Hi Benjamin, there is a support article about various security measures Microsoft has already rolled out. Are you using the method described here: Microsoft OAuth Authentication and Thunderbird in 2024.

*EDIT*

Microsoft has similar advice in the " If you use Mozilla Thunderbird" section of this page:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/modern-authentication-methods-now-needed-to-continue-syncing-outlook-email-in-non-microsoft-email-apps-c5d65390-9676-4763-b41f-d7986499a90d

Thanks, read the article already, selected the preferred authentication method, now I cannot access or send any emails. There goes all access to business and personal emails. Thanks.

Do you get a sign-in prompt?

The article mentions:

• Two factor authentication needs to be enabled on your Outlook account
• You cannot block cookies for relevant Microsoft sites
• Updating the Authentication method for both incoming and outgoing mail

I don't see any other requirements in the article.

Hi jscher2000 - I just tried to follow the directions given. I was able to switch the Authentication Method to OAuth2 under "Server Settings", but I was *not* given that option when I tried to do the same thing for "Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings". I was only given the following options: • No authentication • Normal password (which is what it has been set to) • Encrypted password • Kerberos/GSSAPI • NTLM

I am using Thunderbird 115.11.1 on a 2022 MacBook Air running MacOS Monterrey. Why isn't the OAuth2 option listed?

Hi jscher2000 - I just tried to follow the directions given. I was able to switch the Authentication Method to OAuth2 under "Server Settings", but I was *not* given that option when I tried to do the same thing for "Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings". I was only given the following options: • No authentication • Normal password (which is what it has been set to) • Encrypted password • Kerberos/GSSAPI • NTLM I am using Thunderbird 115.11.1 on a 2022 MacBook Air running MacOS Monterrey. Why isn't the OAuth2 option listed?

See https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1451090

I am having the same issue when trying to edit settings

I was able to switch the Authentication Method to OAuth2 under "Server Settings", but I was *not* given that option when I tried to do the same thing for "Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings". I was only given the following options: • No authentication • Normal password (which is what it has been set to) • Encrypted password • Kerberos/GSSAPI • NTLM

I am having the same issue when trying to edit settings I was able to switch the Authentication Method to OAuth2 under "Server Settings", but I was *not* given that option when I tried to do the same thing for "Outgoing Server (SMTP) Settings". I was only given the following options: • No authentication • Normal password (which is what it has been set to) • Encrypted password • Kerberos/GSSAPI • NTLM

Do you have smtp.office365.com for the server, not something like smtp-mail.outlook.com? Also, the incoming server should be outlook.office365.com. If you don't have the right server, change it, restart TB, and see if OAuth2 appears in the drop-down.

After that did not work, I tried option 2 - delete the account from TB and re-add it. It's working fine that way. It "knew" how to configure everything.

Thanks for the help!

Martymoz: When you deleted and re-installed, you deleted the "Account" from TB and then re-installed it? You didn't delete and re-install TB itself? Were you able to access your Address Book and Local Folders intact after the re-install? More detail please.... I have a huge Address Book and almost 100 Local Folders I can't lose! Thank you! &*)^(&^$&%$#)*&^( MicroSoft!

Benjamin Good questions. Unfortunately I did not check that. It took over an hour to download and index the messages. I can check for you tomorrow.

I checked. The address book seems to be shared with a Yahoo email account that I access with TB as well. So my address book is intact but I can't really say why.

If I recall correctly, when I told TB to delete the Outlook account, it asked me if I wanted to delete all the local data and I said no. So once again I don't know if that is why my newly added account appears intact.

I did not delete TB. I left my Yahoo account alone and only deleted and re-added the Outlook account.

It seems we use TB a little differently. Maybe you can backup/copy/save your local folders and address book before deleting. Also, you may want to wait a while. You do have a few months. Maybe TB support will address this issue better and it will be a seamless transition.

Good luck.

Hello anyone, I have received that Microsoft email also last week, and another one today, I thought it was a Spam but came here and saw someone has/had that same email. I read the people's Message for Help here and I do not understand at all what to do. I just did a new Update of my Mozilla Thunderbird and I do not know what I should do next. Is there anything I should do more to keep my Hotmail/Microsoft E-mail on? Thank you for your time and efforts, very appreciated here.

I provided the solution in a related forum, but I can't locate it to link here. Basically, you have to delete your Outlook account while logged into Thunderbird (opt to keep messages), and the re-install it while in Thunderbird. Thunderbird will automatically find the new IMAP servers (outlook.office.365.com) and security settings (OAuth2) and populate your Outlook account. I didn't loose any of my emails, address book, or other settings. But see the caveats below.

