"Too many simultaneous connections" error with Gmail after SP2 update

Anonymous
2012-04-23T09:00:02+00:00

Ever since updating to SP2, I regularly receive these errors from Outlook:

Mail could not be received at this time.

The server for account "Gmail" returned the error "[ALERT] Too many simultaneous connections. (Failure)." Your username/password or security settings may be incorrect. Would you like to try re-entering your password?

I'm connecting to my Gmail account via IMAP. As you would expect, re-entering my password as suggested by the error doesn't resolve the error and it continues to pop up every 10 seconds until I quit and re-lauch Outlook. I suspect it's something to do with the way this new version of Outlook handles multiple connections to the same IMAP server?

Is anyone else seeing this?

Outlook | MacOS | Legacy Outlook for Mac | For business

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Anonymous
2015-03-13T03:37:03+00:00

from Google

Too many simultaneous connections

If you have multiple users frequently accessing the same account or more than one IMAP client accessing Gmail at the same time, you may reach a connection threshold and receive the error message, 'Too many simultaneous connections.'

Gmail currently has a limit of 15 simultaneous IMAP connections per account.

Please note that your mail client may actually open multiple connections in the background. This means it's possible to reach a connection threshold simply by using only two mail clients to access the same account at the same time.

If you often use multiple mail clients or mobile devices with the same Gmail account, we recommend closing and/or signing out of any mail clients you're not actively using.

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Anonymous
2012-07-12T01:52:12+00:00

Microsoft appears to have released an update that deals with this problem: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2721015

Specifically, MS says that:

<ul><br><li>This update fixes an issue where some users who have IMAP accounts intermittently receive a “Too many simultaneous connections” error. A setting is now available to control the polling interval that Outlook uses with IMAP servers. <br><br><br><br>To adjust this setting, select <b>Tools</b>, select <b>Accounts</b>, and then select <b>Advanced </b>for the IMAP account. The setting defaults to synchronize all lMAP folders every two minutes. </li></ul>

I updated MS Office on both my iMac and MacBook Air, and I didn't change the new default synchronization setting. The iMac only occasionally had this problem, and I cannot tell if the problem has gone away completely yet on that computer.

On my MacBook Air, I had resorted to deleting my Gmail accounts as I could access them via Apple Mail desktop application and I really didn't need Outlook functions with Gmail. I started to add back my Gmail accounts, but I was getting the error message again. I turned off synchronization of IMAP folder while my mail downloaded, and the error message went away. After all my old email was downloaded, I turned IMAP folder synchronization back on (at the default 2 minutes).

It seems to have solved the problem for the most part. If you still get the error message, GMail folders may still be synchronizing, so you might have to keep hitting "No" a while longer until everything is synchronized.

So, with all due respect, it looks like it was a Microsoft problem after all. Fortunately I didn't try that time-consuming, tortuous fix recommended earlier.

I'll post an update on whether this fix has continued to work.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-04-30T16:00:33+00:00

    I do also access my Gmail account from the Mail app on my iPhone, but I resolved this error by simply disabling the "Send & Receive All" schedule in Outlook, which included my Gmail account.

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-04-23T22:34:53+00:00

    By default in SP2 IMAP operates as "push mail". It always has an IMAP IDLE command outstanding against the server and will download new email the moment it arrives on the server. For this reason schedules are no longer needed for IMAP accounts. There is no longer a periodic poll for new mail to schedule.

    Do you see your IMAP account(s) listed in Schedules? If yes, please let me know. You should no longer be seeing IMAP accounts listed in Schedules. I suggest creating a new Identity in this case and let your IMAP accounts download from the server. If you have mail under "On My Computer" folders, delete any IMAP and Exchange accounts, then use File > Export to export your "On My Computer" data as .olm file.

    How to create a new Identity or switch to a new Identity in Outlook 2011

    Under File > Import select to import the .olm file into your new Identity.

    These will show up under an imported folder in the folder list. You'll need to select the messages in the default folders (Inbox, Drafts, Sent, Deleted Items) and move to the local folders. You can drag any custom folder to it's correct location. You can delete the imported folder structure after you move all the messages.

    You'll also need to move the contacts, events, tasks, notes to their local folders.

    If you don't see your IMAP showing up in Schedules, try deleting and adding back.

    Are either of you also connecting to your Gmail account from another device?

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