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Yahoo Mail app password: how to create one (2026)
- Create it on your Yahoo Account security page, under External connections, and paste it into your mail app with your full Yahoo address.
- If Yahoo won't create one, use a browser you've signed in with for several days, not in incognito mode.
- It keeps working when you change your Yahoo password: delete it to revoke it. AOL works the same way.
Yahoo's own apps don't need anything special, and neither do mail apps that open Yahoo's sign-in page, such as iPhone Mail (pick the Yahoo logo) or Thunderbird (Yahoo help). Apps that only ask for a password, such as an older Outlook, a printer or a service that sorts your inbox, need an app password. Yahoo refuses your normal password there, even when it's right.
Yahoo moved the option in its account pages, so many guides still point to menus that are gone. These are the steps as Yahoo describes them today, plus the one requirement that blocks most people.
What an app password is
It's a separate code your provider creates for one app: the app opens your mail with it and never sees your real password. For the full picture of why it exists, when you need one and what the risks are, see what are app passwords.
Create a Yahoo app password
- Open the Yahoo Account security page and sign in.
- Under External connections, click Create app password.
- Type the app's name.
- Click Generate password.
- Copy the password and paste it into the app, where it asks for a password. You only enter it once.
- Click Done.
These are the steps in Yahoo's help, checked on 26 October 2026. Older guides, and some Yahoo pages, still call the button Generate app password; it's the same option.
When Yahoo won't create one
Yahoo decides whether your account can create app passwords, and it says customer care can't override that decision. What it asks:
- Use a browser you've used to sign in to Yahoo for several days in a row. So a new laptop, a fresh browser profile or a browser that deletes cookies on close may not qualify yet.
- Avoid incognito or private mode.
- If it still fails, Yahoo's advice is to read your mail in Yahoo's website or app instead (Yahoo help).
The usual message is "Sorry, this feature is not available right now!". Microsoft notes it often appears on new Yahoo accounts and tends to clear within about two weeks (Microsoft support).
In practice: sign in to Yahoo Mail in your everyday browser, keep using it for a few days, then try again from that same browser.
Settings for your mail app
IMAP is how mail apps fetch your email, and SMTP is how they send it. From Yahoo's IMAP settings page:
| Server | Port | Security | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incoming (IMAP) | imap.mail.yahoo.com | 993 | SSL |
| Outgoing (SMTP) | smtp.mail.yahoo.com | 465 or 587 | SSL, authentication required |
Username: your full Yahoo address (it works the same for @ymail.com and @rocketmail.com). Password: the app password.
When it still fails
"Invalid credentials" or "login failed"
- You pasted your Yahoo password, not the app password.
- You created the app password while signed in to a different Yahoo account.
- You copied it with a missing character. Delete it and create a new one.
It worked for months, then stopped
Changing your Yahoo password doesn't revoke app passwords, so look elsewhere. Check whether the app password was deleted under External connections. Then sign in to Yahoo Mail on the web to make sure the account itself works. If in doubt, create a new app password.
Delete an app password
On Account security, under External connections, open your app passwords and click Delete next to the one you want to remove, then confirm. That's the only way to revoke it.
AOL Mail works the same way
AOL belongs to the same company and uses the same system. On your AOL Account Security page, click Generate app password (or Generate and manage app passwords), then Get started, name it and generate it (AOL help). The same browser check applies, and AOL app passwords also survive a password change. The IMAP server is imap.aol.com, port 993, SSL (AOL help).
MailTag recognizes AOL addresses and shows you these steps, with a button that opens your AOL Account Security page.
Connecting Yahoo to MailTag
MailTag sorts each new Yahoo email into your own categories and signs in with a Yahoo app password. Under Settings → Mailboxes → Connect mailbox, type your Yahoo address. MailTag recognizes yahoo.com, ymail.com and rocketmail.com, and your own domain if Yahoo handles its mail. It walks you through creating the app password, with an Open Yahoo Account security button. Paste the code, click Test & connect, and it labels your 20 newest emails.
By default, less important mail moves into MailTag folders (- Newsletter, - Receipt…), which appear in Yahoo Mail and any other app; you can change that later. It checks for new email every 5 minutes, never deletes anything, and keeps the app password encrypted. To clear out the senders that fill a Yahoo inbox, see unsubscribe from newsletters in bulk. If you want an AI agent to read or answer your Yahoo mail, see Yahoo Mail MCP servers.
FAQ
Why can't I generate an app password in Yahoo?
Yahoo only allows it from a browser you've used to sign in for several days in a row, outside incognito mode. Customer care can't change that.
Where is "Generate app password" in Yahoo now?
On the Account security page, under External connections, as Create app password.
Do I need two-step verification for a Yahoo app password?
Yahoo's current help doesn't list it as a requirement. What it checks is the browser you use.
Does a Yahoo app password expire?
No. It stays active even if you change your Yahoo password, until you delete it.
Do I need an app password for the Yahoo Mail app or the iPhone Mail app?
No. In iPhone Mail, add the account with the Yahoo logo and it opens Yahoo's sign-in page. You only need one in apps that ask for a password directly.
What are Yahoo's IMAP settings?
imap.mail.yahoo.com, port 993, SSL, with your full Yahoo address and the app password.