Changed your password and now your email has stopped?
If your mail suddenly stops on every device after a password change, app-specific passwords are probably why.
Some email setups, especially older mail accounts used in Apple Mail or Outlook, don't sign in with your main password at all. Instead, each app uses its own special password, called an app-specific password, that your email provider generated for it.
Why changing your password breaks things
For security, many providers throw away all of your app-specific passwords when you change your main password. That's sensible, but it means every device using one stops getting mail at once.
What to do
- Sign in to your email provider's website with your new password.
- Create a new app-specific password for each device or app.
- Enter it in the mail app's account settings.
If you have two-factor authentication turned on, you rarely need to change your password at all, which saves you this job.
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