Suppressing multiple password requests in TB 68

[marklang]

I am still running Thunderbird 60.9.1 because of several plugins that were not compatible with the newer versions. Now I have been offered TB 68.4.1, which says it will automatically update from version 60 to the new version. I have checked, and it seems all my plugins are now compatible except Masterpassword+. I need that plugin to prevent TB from asking me for my password multiple times every time I log in. (It has something to do with my multiple Google accounts, I believe.) The author of Masterpassword+ says it will never be updated, and I cannot find any other plugin that will perform this function. Is there any way for those of us with this multiple password request problem to move forward with the new Thunderbird? Or has that issue been fixed so the plugin is not needed? I really don't want to update and find myself with the old problem of entering passwords multiple times. Thanks.

[DanRaisch]

It’s quite possible to have multiple accounts without having to enter multiple passwords each time Thunderbird is launched. Do you have TB set to use a master password?

[marklang]

Yes, I have Thunderbird set to use a master password. I enter that when I start TB. Many months ago, TB started to ask 3 or 4 times for the password as it started up. I recall this was said to have something to do with the fact that I have multiple IMAP Google accounts that use the OAuth2 authentication (which was new at the time). I found a plugin Startup Master that fixed the problem. About a year ago that plugin stopped working, and I switched to Masterpassword+. It apparently captures the master password when I first enter it and responds to the further requests before I see them. That has worked up until now.

It is possible that the issue within TB that caused the multiple password requests has been fixed, but I did not see any indication. Since making the update to the new version now will apparently change my profile, I want to avoid having to save the whole profile, make the update, update all plugins, and then perhaps find I have to restore everything because the password problem is still there.

Thanks for any help.

[DanRaisch]

Sorry, I don't use OAuth2 with the Gmail accounts I have in Thunderbird so I can't say if that is the cause of your multiple password requests. Just launching TB is enough to have it connect with my four usual accounts and access new messages.

[tanstaafl]

I use OAuth2 on multiple gmail IMAP accounts. It never asks me for the password since it created a token and refreshes it as necessary. Its possible someday it might need to ask me for a password in order to refresh the token again (its a question of timing), but normally that is not necessary.

I don't bother with a master password. I remember reading about cases where you get prompted for it multiple times, and its code seems to have regression bugs every couple of years. The multiple prompts has nothing to do with multiple gmail accounts AFAIK.

[marklang]

Thanks for the advice. I upgraded to TB 68.4.1 yesterday. I installed the 64 bit version this time. Everything went fine, and I am only asked for my master password once. Whatever was the problem before must have been fixed. I did have to manually upgrade all my plugins, but that was not too difficult. In exploring plugins I found the new one tbsync, which syncs TB contacts and calendars with online accounts, in my case my Google account. It seems to be more convenient than the old combination of Provider for Google Calendar and gContactSync.

Thanks to the community for keeping Thunderbird going, and for drawing my attention to tbsync through the featured plugins.