ATT/Yahoo email login issue

We're here to help you get back into your email on your desktop, @Stevea17!

If you re-using Apple Mail to try and log in, you may need to create a secure mail key. This is a unique 16 character passcode that will take place of the email password when signing in.

You can make one with these steps:

1. Go to your myAT&T Profile. Sign in, if asked.
2. Scroll to My linked accounts, select the email account that needs a secure mail key.
3. Scroll to Secure mail key, select Manage secure mail key.
4. Choose the email address that you’d like to use, if you have more than one.
5. Select Add secure mail key. Enter a nickname for the secure mail key to make it easy to recognize.
6. Choose Create secure mail key.
7. Select Copy secure mail key to clipboard. Make a note of your secure mail key  for further updates.
   • For security purposes, the secure mail key only displays until you select OK. 
   • If you lose or forget the secure mail key, you can always create new secure mail keys.
8. Select OK.
9. Go to your preferred email app, replace the existing password with your secure mail key. For an IMAP account, delete the existing password for both the IMAP and SMTP servers. Replace them with your secure mail key.

Good to know: Each device you use to access your email will have its own secure mail key.

Give this a try and let us know if it works!

CalebP, AT&T Communtiy Specialist 

Thanks for the quick reply.   Before I go down this secure mail key process, I am a little concerned.   I'm having a password issue with the desktop email, after changing the email password on my iPhone.  I should only have to re-enter my new password on the desktop email account information page.  I have done it this way previously when I had to change the  password. I have always had the same password for my snet/yahoo email on all my devices, (desktop, iPhone and iPad.  I feel as though there is something I am missing.

Hey @Stevea17, let's clear up some things regariding your email account.

After resetting the password, you should wait at least 24 hours to let it sync up in the systems. If you are still having issues logging in after that, here are something's you can try to log in on your iMac email. 

• Try clearing your cache and cookies once more. - the most common fix. If that doesnt work, try the steps below
• Update your browser - many features are only compatible with the latest browser and we recommend updating it.
• Test signing in to your webmail using another browser (Edge, Firefox, Safari). 
• Disable browser tools or add-ons - this varies by device and browser.

Let us know if this helped, or if you need further assistance!

Robert, AT&T Community Specialist

Thanks Robert.  I’ll give your suggestions a try. I’m not at the computer right now but will work at it later.  I’m sure there’s a lot in the cache and cookies. 

Hey @Stevea17, let us know how it goes!

We look forward to hearing from you

Robert, AT&T Community Specialist

Thanks again for your help, but still not working. I cleaned out the cache and cookies as suggested. My IOS is up to date. I’m using Safari for browser. I retried with both old and new password but received the same failed to authenticate message from yahoo.  I’ve had ATT/Yahoo email on this desktop for more than 10 years and have always only had to change the password (mostly when prompted to provide it and had forgotten it and needed to change it.   I don’t understand why I would need to get into the change mail process. 
I went onto the ATT/Yahoo website and was able to log into my email with my new password, but still cannot get in on my iMac. 

Correction -  I meant “ secure mail key “ process. 

Thanks for coming back, Stevea17. 

To make sure that we are on the same page, you are trying to follow the Secure Mail Key process that we have already sent you correct? 

Have you already created the secure mail key? The reason why we ask that is the email client that you are using on the iMac is misconfigured. 

Depending on what email client that you are using, there are 2 possibilities. You can either use OAuth or you can manually configure using the Secure Mail Key process that Caleb sent you. 

If you are still encountering the errors, then you will need to reach out to Apple. 

Matthew, AT&T Community Specialist

When I went into my account, my linked account shows my email address. The only option is “edit”.  I selected that but no options show secure mail key.  This appears to be where you change your primary email address?

Hey @Stevea17, let's get you pointed to the right direction. 

Secure Mail Key is used in place of the regular mail password. Have you set one up before? If not, then it wont be nessecary to continue this way.

Let us know so we can proceed further.

Johan, AT&T Community Specialist