Fix Gmail IMAP Invalid Credentials or Web Login Requires (Failure) Error
When accessing Gmail via IMAP access by using any email client including iPhone, Apple Mail, Thunderbird and Outlook, the following error message may appear, requesting user to manually input the user name and password again in order to authenticate with Google’s Gmail or GoogleMail IMAP server again.
Your IMAP server wishes to alert you to the following: Invalid credentials (Failure)
The error looks like a Gmail mechanism to protect against robots or automated scripts, and probably to stop and halt abnormal bandwidth utilization (upload and download) or abusing account activity such as using Gmail as storage space drive or transferring other mail account to Gmail.
Another reason for the invalid credentials or web login requires error to happen is too frequent mail checking. Gmail Help recommends to set mail client to check for new messages not more than once every 10 minutes.
If you’re very sure that you’re using a correct password and username (with @gmail.com after the user name), and not checking email in Gmail’s Inbox too frequently, you may need to clear and unlock the CAPTCHA. To unlock CAPTCHA for Gmail account, go to the following URL:
https://www.google.com/accounts/DisplayUnlockCaptcha
Note: For Google Apps user, visit https://www.google.com/a/yourdomain.com/UnlockCaptcha instead, with yourdomain.com as the valid domain name.
Type in the email address, password for the Gmail address, and fill in the correct Captcha validation. Click on “Unlock” button to fix the IMAP failure error.
For user who still faces the problem after clear the Captcha can try to use an alternative IMAP server instead, which is imap.googlemail.com on SSL port 993.
Related Articles
- Sign Up as @Gmail.com Instead Of @GoogleMail.com As Email Address and Login
- How to Delete Emails from Gmail IMAP Access Mail Client
- How to Apply Multiple Labels to Gmail Messages in IMAP Client
- Gmail Access Methods and Login Link URLs
- Delay Sending of Email Message in Microsoft Outlook (Supports Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL and all POP3/IMAP Mail)
- Review Gmail Account Recent Login or Access Activity History and Remote Logout Intruder or Hacker
- Gmail Email Message Corrupted Error
- Your Browser’s Cache is Full and May Interfere with Your Gmail Experience Error with Working Fix
- cPanel Invalid License File After Changing Hostname Error
- Fix Hotspot Shield Bandwidth Exceeded, TCP Connect Wait, Auth Failure or Daemon Start Error
Entries (RSS)
October 29th, 2009 15:46
Thank you so much for sharing this important info!
October 25th, 2009 23:41
EXCELLENT. I LOVE HOW THESE ‘TECH TIPS’ ARE SO OFTEN HIDDEN ON THE INTERNET. JUST HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO SEARCH EFFECTIVELY. THX, ROB.
September 20th, 2009 23:27
Well, I did have that problem for Invalid Credidentials, till I realized I had the wrong password, put the right one in, theng got the web login error, unlocked the captcha, worked, THANKS!
September 11th, 2009 19:24
thank you so so much for the help! i was on the phone for hours with apple and att and no one had a clue how to fix it. thank you!
August 26th, 2009 23:01
Thanks a lot!!! Great hint!
August 26th, 2009 15:33
thanks dude.. it was amazing help… thanks a ton
August 23rd, 2009 03:55
Thank you very much for this tip/tutorial.Fixed my imap problem on my Palm Pre. Great site.
August 7th, 2009 05:17
Thank you so very much, now I can use my SE-phone to post to WordPress.
July 21st, 2009 13:50
Thanks for the tip much appreciated
July 8th, 2009 14:03
That did the trick, thank you for saving me from any more frustration.
June 19th, 2009 21:23
Thanks mate; been trying to get my gmail working with Alpine on Linux for days after it suddenly stop working, luckly I stumbbled accross your blog post.
Search tags:
‘alpine gmail web login required’, ‘alpine gmail can’t login’
June 9th, 2009 13:30
Great. Thanks problem solved
May 5th, 2009 06:01
you are awesome, saved the day!
April 22nd, 2009 16:21
Wow, this was a life saver! Thanks
March 15th, 2009 13:02
Thanks a lot. I just didnt know about this Captcha. My settings seemed fine and yet I was unable to configure gmail correctly on my SE T700.
But now it works perfectly.
Thanks.
March 7th, 2009 11:20
Thank you! You just saved me hours of frustration.
February 26th, 2009 05:15
Do you know if you pay for a subscription if google still limits the checking to every 10 minutes?
B
January 22nd, 2009 22:48
We’re using Google Apps for our company email and I was trying in vain to connect to the IMAP server with Microsoft Entourage 2008 for Mac, constantly seeing the ‘Web login required’ failure message.
But the unlock Captcha method seems to have resolved the issue. I don’t understand that whole technical explanation, but hey. It works now.
Thanks!
January 20th, 2009 07:43
Thanks for the simple instructions. It worked great.
January 13th, 2009 06:04
my imap is working now!
thanks a lot.
December 25th, 2008 15:31
I did the above and it is only a temp fix. I was having to do it everyday. Yesterday I must have unlocked the CAPTCHA 20 times.
So I went back and looked at Gmail’s recommended IMAP client settings at http://mail.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=78892
So it’s been 48 hours and no errors.
NB: Pay special attention to the section at the bottom with general rules.
November 14th, 2008 22:11
very very helpful. thanks a lot.
November 13th, 2008 10:45
Thanks for the help!