Windows Live Mail (WLM) - error: server rejects login to gmail account

There are several reasons why Gmail might not accept your credentials. This is why what works for one user may not work for another. The commonest reasons and how to deal with them are given in this Google help article: Troubleshoot sign-in problems 

Start with the fourth as the most likely: *Your app might not support the latest security standards. Try changing a few settings toallow less secure apps access to your account.*One or more of the others might also apply, so if you're still having trouble connecting after allowing 'less secure apps' to access your account, check the other possible causes as well.

There is no danger involved in enabling this option.

Yes, I'm aware that I can turn on 'allow less secure app'. To me, that sounds like asking for invasive trouble.

This is not asking for trouble of any sort. There is no question of lowering your email security by allowing Windows Live Mail to access your Gmail account. Windows Live Mail just doesn't happen to support OAuth, which is what Google wants you to use.

OAuth is analogous to the system used at this site. When you sign in to answers.microsoft.com, you are redirected to a different site - login.live.com - to enter your credentials (username and password). Once they have been verified, you're sent back to answers.microsoft.com with a ticket saying that you've been authenticated. Microsoft Community never sees your credentials, so even if a hacker managed to get in to it, he wouldn't find any credentials to steal.

I don't think there's any need to be wary of "allowing less secure apps to access my account". Windows Live Mail isn't an 'app' like those for Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn that have enormous online databases that need protecting. It's a simple mail client that sets up direct communication with a mail server. You have to be authorized to access your mailbox so only you can do it, and you do this by submitting your username and password. You can't access any other part of your Google account through Windows Live Mail. It's just the same as when you access any other mailbox - at your ISP, at Outlook.com or wherever. And, to cap it all, your credentials are passed to Gmail through a TLS-secured tunnel, which is exactly the same as OAuth uses.

Just make sure that your security protocols are enabled like this at Control Panel > Internet Options > Advanced:

Thanks for sharing this helpful information. I would just like to add that I am using Hotmail and Gmail on WLM on Windows 10 without any problems. They are configured using IMAP.

Kind regards

Chris

Unfortunately, if you use Gmail, it is the only way you can use WLM.  If you have good antivirus software and your computer is reasonably well protected, your computer will be safe most likely.

What you are disabling is an extra authentication in Gmail.  You can compensate for that by using a password that is complex.  Here's some advice on passwords:

Go here to test your password: http://www.speedypassword.com/articles/how-secure-is-my-password-test-your-password/

Best alternative is a long phrase.  By long, I mean 16 to 64 characters.  Something like ilovemycatnamedjofus.  It turns out that length of passwords is a much larger factor in making passwords hard to break.  They are also much easier for mere humans to remember.

Alternatively, good passwords have an assortment of:

• lower case letters
• upper case letters (not the first character)
• numbers (not sequences)
• special characters: $_&% – .
• the longer the better – 8 characters minimum — 12 preferred
• do not use any word in any dictionary, names, dates or phone numbers
• do not use the same password for lots of different things
• Keep a piece of paper on which you store all your passwords and keep it up to date. Store it in a safe place that people you trust know about.

FYI, passwords are just about the only things on the web which are case sensitive.

Do yourself and your executor a big favour.  Create a sheet of paper with ALL of your passwords on it.  Keep it in a safe place, up to date and give a copy to someone you trust.

Yes, I'm aware that I can turn on 'allow less secure app'. To me, that sounds like asking for invasive trouble.