email

Hi there, gbowm. We understand that you are not wanting to use the 2 Factor Authentication. We can look at that together.

Trusted sign-in or 2-Factor Authentication, is not optional and cannot be bypassed, when it comes to using the AT&T/Yahoo webmail. We have created this process to make sure that users/customers are who they say they are and to keep their information safe.

However, if you do not want to use 2-Factor Authentication and you are just using the webmail, then you will need to shift to using an email client, like Outlook in order to keep using your email. We can help you do just that.

First you will need to create a Secure Mail Key. What a secure mail key is, it is like a password, but it cannot be reset. It can only be deleted and created. Here is how you create the Secure Mail Key:

1. Go to your myAT&T Profile. Sign in, if asked.
2. Scroll to My linked accounts, select the email account that needs a secure mail key.
3. Scroll to Secure mail key, select Manage secure mail key.
4. Choose the email address that you’d like to use, if you have more than one.
5. Select Add secure mail key. Enter a nickname for the secure mail key to make it easy to recognize.
6. Choose Create secure mail key.
7. Select Copy secure mail key to clipboard. Make a note of your secure mail key  for further updates.
   • For security purposes, the secure mail key only displays until you select OK. 
   • If you lose or forget the secure mail key, you can always create new secure mail keys.
8. Select OK.
9. Go to your preferred email app, replace the existing password with your secure mail key. For an IMAP account, delete the existing password for both the IMAP and SMTP servers. Replace them with your secure mail key.

To further help you along, here are the AT&T email server settings to help you setup email clients like Outlook:

1. Open Outlook, select File, then Add Account.
2. Choose Manual setup or additional server types.
3. Select POP or IMAP.
4. Fill in your user details.
   • Enter your name as you want it to display to others.
   • Enter your full AT&T mail address.
5. Enter the server information.
   • Account Type - Select IMAP or POP3.
   • Incoming mail server - Enter imap.mail.att.net (IMAP)
   • Outgoing mail server - Enter smtp.mail.att.net (IMAP)
6. Fill out the logon information:
   • User Name - Enter your full email address.
   • Password - Enter or paste your secure mail key.
   • Check Remember password and Require logon using Secure Password Authentication.
7. Select More Settings.
8. Complete Outgoing Server info.
   • Check My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication.
   • Select Use same settings as my incoming mail server.
9. Complete Advanced info.
   • Incoming server - Enter 993 (IMAP) or
   • Use the following type of encrypted connection - Choose SSL.
   • Outgoing server - Enter 465 (IMAP)
   • Use the following type of encrypted connection - Choose SSL.
10. Select OK and then Next. Outlook will test your account info. If everything passes, select Finish.

What happens next is that the email client, will connect to the webmail server and download your email in to one convient place, so you will always have access to it.

Try these things and let us know if they work for you.

Matthew, AT&T Community Specialist

It's not that I don't like 2 factor authentication. There is a box that says "don't ask me again on this device", it doesn't work. I share cell phone with wife and only use when going out. I can't access e-mail when she is out. My complaint is that the box doesn't work.

Hi there, gbowm. Thanks for coming back and for letting us know what you are really looking for. Let's continue to troubleshoot.

Since 2-Factor Authentication is browser based, then we will need to shift our focus there. The first step to get any browser to work properly is to clear the cache, cookies and browsing data.  This is so the browser becomes a clean slate to work with. The linked support article will have steps for the most common browsers that people use.

After clearing the cache, cookies and browsing data, try doing the 2-Factor Authentication again, to see if the "Don't Ask me again on this device" works.

Please let us know.

Matthew, AT&T Community Specialist

 The Problem appears to be with firefox, EDGE works just fine. I cleared cache on FIREFOX, relogged in and still have the problem.

Hi there, gbowm. Thanks for coming back. We do appreciate it.

Since you have determined that concern lies with Firefox, and clearing the cache and cookies did not work, then the last step is to have you Uninstall Firefox > Reboot the computer> Install a clean version of Firefox again. Then retry the 2-Factor Authentication again.

Try that and let us know.

Matthew, AT&T Community Specialist

I unistalled Firefox and reinstalled removed all extensions and still have the same problem. I decided i will just use edge.