AOL Mail sync with Windows 10

Hopefully they don't disable accessing aol via Windows 10 Mail or outlook. I didn't receive an email like this but it is in the account settings as I've displayed in what I posted. I use aol for my email when I don't care about spam so if that's what they want to do then so be it, lol.

I followed your instructions and it worked perfectly. Thank you

Of course you still use a web browser.  But...

I suggest that you log into MYACCOUNT.AOL.COM and utilize the facility in which AOL generates a password for third party apps.

As it appears to me... 

AOL****will generate a working password for your desktop application to use which apparently is acceptable to AOL.  It is a password that is used by your mail application only.  

You still use your private AOL password to log into AOL.  The generated password is used only by your application (under the covers) to establish the connection.

So, log into myaccount.aol.com (and log in with your email account with your normal AOL password)

Go to myprofile-> change password

 (look at the bottom of the screen.  See Manage app passwords)

Click on Manage app passwords

Use the dropdown labeled Select your app to select your mail application.  You may need to use the application called OTHER

Click Generate a password to be used by your application when it connects to AOL.

Utilize that long password when you set up your mail application.  (Can't help you precisely with the setting up of your application).

Your app may require the entry of that long password once or twice during the setup process.  It should work with Windows 10 Mail and in my case an older version of Outlook)

I would write that password down and keep it as you may botch it the first time you try to set up your application.  After it works, that password is not used again.  All you can ever do is delete it from AOL, but don't do that as it is erases the fact that AOL gave you that password and expects your application to present it when the app connects to AOL.

I believe that the spaces in the long password are not used when you enter it.  The password is case sensitive.

Unless AOL has made you change your normal AOL password during the setup process, you should continue to use the old password to log into AOL.  The long generated password simply remains under the covers.

You can also refer to DAG57's post of September 5 2020 for his experience on same technique.

SOLVED problem with Windows Mail app  and  AOL email  access:

Here are the steps I took to allow me to access AOL emails via WIndows Mail  after AOL required new authentication in 2020.

Essentially, you will let AOL generate a password for you to enter into your Windows Mail app. It was a set of 16 letters, such as this example:  XUHO PSIY BBWF ZLKM.  This is not the same password you'll use to login to AOL, but a special password to authenticate your third party email reader (Windows Mail in this case) with AOL. 

From my memory, the basics are thus: 

1.   Go to www.aol.com  and login 

2.    Go to AOL Account Security and follow instructions for gaining access to you AOL security settings. 

  Look for an item allowing access to third party email apps. 

3.   Select that Mail app that you use from a drop down menu. Note: Windows Mail will be "OTHER"

4.   AOL will generate a password for you to enter into  Window Mail account settings. Copy the AOL now generated password, then navigate to your Windows Mail app AOL account settings,  and paste the AOL-generated password into your email app password field.

Your AOL emails should now populate within the Windows Mail app.

The process from Dag57 worked perfectly for me.

Backstory:

Outlook had been complaining that my credentials were out of date

Windows Mail did not work either.

It kept on asking me for my password which I entered a zillion times without success.

Here are the steps that I used:

Log into Myaccount.aol.com

Then...

My profile

Change password

Generate App Password

Select App

(in my case Outlook Desktop)

[A password will be presented to you]

Start outlook and wait for the complaint screen/pop-up
Copy the password provided above and put it into outlook.

Force a Send/Receive from outlook and enjoy reading your mail.

The problem accessing AOL emails occurs only when using third party email reader applications, such as Thunderbird or the Windows Mail app.  

The problem will not occur if you use a  web browser to access AOL email via the web.