With some sort of computer voodoo which I don't understand, my main laptop has forgotten the password for my Apple Mail account. While I can receive Mail on this account, I can't send any outgoing mail.

Mail on a secondary laptop still functions for both incoming and outgoing e-mail. However, I can't see what the password is on this computer. In System Preferences - Internet Accounts - my e-mail account, all I see are black dots for the password. Copying and pasting these characters into TextEdit does not work.

Is there any way to get my computer to reveal the password? I've also tried Keychain Access but not sure which password I need.

thanks, Todd's temporarily crippled keyboard

Reboot.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Todd's Keyboard,

In Keychain Access, choose the entry with the latest date that has a password.

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Ed (modelamac)

Trying to figure out some people is like trying to smell the number 9.

If you have an iPhone, just go to password, and go to your Apple ID and it will give you your password. Hopefully keychain is on on both devices.

The problem is, I have too many passwords and I don't know which one I am supposed to be using.

Mail 11.5 on a mid-2010 15" MacBook Pro running High Sierra 10.13.6 accepts incoming e-mail but won't send out outgoing e-mail. As near as I can tell, the failure to send outgoing mail is because the MacBook Pro does not have the correct password. One day (about two weeks ago), it just "lost" the password.

When it asks for a password, I am just guessing at which password I should enter. Apple ID? Password from my host provider? E-mail comes to me through my web site (hosted by HostGator). Is there a special password for the Mail app?

A Macbook Air still can both receive and send e-mail through the same mail account. However, when go into Mail-Accounts- my account, I can't see what the password is (in either the MacBook Pro or MacBook Air). I just see dots in both. In the MBA the dots seem to work. In the MBP they don't.

I'm just as lost using Keychain Access. I don't know which stored password I'm supposed to enter.

This same problem happened about six months ago, and I have forgotten how I solved it.

Todd's confused keyboard

you can go into your hostgator control panel and reset your password. Then, record that password somewhere safe and re-enter in your email app.

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Todd's keyboard
I'm just as lost using Keychain Access. I don't know which stored password I'm supposed to enter.

Without knowing whether you're using POP/IMAP/Exchange...

Use the search field on the upper right in the Keychain Access window. Enter "imap" (without the quotes). For most modern email services, this will bring up your incoming email setting.

Double-click on the most recent application password entry that you see for your IMAP email.

Check the "show password" box in the resulting window.

Enter your computer password (may have to enter it twice) to reveal the saved email password.

...

If nothing comes up for "imap" then try searching for "pop" or "smtp" instead.

...

Another option: If webmail is logging you into the Hostgator site successfully, you may have your password saved in your browser. If you're using Safari, open the Preferences and click on the Passwords icon. Enter your computer password to unlock the Passwords options, locate the saved password for Hostgator and click on the dots to reveal your saved password.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/01/2022 06:50PM by Tiangou.

Copy it and paste it into a text document.

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It is what it is.

Think I've solved it.

Instead of going into Mail-Accounts-specific account, I tried Mail-Preferences-specific account-Server Preferences. Once there, I can put in the appropriate password stored in Keychain Access.

I was unable to copy and paste the dots that were hiding the password. Something in the operating system prevents me from doing that.

Also, a simple reboot did not work.

Not sure why Mail seems to "forget" the password that is stored in there. I hope that next time I will be able to restore it more quickly.

Thanks again, Todd's back-in-action keyboard