Gmail App Passwords
By Richard Rost
4 years ago
App Passwords to use Gmail with Your Mail Program
In today's video, I'm going to show you how to configure 2-step verification and app passwords to use Gmail with your custom mail program, including my Microsoft Access Email Seminar.
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windows 10, windows 11, microsoft windows, ms windows, ms windows tutorial, #mswindows, #microsoftwindows, #help, #howto, #tutorial, #learn, #lesson, #training, #database, #fasttips, gmail, app password, less secure apps, 2-step verification, microsoft access, custom mail program, vba
Intro In this video, I will show you how to set up and use a Gmail app password so you can continue to access your Google email from third-party mail programs like Microsoft Access or other custom applications. We will go through enabling two-step verification on your Google account, generating an app password, and entering that password in your mail program. This is useful for anyone who needs to connect to Gmail with software that no longer supports logging in with only your email address and password.Transcript Welcome to another Fast Tips video brought to you by WindowsLearningZone.com. I am your instructor, Richard Rost.
In today's video, I am going to show you how to configure app passwords to use Gmail with your mail program. I have gotten a lot of emails lately from my students who have complained that as of May 30th, 2022, Google no longer supports the use of third-party apps or devices which ask you to sign on to your Google account using only your username and password.
This has been a problem for people who are using custom email programs. You can no longer use them with just your Google account email and password. To enhance security, Google has this new protocol called OAuth 2.0, which they want you to use. It gives you programmatic access to pretty much every Google service, including YouTube and Gmail. It is very powerful; however, it is fairly complex and difficult to set up, especially for people without a lot of programming background. I have been doing this stuff for years, and it is a little difficult even for me to set up.
This can be a problem if you are using VB code to send email from an app like Microsoft Access. I show how to do this in my Access email seminar. You learn how to build an email server as part of your Access database, and that can send all of your emails out from anybody on your network to any SMTP server, including Gmail.
While you can no longer log into Gmail using your account username and password, you can still log on using a custom generated app password that is unique to your app. So you do not use your Google login; you use a custom app password instead. Let me show you how to set this up.
The first thing you will do is go to the Google security page and log on to your account. Scroll down and see two-step verification. This setting will need to be on. Click right here to go from off to on. Read this information. It explains that two-step verification is basically where you will need another form of identification to log on to your account, like your phone, for example. Click on get started. You will have to give Google your password, first of many times.
Now type in your phone number. If you have already put your phone number in your Google account, it should show up there automatically. Then pick text message, and it will text you a code. Then on the next screen, you put the code in and then hit next.
Once that works and the code is good, you can turn on two-step verification. Go ahead and turn that on. Congratulations. You have two-step verification on.
Now we are going to go back to the security page. Click on that little arrow right there. I know it is not exactly self-explanatory. It took me a second to figure out where I was, too.
Now we have two-step verification on. Now we are going to set up an app password. Click right here where it says app passwords. Give your password one more time.
Now we are going to pick what kind of app we want to create - mail, calendar, contacts, YouTube, whatever. Pick mail. Then, what kind of device are you connecting from? I will pick Windows computer. Now hit generate. There you go. There is your custom-generated app password. Now you can come right here and click and drag to select all of that text. I know it looks like there are spaces in there, but there are not. When you select all that, you can copy it, control C, and then paste it into your mail program.
For example, if you are using my Access email seminar, you will use your username right there, which is still your email address, and then your password goes right next to it. No spaces. That is it. That is all you have to do.
I hope this helps. I hope this explains what you can do to still keep using your Access or your Excel or VBA program with Gmail. I know I have been using it myself for years. I wrote my email seminar probably 10 years ago, and that code has been working just great for me ever since. I send all of my email out through it from my Access database. I send my personal one-on-one correspondence directly from the customer's record straight to you. It goes out through my Gmail and then it comes right back in through my Gmail and my system reads it in. I also send my monthly bulk newsletters and other messages out through this as well. This code works great.
If you want more information on my email seminar, there is the link on the bottom. I will also put a link down below that you can click on. I hope you learned something today.
Again, this is Richard Rost with WindowsLearningZone.com. I have got some new Windows 11 classes coming out very soon. I am going to be doing an upgrading to Windows 11 class. If you are still using Windows 10 or an older version like 8, it will show you the new features that are available in Windows 11. I have some beginner Windows 11 classes coming out as well for those of you who need something to send to grandma or anyone who needs help using their mouse and all that good stuff.
Stay tuned. Lots of good stuff is coming. Thanks, and we will see you next time.Quiz Q1. Why did Google stop allowing third-party apps to sign in with just a username and password as of May 30th, 2022?
A. To enhance security by requiring stricter authentication methods
B. To make Gmail faster
C. To reduce spam emails
D. To promote more Google products
Q2. What new protocol does Google recommend for programmatic access to services like Gmail?
