Gmail using Windows Live Mail after May 30, 2022

Anonymous
2022-03-19T13:57:32+00:00

Can someone tell me how to set up to use Windows Live Mail for Gmail after the May 30, 2022 Gmail changes. There is something I have read about "app passwords" which sounds a lot like what Yahoo has done. I have about 75 clients who use WLM. Most of them have Gmail accounts.

I would rather not have to switch to a different mail client.

I would appreciate very much if someone could provide a step by step how to. I suspect there are several millions others like us.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Email and communications

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Anonymous
2022-06-02T16:15:42+00:00

Here's the procedure outlined by Kevin, as an edited quote, derived from several of his messages:

"Came across a work around which I hope will keep working come June 1st.

You need to go into your Google account and it is under Security. Turn on "2 Step Authentication" for each Gmail account and then add an App Password for WLM. You just need to generate the App Password from Google Security and then use that when you update your email ie send/ receive in your WLM. When you update your email ie send/ receive in WLM it will prompt you for this password instead of your Gmail password. The option to turn on/off Less Secure Apps in my security settings disappeared once I turned on 2 Step Authentication."

And here's the link to the YouTube video which provides the same procedure, one that has worked for a lot of us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-SqaEmSjAc

 .

As a matter of fact, one additional YouTube video has also sprung up which provides the same solution. That one is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKLZBNlhrQs

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The previous version of this message also linked to a third video which I thought MIGHT also have a good solution but IT DID NOT. Which is why I've removed that third link. Specifically, you can NO LONGER ACCESS GMAIL if you are using the Less Secure Apps option in the Gmail security settings. Sorry about that.

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-05-30T23:58:51+00:00

    Hug... we beat Google!!! Woo hoo!

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-05-31T00:01:27+00:00

    While trying to see if there is a work around for this, I have also tried saving my WLM Storage Folders as I am also trying to migrate to a new Laptop.

    Issue I have is the the Export takes about two seconds and the Folders are mostly empty.

    As a work around I have also tried copying the Folders direct from...

    C:\Users\xxxxx\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows Live Mail\Storage Folders

    This did work but the filling system left a bit to be desired plus any names of folders longer than about 8 characters go truncated and numbers added. i.e "Family House" would be "Family H 7896"

    Once I got the folders on to my new laptop I started getting errors with some emails especially if there was an attachment, to the point it would close WLM.

    At present I am working on my old laptop waiting at least until June 1st to see we are all at.

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-05-31T00:12:42+00:00

    Gotta say I did successfully migrate my WLM messages and contacts from a Windows 7 laptop to my current Windows 8 laptop some years ago. At that time, I was not experiencing corruption or problems of the sort you are describing.

    Unfortunately I no longer remember how I got that done. I expect I'll have to figure it out all over again if and when I have to do that. I remember it involved some serious sleuthing to find out where WLM was hiding all of my messages. I also remember that WLM always insists on having a folder called Inbox into which it puts only fresh messages. If one wishes to migrate the old Inbox messages, one has to move those old Inbox messages into a folder that is NOT called Inbox. Afterward, as a final step, one migrates the messages from that temporary folder into the new Inbox folder.

    Even if Kevin's procedure successfully surmounts Google's sabotage, the day is fast approaching when I will have to get a new laptop, as Windows 8 is increasingly inadequate for 2022 technology.

    In that regard, as I understand it, Windows 10 (or is it Windows 11 now?) has a default email app called Windows Mail, which is the successor of Windows Live Mail. So I am supposing, when I get my new laptop, whenever that is, I will be migrating my email from the Windows 8 Windows Live Mail to the Windows 10/11 Windows Mail.

    Unless there's some other email app that is a more appropriate one to which I should and can migrate.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-05-31T00:17:10+00:00

    Well, I don't think we know that for sure yet. I think we'll have to wait until the horror stories start flowing in from WLM users who chose not to change anything, or forgot to do anything about this sabotage. Until that happens, we won't know for sure whether we've defeated the sabotage or not.

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