I strongly recommend that you create local folders and drag critical emails to those folders before you uninstall / reinstall your Outlook account.

What I can't solve is that Outlook logs me in automatically and downloads all messages without prompting me for a password. No, I did not select "remember password" when I re-installed the Outlook account in Thunderbird.

Also, in Account Settings > Security, you have to allow cookies, which is probably why Outlook automatically downloads all my messages as soon as I click on the account within Thunderbird. I haven't been able to locate where Outlook is storing cookies on my computer.... yet.

This solution took me literally all summer - I kept trying to change the security authorization, IMAP (incoming server), etc., all to no joy.

As an aside, I am migrating to a paid Protonmail mail system, and once I'm done with the migration, I'm blowing Outlook off all my machines and mobile devices. I don't like ANYTHING that plants cookies on my devices.

I removed Hotmail, and re installed it by "Adding and Account" added my name and hotmail email address, and my Password, I checked Remember this password, and the next thing showed a yellow bar with the words that Thunderbird did not accept hotmail, what do I do now? Thunderbird failed to Connect to server .hotmail.com Help Thanks.

Thank you Benjamin,

I removed/un-installed Hotmail from Mozilla Thunderbird, re-installed and got a yellow line saying that Thunderbird did not accept hotmail, something to this effect. I closed Thunderbird and re-opened it and I got a pop up low right side that Thunderbird ESR Thunderbird failed to connect server .hotmail.com

I send myself an email at hotmail, I received it at Microsoft's Hotmail but not in Thunderbird. I changed the setting Outgoing Server to Use default server, it did not work.

The SMTP Server shows: Description: Outlook.com(Microsoft) Server Name: smtp-mail.outlook.com Port: 587 Default:587 Connection security: STARTTLS Authentication method: Normal password User Name: is my hotmail email address

I do not know what to do next, please can you help me. Thank you for your time and efforts.

Update Benjamin,

I just removed and reinstalled Hotmail and now it is working, no glitch at all this time. I just unchecked "Remember Password" and it came in no problem. I'm all set now.

Thank you for your time helping me earlier.

I provided the solution in a related forum, but I can't locate it to link here. Basically, you have to delete your Outlook account while logged into Thunderbird (opt to keep messages), and the re-install it while in Thunderbird. Thunderbird will automatically find the new IMAP servers (outlook.office.365.com) and security settings (OAuth2) and populate your Outlook account. I didn't loose any of my emails, address book, or other settings. But see the caveats below. I strongly recommend that you create local folders and drag critical emails to those folders before you uninstall / reinstall your Outlook account. What I can't solve is that Outlook logs me in automatically and downloads all messages without prompting me for a password. No, I did not select "remember password" when I re-installed the Outlook account in Thunderbird. Also, in Account Settings > Security, you have to allow cookies, which is probably why Outlook automatically downloads all my messages as soon as I click on the account within Thunderbird. I haven't been able to locate where Outlook is storing cookies on my computer.... yet. This solution took me literally all summer - I kept trying to change the security authorization, IMAP (incoming server), etc., all to no joy. As an aside, I am migrating to a paid Protonmail mail system, and once I'm done with the migration, I'm blowing Outlook off all my machines and mobile devices. I don't like ANYTHING that plants cookies on my devices.

These things are so infuriatingly frustrating, however I have just tried this work-around & it also worked for me. I deleted my hotmail account in Thunderbird, leaving the 'delete mailboxes/messages' unchecked just in case. I then added a 'new' account, typed in my name & email address for the account when prompted & Thunderbird searched for the correct configuration of incoming/outgoing servers, setting the authentication to Oauth2 in both instances. I've just tried sending from that account to my other account & I received the 'test' email fine. I then sent another test from my other account to my Hotmail account, I also received that fine too. All appears to be ok.

I'd been having this issue for months - constant pop-up window prompting me to retype my password, not recognising it, & not being able to download mail as a result. I read the Microsoft article about setting up 2-step authentication, even downloading a separate Microsoft authenticator extension app!!! (fk that!) - Longwinded, faffy, unhelpful & ultimately didn't work anyway - still couldn't retrieve mail from the server. Deleting & then reinstalling the account - as above- did, & its super easy (apologies for the US colloquialism) & quick, zero f'king around (much prefer my Anglo-Saxon colloquialisms...)