Where to find create App Password for Microsoft 365 Basic

Question

I want to create an app password for use with an application that accepts a login and password only. The application is MailtoX Desktop. I'm using it to migrate Microsoft Online mail to Gmail.

The application won't accept my main login because this requires additional authentication. I see this additional security when I set up the account in Thunderbird.

I have searched guides to find the solution but nothing I've found seems clearly directed at the right web app. For example, the name of the service varies across documentation and the page and section titles in Microsoft Online don't quite match. It seems that the guides are out of date or for a similar but different product.

One guide directed me to this link but "Add App Password" isn't listed: https://mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info

How do I get this to appear?

Answer 1

App Passwords

App passwords are only available if you use two-step verification. If you don't have two-step verification turned on, you won't see the App passwords section on the Additional security options page.

Where to create and delete app passwords depends on the account:

• Personal Microsoft account with 2FA: Click on the 'Advanced security options' on the Security basics page
  ^{_{Additional info (Personal Account): App passwords and two-step verification}}
• Organization provide account that uses 2FA with an Additional security verification page: Additional security verification page
• Organization provide account that uses 2FA with the Office 365 portal: Office 365 portal page
  ^{_{Additional info (Organization Accounts): Manage app passwords for two-step verification}}

Basic Authentication Not Supported

I want to create an app password for use with an application that accepts a login and password only.

You no longer can. Microsoft has disabled Basic Authentication in Office 365 in favor of OAuth 2.0 token-based authorization which they refer to as 'Modern Authentication'. Apps that only support a username and password will not be able to access your Office 365 account. You will need to use apps with OAuth 2.0 support.

There has been a phased roll-out that is largely complete with only some small exceptions.

There is a lot of information online that you can access to learn more.

For example:

• Microsoft: Deprecation of Basic authentication in Exchange Online
• CodeTwo: End of life for basic authentication in Office 365 (Microsoft 365)