This topic

Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

PaulMcI — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:44:51 GMT

I can't login to one of my standard BT emails using Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop getting the message "Unable to log in at server. Probably wrong configuration, username or password".

The username and password are correct as I can log in to the email account using a browser on the laptop!

Something is broken with BT email and third party email client apps as my daughter migrated my wife's iPhone to a new one yesterday and tried to to connect using the migrated Outlook app but got the same error message as above. She then downloaded the BT mail app to the new iPhone and successfully connected it my wife's BT email!!

On my Samsung S10+ phone I have the Bluemail app successfully accessing 4 BT email addresses which was set up a long time ago!

Something is wrong with BT's email and 3rd party email clients trying to access it!

Thanks

Paul

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

imjolly — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 14:50:17 GMT

are you currently a BT broadband customer or do you pay for premium email?

have you tried to log in to email using browser on laptop instead of app?

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

PaulMcI — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 15:14:56 GMT

I have BT broadband and I have had it since I retired from BT in 2013

These are all standard emails.

Paul

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

PaulMcI — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 15:21:47 GMT

I said in my original post that I was able to log in successfully using using a web page so the email and password are correct.

Paul

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

PaulMcI — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 20:27:25 GMT

My daughter just reminded me that the Outlook mail app transferred from my wife's old iPhone to her new iPhone failed as also did the Apple mail client that comes with the new iPhone.

When my daughter downloaded and installed the BT mail app on the new iPhone it worked!

There is definitely an issue with the current BT mail and 3rd party mail apps which didn't exist in the past!!

Paul

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

imjolly — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 20:31:57 GMT

I don't have any problems accessing my BT mail using thunderbird on my pc and using bluemail on my Samsung mobile

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

licquorice — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 21:09:18 GMT

As long as the settings are correct, BT email servers have no knowledge of what client is accessing the account.

I have no problem with Thunderbird, MS Outlook and Blue Mail on various devices and operating systems.

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

PaulMcI — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 22:00:57 GMT

I also have no problems accessing my BT mail using various mail clients but these were all set up some time ago!

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

licquorice — Mon, 22 Dec 2025 22:45:14 GMT

Well I've just created a new btinternet account on Thunderbird with no problem.

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

PaulMcI — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 18:24:59 GMT

Following your post about successfully creating a mail account in Thunderbird I did some further investigation today.

I have two BT email accounts and my wife has two.

Deleted my account in Thunderbird and recreated it with no problems!

I have found that there is no problem creating either of my mail accounts in Thunderbird but trying to create either of my wife's mail accounts fail!

BTW, my wife's BT email accounts have a different password to mine.

Any ideas what could be the problem?

Paul

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

licquorice — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 18:32:43 GMT

I suspect you are somehow entering the password incorrectly.

You could try changing the password in webmail to see if that helps.

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

licquorice — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 18:34:51 GMT

I have assumed your wife's emails are associated with your broadband account and aren't just her email accounts from a now non-existent broadband account.

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

PaulMcI — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 19:08:13 GMT

Yes I created my wife's email accounts many years ago.

I can access my wife's email accounts using Blue Mail on my Samsung S10+ android phone (set up a long time ago). My wife can access her email accounts using Outlook on her Windows 10 PC.

Strange that my daughter couldn't access my wife's accounts using the Outlook app or Apple's mail app on my wife's new iPhone but the BT mail app could!

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

licquorice — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 19:31:05 GMT

Are they shown in your MyBT under manage emails?

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

PaulMcI — Tue, 23 Dec 2025 19:54:31 GMT

Yes both of my wife's emails are there

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

PaulMcI — Tue, 30 Dec 2025 16:02:11 GMT

Investigating further why I cannot access my wife's two email addresses from Thunderbird on Zorin I noticed that my wife's information is held on https://prod-btemailauth.bt.com whereas mine is held on https://auth.bt.com !

Would this be the issue?

BTW, if I choose POP instead of IMAP the checking doesn't stop and I have to stop it!

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

CharlesDeluxe — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 14:36:18 GMT

Can you tell us ALL of your IMAP and SMTP settings please including mail server addresses you're using, ports and whether you've selected SSL/TLS please. I'm installing Zorin in a VM right now to try it, but it works fine on plenty of other Ubuntu variants.

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

CharlesDeluxe — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 15:16:37 GMT

FYI I just installed the latest version of Zorin and Thunderbird, then just took the automated account setup in Thunderbird (just my email address, password and an account name) - all works perfectly (IMAP using port 993 SSL/TLS and SMTP using port 465 SSL/TLS, both going to to mail.btinternet.com - worth checking your settings match these.

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

PaulMcI — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 11:28:38 GMT

A bit of background. My wife's Windows 10 PC doesn't comply with Windows 11 requirements so I installed Zorin on a laptop to see if my wife could move to it running her family history software on it in a VM. To be able to get my wife to move to Zorin needs her to be able to access her emails! My wife uses Outlook on her Windows 10 PC to access her emails.

I have four BT emails, P1,P2,S1,S2 created in December 1997 when BTinternet was launched (it was written by colleagues in Belfast).

Thunderbird on Zorin works for my emails P1 and P2 (IMAP using port 993 SSL/TLS and SMTP using port 465 SSL/TLS, both going to mail.btinternet.com).

However, although Thunderbird recognises S1 and S2 it then fails in the IMAP handshaking returning "Unable to log in at server. Probably wrong configuration, username or password". I can log in successfully to S1 and S2 accounts using a web browser.

I have tried the POP protocol with S1 but the "Checking password" goes on for ages and I have to k!ll the process.

Also, over Christmas my daughter migrated my wife from her old iPhone to a new one. My wife had been using the Outlook app on her old iPhone to read her emails. On the new iPhone the Outlook app wouldn't connect to my wife's email and so my daughter then tried the default Apple mail app but it didn't work. My daughter then noticed that BT had a mail app so she installed it on the new iPhone. It worked!!

As I said in a previous post, I see that my wife's S1 and S2 are held on https://prod-btemailauth.bt.com whereas my P1 is held on https://auth.bt.com ! Are these different servers? If so, could there be a subtle difference between the two servers?

Thanks

Paul

Re: Can't login to BT email from Thunderbird running in Zorin on my laptop

licquorice — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 11:48:41 GMT

I think this is an account problem in as much as your wife's accounts have been downgraded to Basic mail rather than the Standard mail that they should be.

Unfortunately it will mean a call to BT customer services to resolve.

As an aside, it is fairly easy to spoof the ability to upgrade an incompatible W10 laptop to W11.