A. OAuth 2.0
B. POP3
C. SFTP
D. IMAP4
Q3. What is a significant challenge with using OAuth 2.0 for most users?
A. It is complex and difficult to set up
B. It is expensive to use
C. It only works on Mac computers
D. It disables multiple accounts
Q4. What is required to use a custom-generated app password with Google?
A. Two-step verification must be enabled
B. Signing up for Google Workspace
C. Using only a mobile device
D. Disabling your firewall
Q5. How do you begin setting up two-step verification on your Google account?
A. Log in to the Google security page and enable two-step verification
B. Call Google support
C. Log out of all devices
D. Download a special app
Q6. What is the purpose of an app password in this context?
A. It allows you to grant access to your Gmail without using your main Google password
B. It locks your email account
C. It provides faster email delivery
D. It creates multiple Google accounts
Q7. During app password setup, what information do you need to select?
A. The type of app (like mail) and the type of device (like Windows computer)
B. The color scheme for Gmail
C. Your favorite contacts
D. Your account creation date
Q8. After generating an app password, how should you use it?
A. Copy it and paste it into your mail program where your password is required
B. Share it with your friends
C. Write it down and discard it
D. Input it into Google search
Q9. When setting up app passwords, what should you use as your username in your mail program?
A. Your Google email address
B. The app password itself
C. Your phone number
D. Your real name
Q10. Which statement is true after setting up two-step verification and an app password?
A. You can use your custom app password to log into Gmail from supported apps
B. You can turn off two-step verification
C. You can no longer send emails from your device
D. OAuth 2.0 must be disabled
Answers: 1-A; 2-A; 3-A; 4-A; 5-A; 6-A; 7-A; 8-A; 9-A; 10-A
DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks.Summary Today's video from Windows Learning Zone is all about how to configure app passwords to use Gmail with your email program. Many students have recently reached out to me about an important change from Google that happened on May 30th, 2022. Google no longer allows third-party apps or devices to sign into your account using just your username and password.
This change has been a challenge for those of you who use custom email programs or need to send email from software like Microsoft Access. Previously, you could simply enter your Google email address and password into your application and it would work. Now, though, Google is requiring the use of a new protocol called OAuth 2.0. OAuth 2.0 is a much more secure standard and provides programmatic access to all sorts of Google services including Gmail and YouTube. However, it can be pretty complex to set up, even for those of us with programming experience.
If you use Visual Basic code to send emails from something like Access, this can cause you some headaches. In my Access email seminar, I cover how to build an email server within your Access database, which allows you to send mail to any SMTP server like Gmail from anyone on your network.
Google no longer accepts logging into your Gmail account using just your account password. Instead, Google now allows you to create custom app passwords that are unique per application. The main login for your Google account isn't used in these cases; you use a special app-specific password instead. Here is how you set it up.
First, go to your Google security page and sign into your account. Look for the two-step verification setting, and make sure it is turned on. If it's not, follow the steps to enable it. This involves reviewing some information about what two-step verification means and providing another form of identification, usually your phone. Google will send a text message with a confirmation code, which you then enter to finish turning on two-step verification.
Once two-step verification is enabled, return to the security page. The next step is to set up an app password. Find the section for app passwords and sign in again if prompted. You will then need to specify what kind of app you want this password for; select "mail." Next, specify the device, for example, "Windows computer," and then have Google generate a password for you.
You will see your new custom app password displayed on the screen. Despite how it looks, there are actually no spaces in the password. Select and copy the password. Paste it wherever your mail program (or VBA procedure) asks for your password, using your regular Google email address for the username and this generated app password in place of your regular account password.
If you are using my Access email seminar as an example, simply use your Google email address and paste in the app password as described. That's all you need to do. This method should allow your Access, Excel, or VBA program to keep working with Gmail, despite the security changes.
Personally, I have been relying on this approach for years. The email system I built for my Access seminar has run smoothly, letting me send both individual correspondence and bulk newsletters directly through my Gmail account, all from within Access.
If you are interested in learning more, I have additional details about my email seminar available on my website. There will also be links provided for more resources. I hope you found this explanation helpful and that it sheds some light on how to keep your custom email applications working with Gmail.
I also want to mention that there are new classes about Windows 11 coming soon. Whether you are looking to upgrade from Windows 10 or an older version, or you need beginner-level instructions to help someone just getting started with computers, I will have lessons available for you.
You can find a complete video tutorial with step-by-step instructions on everything discussed here on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends.Topic List Overview of Google's new app password requirement for Gmail
Enabling two-step verification on a Google account
Navigating to the Google Security page
Receiving and entering a verification code from Google
Activating two-step verification
Accessing the app passwords section in Google security
Generating a new app password for mail applications
Selecting the appropriate app and device type for the password
Copying and using the app password in your mail program
Using the generated app password with custom mail applications such as Microsoft Access |
