New Password Not Working in Email Programs - How to Fix the Problem

New Password Not Working in Email Programs - How to Fix the Problem

You have successfully changed your password, but your email programs (Outlook, Thunderbird, smartphone apps, etc.) do not accept the new password? Here you will find solutions for the most common causes:

1. Spaces in password:

Many email programs have problems with spaces in passwords. This is the most common cause of login errors after a password change.

Recommendation: Do not use spaces in your password. Use underscores (_), hyphens (-) or simply upper/lower case for structuring instead.

Example:

• ❌ Bad: "My Secure Password 2026"
• ✅ Good: "MySecurePassword2026" or "My_Secure_Password_2026"

2. Invisible characters when copying/pasting:

If you enter your password by copy & paste, spaces may accidentally be copied at the beginning or end.

Solution:

• Enter the password manually via keyboard instead of copying it
• Or: Check the copied password in a text editor for hidden characters
• Make sure there is no space before or after the password

3. Problematic special characters:

Some special characters can cause problems in certain email programs:

Avoid the following characters:

• Quotation marks: " and '
• Less than/greater than: < and >
• Ampersand: &
• Percent sign: %
• Pipe symbol: |
• Backslash: \
• Semicolon: ;

Recommended special characters:

• Exclamation mark: !
• Question mark: ?
• Underscore: _
• Hyphen: -
• Plus/Minus: + -
• Asterisk: *
• Hash: #
• At sign: @
• Dollar sign: $

4. Update password on all devices and apps:

Remember that you need to change the new password in all programs and devices that access your email account:

• Desktop programs (Outlook, Thunderbird, Apple Mail, etc.)
• Smartphone apps (iPhone Mail, Android Mail, Gmail app, etc.)
• Tablet apps
• Webmail in browser (usually updated automatically)

5. Step-by-step instructions for changing passwords in email programs:

For Outlook:

1. Open Outlook
2. Go to "File" → "Account Settings" → "Account Settings"
3. Select your email account and click "Change"
4. Enter the new password (without spaces!)
5. Click "Next" and "Finish"

For Thunderbird:

1. Open Thunderbird
2. Go to "Tools" → "Settings" → "Privacy & Security"
3. Under "Passwords" click "Saved Passwords"
4. Find your email account and delete the old password
5. You will be prompted for the new password on next retrieval

For iPhone/iPad:

1. Open "Settings"
2. Go to "Mail" → "Accounts"
3. Select your email account
4. Tap "Account" and then your email address
5. Enter the new password (without spaces!)
6. Tap "Done"

For Android:

1. Open the Email app or Gmail app
2. Go to "Settings"
3. Select your email account
4. Tap "Server settings" (incoming and outgoing)
5. Enter the new password (without spaces!)
6. Save the changes

6. Recommendations for secure passwords:

A secure password for email programs should have the following properties:

• Length: At least 12 characters (16 or more is better)
• Mix: Upper and lower case letters, numbers and special characters
• No spaces (to avoid compatibility issues)
• No dictionary words
• Unique: Use the password only for this account

Example of a good password:
MySecure_eMail!Password#2026

Important: When you create a new password, write it down in a safe place (e.g. in a password manager) or choose a password that you can easily remember but is difficult for others to guess.

7. Reset password and assign a new one:

If the problem persists, we recommend changing the password again, following the recommendations above:

1. Log in to Webmail
2. Go to "Settings" → "Account | Administration"
3. Create a new password without spaces and without problematic special characters
4. Write down the new password carefully
5. Enter the new password manually (not by copy & paste) in your email programs

8. Still having problems?

If you continue to have problems despite following all the points mentioned above, the following causes may be responsible:

• Incorrect server settings: Check if the server addresses (IMAP/POP3/SMTP) are correct
• Incorrect port numbers: IMAP: 993 (SSL), POP3: 995 (SSL), SMTP: 465 or 587 (SSL/TLS)
• SSL/TLS settings: Make sure SSL/TLS is enabled
• Username: Use your complete email address as username
• Account lock: After several failed attempts, your account may be temporarily locked

 

---

Related Articles:

• How do I change my password? ↗
• How do I create a secure password? ↗
• How do I recover or reset my password? ↗