How to add Yahoo Mail or AOL to a Mac email app
Yahoo and AOL won't accept your normal password in third-party Mac mail apps. How to generate an app password, the IMAP settings, and common fixes.
Short answer: Yahoo Mail and AOL need an app password in third-party Mac mail apps. Open Yahoo account security, choose Generate app password, name it, and paste the 16-character password into your mail app instead of your normal password.
Step 1: Generate the app password
- Go to login.yahoo.com/account/security and sign in.
- Choose Generate app password (on some accounts it’s called App passwords).
- Type a name, like “Glassmail”, and choose Generate password.
- Copy the password Yahoo shows. You won’t see it again; if you lose it, make another.
For AOL, do the same from AOL’s account security page.
Step 2: Add the account
Most apps need only your address and the app password. If yours asks for servers:
| Yahoo | AOL | Port | Security | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Incoming (IMAP) | imap.mail.yahoo.com | imap.aol.com | 993 | SSL/TLS |
| Outgoing (SMTP) | smtp.mail.yahoo.com | smtp.aol.com | 465 (or 587) | SSL (or STARTTLS) |
Username: your full email address.
If it doesn’t work
- “Invalid password”: use the app password, not your Yahoo password, and paste it without spaces.
- Sending fails but reading works: check the outgoing port and security match (465 with SSL, or 587 with STARTTLS).
- Old account you rarely use: Yahoo can lock accounts that haven’t been signed in to for a long time. Sign in on the web once first.
In Glassmail
In Glassmail, choose Add Account and type your Yahoo or AOL address. It recognises the provider, opens the right security page, and fills in the servers. A tip: old Yahoo addresses are often mostly newsletters. Glassmail bundles those under Updates by sender, so the occasional real email still stands out.
Related: iCloud app-specific passwords, Gmail app passwords and adding Outlook and Microsoft 365.
Quick answers
How do I get a Yahoo app password?
Sign in at login.yahoo.com/account/security, choose Generate app password (or App passwords), type a name for the app, and choose Generate. Copy the 16-character password into your mail app.
What are the Yahoo Mail IMAP settings?
Incoming (IMAP) server imap.mail.yahoo.com, port 993, SSL. Outgoing (SMTP) server smtp.mail.yahoo.com, port 465 with SSL or 587 with STARTTLS. The username is your full Yahoo email address.
Do AOL accounts work the same way?
Yes. AOL is part of Yahoo and uses app passwords too, created in AOL's account security page. The servers are imap.aol.com and smtp.aol.com.