Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Sometimes, even after successfully checking your email many times with the password you
entered, Mail displays a dialog claiming that the mail server has “rejected” your password.
Worse, you may re-enter your password—and even select Remember This Password in My
Keychain—but find that another error message pops up as soon as you click OK. This annoy-
ance may be due to any number of causes, but most have simple solutions.
If Mail suddenly begins prompting you for your password repeatedly when checking incom-
ing mail (after retrieving it correctly earlier), try these steps in order until the problem goes
away:
1. Click Cancel, and then check your email again in a minute or two. Sometimes the
problem goes away on its own. (If your account is offline, choose Mailbox > Take
All Accounts Online.)
2. Check your keychain. To do so, open Keychain Access, which you can find in
/Applications/Utilities
. Choose Keychain Access > Keychain First Aid.
Click the Repair radio button, enter your administrator password, and click
Start. If the keychain file had an error, Keychain First Aid will fix it.
3. If the problem persists, return to Keychain Access. Make sure that Passwords or
All Items is selected under Category, locate your mail server in the list (for iCloud
accounts, the entry's name should show the Apple ID you use for iCloud and its
type should be “application password”), select it, and click Delete. The next time
you check your email, you'll be prompted for your password; enter it, select Re-
member This Password in My Keychain, and click OK.
4. If even that doesn't work, your mail server may be at fault. Try checking your
messages with another email client. If the other client also gives you error mes-
sages, ask your email provider for help.
Connection Errors
Sometimes, when talking to a mail server, Mail encounters an error before it even gets to the
point of sending your password. These errors tend to fall into two categories, which I call
“squiggles” and “bangs.”
Squiggles
If you see a jagged symbol, which I call a “squiggle,” by an account name in your sidebar,
that account is
offline
(not connected to the mail server). If Mail cannot connect to an ac-
count after multiple attempts, it takes the account offline automatically. This may be an in-
dication that your computer as a whole is having Internet connection issues.
