but it doesn't show up. I'm pretty sure I checked to make sure my version was up to date. And I do remember seeing that OAuth thing on my Windows 7 computer.

Maybe it's some oddity in the latest version that hopefully they will fix. If that's what it is, I had something similar to that on the Linux half of my new computer. The version of Ubuntu that I have turns out to be the only version that doesn't have a more user friendly interface built on top of the command line, or whatever they call it in Linux, to change the boot order, among other things. I had to download it, and it turns out downloading in Linux is done through the command line. So that was an experience.

LPBBEAR

(296 posts)
15. Linux is
Tue Mar 5, 2024, 10:20 PM
Mar 5

all I use. I've used it since around 1997. Currently I'm using PCLinuxOS and MX-Linux with KDE 5. I haven't used a command line download in decades. I don't care for Ubuntu. Their attempt at a window manager left me cold. I am a semi-retired Computer Tech and only use Windows when I have to fix a customers computer. Otherwise I hate it. Its a abomination from a monopolistic company that abuses its users.
Anyway I hope you get your Thunderbird issue resolved. If you still have your old system its all there as described in the posts I referenced.

Susan Calvin

(1,647 posts)
12. Yeah, I should have copied the files instead of setting things up by hand.
Mon Mar 4, 2024, 08:32 PM
Mar 4

But I happen to be sitting watching TV with the new computer in my lap, and I thought well, what else have I got to do right now except set them up manually? If I had known Yahoo was going to give me trouble, I would never have done it that way.

Susan Calvin

(1,647 posts)
18. If anybody is interested,
Sun Mar 10, 2024, 11:56 AM
Mar 10

I tried again this morning and it fixed itself. Set it up automatically. I did not update Thunderbird on purpose and did not think I had it set for automatic updates. So who knows. Got to love computers......

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