Gmail Help

Thunderbird 2.0 can generate a number of errors if improperly configured. Please select your error message below for further instructions:

Sending of password did not succeed. Mail server pop.gmail.com responded: Username and password not accepted.

Verify your password and then clear the captcha. If you're a Google Apps user, visit https://www.google.com/a/yourdomain.com/UnlockCaptcha. Be sure to replace 'yourdomain.com' with your actual domain name.

Repeatedly prompted for your username and password or 'invalid credentials' error.

Verify your password and clear the captcha. If you're a Google Apps user, visit https://www.google.com/a/yourdomain.com/UnlockCaptcha. Be sure to replace 'yourdomain.com' with your actual domain name.

Failed to connect to server [xxx.xxx.xxx].

Ensure that you've entered the correct server name, 'pop.gmail.com.' If the server name is correct, make sure that you are connected to the Internet when trying to check for new mail.

Could not connect to server pop.gmail.com; the connection was refused.

First, make sure that POP is enabled in Gmail. Next, check that you are using the correct incoming mail server port and encryption: port 995 with SSL. If the problem persists, try running a telnet test to determine whether the port is blocked on your network.

To better diagnose the problem, you'll need to run a telnet test, which will check that your computer can contact our POP servers.

If you're running Windows Vista, you'll first need to enable the Telnet feature:

1. Click the Start button, then Control Panel, and Programs.
2. Click Turn Windows Features On or Off.
3. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
4. In the Windows Features box, check the box labeled Telnet Client, and click OK. (It may take a few minutes for the installation to complete.)

To run the telnet test on a Windows computer:

1. Open the Start menu, and select Run.
2. Enter command in the Open: field, and click OK.
3. Enter 'telnet pop.gmail.com 995,' and hit Enter.

If the telnet test produces an error, it indicates that your network is blocking access to Gmail's POP servers. Please contact your local network administrator or your Internet Service Provider's customer support department for further instructions.

If the telnet test clears, the server errors you're experiencing are most often temporary and will resolve themselves within 24 hours. If you continue to experience difficulties, please try our troubleshooter.

Sending of message failed. The message could not be sent because connecting to SMTP server smtp.gmail.com failed. The server may be unavailable or is refusing SMTP connections. Please verify that your SMTP server setting is correct and try again, or else contact your network administrator.

Check that you are using the correct outgoing mail server port and encryption: port 25 with TLS. You can also try using port 587 and/or SSL encryption. If the problem persists, try running a telnet test to determine whether the port is blocked on your network:

To better diagnose the problem, you'll need to run a telnet test, which will check that your computer can contact our POP servers.

If you're running Windows Vista, you'll first need to enable the Telnet feature:

1. Click the Start button, then Control Panel, and Programs.
2. Click Turn Windows Features On or Off.
3. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
4. In the Windows Features box, check the box labeled Telnet Client, and click OK. (It may take a few minutes for the installation to complete.)

To run the telnet test on a Windows computer:

1. Open the Start menu, and select Run.
2. Enter command in the Open: field, and click OK.
3. Enter 'telnet pop.gmail.com 995,' and hit Enter.

If the telnet test produces an error, it indicates that your network is blocking access to Gmail's POP servers. Please contact your local network administrator or your Internet Service Provider's customer support department for further instructions.

If the telnet test clears, the server errors you're experiencing are most often temporary and will resolve themselves within 24 hours. If you continue to experience difficulties, please try our troubleshooter.

An error occurred while sending mail. The mail server responded: 5.7.0 Must issue a STARTTLS command first. Please verify that your email address is correct in your Mail preferences and try again.

Check that you are using the correct outgoing mail server port and encryption: port 25 with TLS. You can also try using port 587 and/or SSL encryption. If the problem persists, try running a telnet test to determine whether the port is blocked on your network.

To better diagnose the problem, you'll need to run a telnet test, which will check that your computer can contact our POP servers.

If you're running Windows Vista, you'll first need to enable the Telnet feature:

1. Click the Start button, then Control Panel, and Programs.
2. Click Turn Windows Features On or Off.
3. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
4. In the Windows Features box, check the box labeled Telnet Client, and click OK. (It may take a few minutes for the installation to complete.)

To run the telnet test on a Windows computer:

1. Open the Start menu, and select Run.
2. Enter command in the Open: field, and click OK.
3. Enter 'telnet pop.gmail.com 995,' and hit Enter.

If the telnet test produces an error, it indicates that your network is blocking access to Gmail's POP servers. Please contact your local network administrator or your Internet Service Provider's customer support department for further instructions.

If the telnet test clears, the server errors you're experiencing are most often temporary and will resolve themselves within 24 hours. If you continue to experience difficulties, please try our troubleshooter.