You can make a difference in the Apple Support Community!

When you sign up with your Apple Account, you can provide valuable feedback to other community members by upvoting helpful replies and User Tips.

marielle36 Author

Level 1

45 points

Mail on MacBook constantly unable to recognise Hotmail account name & password (and app-specific password)

As title says, my MacBook's Mail is now not recognising my Hotmail account which I have used in Apple products for 10+ years.

I have tried doing the below, which is the top recommended for this issue on the Community pages - in 2 different ways: by adding the app-specific password first and then closing Mail first then waiting 5 mins to open it again, by closing Mail then adding the app-specific password then closing for 5 mins and reopening.

Mail will work again and sync emails... but then it asks me for my password again?

While in Hotmail, Go To:

User Name(Top-Right)
View account (Second Option Down)
Security (third tap in from top-left)
More security options (Far-Right)
App passwords (Third Pane Down)
Create a new app password
Click Done
Use that app-specific password in the Mail app on your MacBook Pro.

ALSO - I have gone to my Macbook's System Preferences, Internet Accounts, and changed the password there to the app-specific password to match what I've inserted in Mail. Still does not work.

Extra info:

Mail on my iPhone working normal as ever.

Have tried changing my password to see if that's the problem - Mail not accepting this either.

Hotmail working perfectly fine in browsers.

Have restarted my MacBook several times before/after inserting new password into Mail/System Preferences.

Have deleted my Hotmail account from Mail, then added it again. I'll add the app-specific email after I am adding the account again, it will sync up all of my Hotmail inbox, work for 5 minutes, and suddenly it'll ask me for my password again and stop syncing.

I am losing my wits trying to solve this - HELP!

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 14.2

Posted on Jan 29, 2024 2:25 AM

Top-ranking reply

Ringale

Level 1

4 points

Posted on Sep 19, 2024 2:33 PM

deleting the actual Hotmail account on Mail App on my MacBook and setting it up again as an Exchange account worked out!!!

View in context

Similar questions

52 replies

marielle36 Author

Level 1

45 points

Sep 26, 2024 6:52 AM in response to Fernando N.

Hi Fernando I’m the OP

if you look at my most recent answers in the discussion from my post, this is the only way I’ve regained sane access to my emails on my MacBook.

been using outlook now for almost 3 months with absolutely no problems at all, and now even prefer it ten times over than Apple’s Mail.

seeing as it’s been so long and with so many people having the same issues with no resolution from Apple - I doubt I will be returning to use Mail!

Sep 26, 2024 12:21 PM in response to marielle36

Hi Marielle. Well, same here: using MS Outlook (part of Office 365) and getting used to it. I still think Apple Mail is better (because I'm really used to it ater so many years) and would like to go back to it; I'll wait for MacOS Sequoia 18.0.1 or later to fix this but from what I have read in this thread they aren't likely to fix this.

Thank you for replying!

-Fernando

Oct 5, 2024 2:13 PM in response to tobirama03

It seems to be working in Sequoia, after I recreated my hotmail account as an Exchange type account. To do that, I opened Apple mail, then Mail/Accounts..., selected my hotmail entry and deleted it. Closed Apple mail.

I then reopened Apple mail and did Mail/Add Account... and selected (see below) "Microsoft Exchange". All I had to do was enter my old hotmail address (as in SteveGuy@hotmail.com) and let the magic happen behind the curtains.

So far (several days) I haven't seen the "Enter password" reminder again.

Hope this helps.

-Fernando

Oct 6, 2024 6:21 PM in response to Alexxxcuba

I was able to fix it with Sequoia, but only after going in my MAIL app and DELETING my HOTMAIL account. After, go to ADD ACCOUNT and take the steps to add an email account back to your mail app. If you have HOTMAIL, choose the option Microsoft EXCHANGE.

Oct 7, 2024 12:21 AM in response to marielle36

Fix this please, or else i will switch to outlook app too! It was constantly taking down my account to offline and i have to relogined.

I got tired and changed my password, then it no longer starts to recognize new password, and i don't remember the old password, because you updated the password in your Password app for me!

Camelot

Level 9

55,083 points

Oct 7, 2024 5:19 AM in response to jiayangfrom海淀区

What’s to fix? Go talk to Microsoft. They are the ones that blocked third-party access to the account. Some would infer it’s a plan by MS to get people to use the outlook app… but who knows.

as noted previously, re-adding the account as an Exchange account seems to be a ‘fix’ for many people. Have you tried that?

Oct 7, 2024 7:35 AM in response to Fernando N.

Well, looks like I spoke up too quickly. I have just opened my Mac to see the "Enter Exchange password" request. However, it's now back to the pre-Sequoia behavior: I just click "Continue", it opens up System Settings but does NOT ask for the password and, of course, does NOT fail to authenticate. It's annoying, but it's working.

-Fernando

marielle36 Author

Level 1

45 points

Oct 7, 2024 9:24 AM in response to Camelot

Talked to both Apple and Microsoft, and the latter didn't event know what was wrong or aware of the email they sent out warning that their mail system will stop working in 3rd party mail providers (e.g. Apple Mail).

If you look at my recent comments (use the filter in this discussion board - it doesn't show my most recent comments if you read it without filtering to most recent), re-adding the account as an Exchange account was a temporary fix. This is pre-Sequoia update, and now I am seeing that it is also post-Sequoia update too.

If this is a plan by MS to get people to use the Outlook app... well then it worked. I have been using Outlook now for a few months and I genuinely prefer it to Mail. Mail was glitching hard on me and emails were being sent out in weird formats prior to this issue. So, Outlook has won me over to be honest.

No log-in issues since I switched few months ago. Use Outlook on both my MacBook and iPhone now. All good.

ERO182

Level 1

8 points

Oct 15, 2024 10:00 AM in response to marielle36

THANK YOU everyone, it was driving me nuts not being able to access my hotmail acct on my macbook!!!

I added the email as an exchange acct then did some quick googling before officially deleting my hotmail acct.

----> BEFORE you delete your hotmail, make sure your apple notes are not connected to it (mine was) and move them to your icloud folder (if not already using that)....all the notes will be saved this way!

May 17, 2024 9:31 AM in response to marielle36

Are you still able to get mail with the macOS Apple Mail app since you removed the two-step authentication?

marielle36 Author

Level 1

45 points

Jul 19, 2024 12:26 AM in response to Xess666

That worked for me for about a week, then the problem persisted.

Even Microsoft on the phone said that wouldn’t solve things, and that a personal Hotmail account “isn’t really Exchange”

Aug 9, 2024 12:06 PM in response to pkalellis

Thank you. This solved the disconnecting issue.

[Edited by Moderator]

Aug 9, 2024 4:26 PM in response to pkalellis

Yeah. Still not fixed on Sequoia.

[Edited by Moderator]

AnaGN

Level 1

8 points

Sep 27, 2024 3:44 AM in response to Ringale

How did you do it?

I tried to do this on another McBook pro, still running Mojave and it does not allow me ... did you use only the normal password?

What do you write for server?

Is is still working?

Sep 29, 2024 12:22 PM in response to marielle36

Yes, I had the same experience. i have to use outlook now. What a drag, I hope this will get fixed soon. Thanks to everybody for sharing your solutions!

Mail on MacBook constantly unable to recognise Hotmail account name & password (and app-specific password)