Mail accounts not logging in?

[Big Stevie]

Anyone know how I can get my hotmail email accounts to log back into Mail on my MacBook please?

I have a couple of Hotmail email accounts linked to Mail, but a few days ago these accounts got logged out of Mail so I now. can't see my emails. They won't log back in despite me using the correct passwords. First it was my hotmail.co.uk account that had problems, then a few days later my hotmail.com account did the same. I know I'm using the correct passwords.

It's all working correctly on my iPhone, but not on my MacBook

 

[BrianBaughn]

I would try to add the Hotmail accounts as Microsoft Exchange.

 

[Jefke Peeters]

Is this issue already solved? I have the same issue on my MBP 15"2017 running Ventura 13.6.8.

I use Microsoft exchange in Mail. After entering the password, it works fine for +/- 3 days, then it asks again for the password.

Gmail, iCloud and provider specific mail are working fine.
The same on my MacStudio doesn't give any issues. One difference: the MS runs Sonoma 14.6

 

[Big Stevie]

Is this issue already solved? I have the same issue on my MBP 15"2017 running Ventura 13.6.8.

I use Microsoft exchange in Mail. After entering the password, it works fine for +/- 3 days, then it asks again for the password.

Gmail, iCloud and provider specific mail are working fine.
The same on my MacStudio doesn't give any issues. One difference: the MS runs Sonoma 14.6

It still happens for me, often if I leave it then the accounts auto log in after a while, other times I go to
Mailbox > Take all accounts offline.
I then click on
Take all accounts online
and repeat that a few times and the accounts usually log back in automatically.

 

[Jefke Peeters]

Do you have to enter passwords when you do this procedure?

 

[Big Stevie]

Do you have to enter passwords when you do this procedure?

I dont bother to, even when prompted as putting in the correct password doesn't always work. I repeatedly take the accounts offline/online a few times in a row and it eventually corrects itself. Until the next day...

As an example, my hotmail.com account is currently showing as not connected..

But having just done the offline/online thing it is now connected..

 

[Mac mini power user]

Mail.app does not really play nice with Exchange accounts in my experience. My university account sometimes does not sync properly, although my personal Hotmail does. I use Outlook for those accounts since it's installed on my work laptop anyways and I have to use it to schedule Teams meetings.

 

[Jefke Peeters]

Personally I like the mail app rather as Outlook on a Mac, because of performance.
The crazy thing is on my MacStudio, it works always without any troubles.

Maybe I should give Outlook on the Macbook a try.

 

[sgtaylor5]

Mail clients have to be updated to use modern authentication. I think it’s called OAUTH2. Microsoft is only using modern authentication for their accounts now and have discontinued the use of simple usernames and passwords.

Possibly the Apple Mail app in Ventura is too old and might not have been updated.

 

[Jefke Peeters]

And let me guess… not possible to update this mail app…

 

[sgtaylor5]

Mail app updates with the operating system, unlike Safari.

 

[BrianBaughn]

My Office 365 Exchange account purchased directly from Microsoft is having no issues in Ventura 13.6.9.

 

[Vetlanti]

You might want to try removing and re-adding your Hotmail accounts in Mail. Go to Mail > Preferences > Accounts, select the Hotmail accounts, and hit the minus sign to remove them. Then, click the plus sign to add them back. Sometimes that helps fix login issues. If that doesn’t work, make sure you’ve enabled “Allow apps that use less secure sign in” in your Hotmail account settings.

 

[Jefke Peeters]

I couldn't find this section "Allow apps that use less secure sign in", but Googling around, I found another workaround described here:
click

I entered this in my Apple Mail instead of using the Exchange tab and for the time being, it seems to work. Fingers crossed...

 

[Big Stevie]

Mail app on my MacBook no longer logs into my Hotmail accounts. Seems that Mail doesn't support Microsofts modern authentication. I now have to go to Outlook website and manually log in, though Mail on my iPhone 16 works fine.

This email they sent me seems to explain..

 

[Jefke Peeters]

I also received this mail. My 2017 MBP runs Ventura 13.7 which still receives updates and this computer has the problems with Outlook in Apple mail.
On my other computer, MacStudio running Sonoma 14.6.1, Outlook mail works fine.

In my opinion Apple still gives support to older machines with (bug)fixes for that kind of issues and security patches. Strange thing this mail app isn't fixed yet for Outlook

 

[Big Stevie]

My 2020 MacBook Air is still on Monterey, would updating to Sequoia help at all?

 

[Fishrrman]

"My 2020 MacBook Air is still on Monterey, would updating to Sequoia help at all?"

I'm thinking that Monterey (12.x) isn't really "that far back" at all.
And things like email aren't working on it already...?

What I'd try...
This assumes that the account is IMAP (not POP), and you've archived any "too important to lose" emails into folders in the "on my Mac" section of Mail (which stores them locally)...

I'd delete the existing account (either in Mail itself or in the System Settings --> Internet Accounts panel).
Then, I'd use the Internet Accounts pane to RE-create it (same username and password, etc.).

Full disclosure:
I don't use GMail, hotmail, or any MS-associcated email accounts.
The email accounts I DO use... almost all of them now have been "handed over" to the Yahoo email server system.

Seems like Yahoo went through a similar "process" in which old authentication procedures (username and password only) were superseded by "newer tech" which now adds other factors to the authentication process.

And... as in your case... one had to delete/re-create the email account using a NEWER VERSION of the [Mac] OS to be compatible with the "new authentication".

If you still wanted to keep using an older email app that didn't fully support the new authentication, seems to me that Yahoo offered a "workaround" by which you generated an "application-specific password" and then used that to create/re-create the account. I don't know if the MS system offers anything similar to that.

 

[diego.caraballo]

Had this issue with a customer yesterday.
Upgraded macOS and tried to add using Exchange, not luck.

However, after the use of some swearing, I successfully added the account using  > System Settings > Internet accounts > Add Account > Microsoft Exchange, instead of trying to add from inside Mail app.