Can send email via Thunderbird from one AOL email address but not another
Like many others I had to switch to AOL when Verizon dumped their email service. I installed Thunderbird and configured the settings as follows:
Server settings for each email address:
Server name imap.aol.com port 993 User Name [email]@verizon.net Connection security SSL/TLS Authentication method OAuth2
Outgoing server: Description: <not specified> Server name: smtp.aol.com User name: [email address number 1]@verizon.net Authentication method: OAuth2 Connection Security: STARTTLS
I can receive emails sent to both addresses. Both show up in their respective Thunderbird inboxes. But I can only send emails from email address number 1, the one used for the outgoing server. When I try to send an email from email address number 2, I get a popup that says
Sending of the message failed. An error occurred when 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.
One thing I should add is that email address number 2 was, under Verizon, an alias for an auto-generated email account which in turn was a sub-email of email account number 1. But ever since Aol took them over, I've always logged into email address number 2 via the Aol website, so clearly Aol treats it as its own email address.
Any help will be most appreciated! Thanks.
Chosen solution
Problem solved! I created a new outgoing server. It didn't give me the option of authentication option OAuth2 until I saved it and then went back in to edit it, then the choice appeared. From there I could go into the settings for email account 2 and set that as the outgoing server.
Thanks for the help David, you pointed me in the right direction.
Read this answer in context 👍 0All Replies (9)
AOL is probably treating it as an alias. Assuming it is one, you would need to set SMTP server to use account number 1.
Hi David. Thanks for replying. Not sure I understand your answer. The outgoing SMTP server is already set to account number 1 (the one that I can send from). Now just for the heck of it, I tried to create a different outgoing server for account number 2, but it didn't give me the authentication option of OAuth2.
I did see your reply to what appears to be the same issue here,
https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1372885
But in the hierarchy of Account settings, the branches of the tree (sorry, I'm not a computer guy) are email account number 1, email account number 2, Local folders and 'Outgoing Server (SMTP)'. I can't create a second outgoing server for email account number 2.
Art
I think I was just confirming your issue. Address 2 is an alias and is not allowed to be used in SMTP server setting. The Email host uses the SMTP setting to confirm an actual address. Continuing to send from the address 1 server is the proper approach. I regret any confusion I may have caused.
But I can't send from the address 1 server, nor would I want to. I should explain further. Address 1 is my wife's email. Address 2 is my email. I want to be able to send emails from my account and reply to emails sent to me.
If you're using POP, it doesn't really matter, since the Sent folder is only on your PC. If you want a full stand-alone email address, you need to define one at the email host. Verizon may allow multiple email addresses for the one account.
Our emails are no longer through Verizon since Verizon gave them all over to AOL about a year or so ago when Verizon stopped providing email service. As far as I know, AOL has both our emails as separate, stand-alone accounts. We can log into each independently and neither of us sees the others emails in our inbox or sent folders.
When they were through Verizon, mine (email 2) WAS a sub-account under my wife's (email 1) with an autogenerated address, although I had it set up with an alias (the present email 2). But when Verizon handed off our accounts to AOL, that went away. I tried to log into the aforementioned sub-account and AOL didn't recognize it. So I'm confident that AOL treats email 2 as its own independent standalone account.
Modified by retriever
If it is, then you should be able to set up a separate SMTP server that uses it. That indicates you may need to establish a password. The way to do that for AOL account is here:
I believe you must go to the AOL site and select the security page and can set up the APP password there. See this page for more info: https://help.aol.com/articles/Create-and-manage-app-password
Chosen Solution
Problem solved! I created a new outgoing server. It didn't give me the option of authentication option OAuth2 until I saved it and then went back in to edit it, then the choice appeared. From there I could go into the settings for email account 2 and set that as the outgoing server.
Thanks for the help David, you pointed me in the right direction.
I'm glad all worked out. :)