App password not working? How to fix a rejected app password

I pasted the right password: why is it rejected?#

Check these points, in order:

1. The right account. An app password only works for the Google account it was created on. If you’re signed in to several accounts in your browser, check the top-right corner of myaccount.google.com/apppasswords.
2. The right address. The email in Mailamber must belong to that same account (a Gmail alias only works if it belongs to that account).
3. A clean copy. The code is 16 letters; spaces don’t matter, but one character too many or too few does. When in doubt, create a new one and paste it instead of typing it.
4. A password that’s still valid. Google revokes all app passwords when you change your account password or when you delete them. Create a new one.
5. 2-Step Verification turned on. If you turned it off, app passwords stop working.

Why won’t Google let me create an app password?#

This happens with work or school accounts where the administrator has disabled the option, with Advanced Protection, and when 2-Step Verification uses security keys only. In the first case, ask your Google Workspace administrator; in the others, app passwords aren’t available.

It was working and suddenly stopped: why?#

The usual causes are a Google password change, a revocation from the app passwords page, or a Google security check after a sign-in from a new location. Open Gmail in your browser: if Google asks you to confirm some activity, confirm it. Then create a new app password and update it in Mailamber.

What about iCloud or Yahoo?#

The principle is the same: create an app-specific password from your Apple account or from Yahoo’s security settings, and use it instead of your normal password. For iCloud, two-factor authentication must be on.