Changing email password in Thunderbird 17

Cinnamint · 01-08-2013, 08:16 AM

I have the latest Thunderbird installed and need to change the password for an email account. All the instructions I've found online refer to old versions of Thunderbird and I can't see anywhere in the program to do this. How is it done?

Snark1994 · 01-08-2013, 08:52 AM

For my Thunderbird, also 17, if authentification fails it asks you to enter a new password. If you mean that the password Thunderbird has is correct, and you want to change it, then you can just log on to the web interface (i.e. mail.google.com if it's a google account) and change it, then thunderbird will prompt you for the new password when authentication fails.

Cinnamint · 01-09-2013, 01:42 AM

and what if I'm setting up a machine for someone else and their internet is down? there's got to be a way to change it from in the program without forcing it to try login with the old one?

Snark1994 · 01-10-2013, 03:54 AM

You'd have thought so, wouldn't you? I dunno, I can find no reference to "Thunderbird 17" in any of Thunderbird's docs, despite the fact that that's the version they offer for download on their front page, and all documentation to do with passwords is, as you say, out of date.

However, I'm inclined to believe http://kb.mozillazine.org/Setting_an...mail_passwords:

Quote:

The only way to change a password saved by the password manager is to delete it, get prompted for the new password the next time it needs it, and then tell it again to save that password. You can delete the password using Tools -> Options -> Privacy -> Passwords -> View Saved Passwords by selecting the password and then pressing the Remove button.

Nowadays, they obviously mean Edit -> Preferences -> Security -> Passwords -> Saved Passwords, but still don't let you alter the passwords, only remove them. I presume there's a reason for this, but I can think of no good ones...

Cinnamint · 01-11-2013, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snark1994

You'd have thought so, wouldn't you? I dunno, I can find no reference to "Thunderbird 17" in any of Thunderbird's docs, despite the fact that that's the version they offer for download on their front page, and all documentation to do with passwords is, as you say, out of date.

However, I'm inclined to believe http://kb.mozillazine.org/Setting_an...mail_passwords:

Nowadays, they obviously mean Edit -> Preferences -> Security -> Passwords -> Saved Passwords, but still don't let you alter the passwords, only remove them. I presume there's a reason for this, but I can think of no good ones...

Thanks, this will do.