How to Create a Yahoo Mail App Password

Yahoo Mail requires an App Password instead of your regular password when connecting third-party apps like Post Guard AI via IMAP. Follow these steps to generate one.

Prerequisite: Two-step verification must be enabled.
App Passwords are only available when your Yahoo account has two-step verification turned on. If you haven't enabled it yet, see Part A below first.

Part A Enable Two-Step Verification

Skip this section if you already have two-step verification enabled.

Open your Yahoo Account Security settings

Go to login.yahoo.com/account/security and sign in with your Yahoo account.

Yahoo Account → Account Security page

Find "Two-step verification"

On the Account Security page, look for the Two-step verification toggle. Click on it to begin setup.

Account Security → Two-step verification (toggle switch)

Choose a verification method

Yahoo will ask you to choose a verification method. Select Phone number and enter your mobile number.

Select verification method → Enter phone number

Verify your phone number

Yahoo will send a verification code to your phone via SMS. Enter the code when prompted and click Verify.

Enter the SMS verification code → Click Verify

Two-step verification is now enabled

You should see the toggle switch turn on and a confirmation message. The Generate app password link will now appear on the Account Security page.

✓ Two-step verification is ON

Part B Generate an App Password

Go to the Account Security page

Visit login.yahoo.com/account/security and sign in if prompted.

Yahoo → Account Info → Account Security

Click "Generate app password"

Scroll down to find the Generate app password link (it appears below the two-step verification toggle). Click on it.

If you don't see this link, make sure two-step verification is turned on (Part A above).

Account Security → "Generate app password" link

Enter an app name

In the "Enter your app's name" field, type a descriptive name such as:

Post Guard AI

This name is only for your reference — it doesn't affect how the password works.

App name field: "Post Guard AI"

Click "Generate password"

Click the Generate password button. Yahoo will display a 16-character password in a highlighted box.

abcd efgh ijkl mnop

Copy this password now! Yahoo will only show it once. If you close this window without copying it, you'll need to delete it and create a new one.

Use the App Password in Post Guard AI

Go back to the Mailbox Manager and create or edit a mailbox with these settings:

IMAP Username	`yourname@yahoo.com`
IMAP Password	`abcdefghijklmnop` (the 16-character App Password, without spaces)
IMAP Address	`imap.mail.yahoo.com`
IMAP Port	`993`
Use SSL	Enabled

Test your connection

Back in the Mailbox Manager, click Test Connection in the mailbox modal to verify everything is working. You should see a green success message.

? Troubleshooting

Make sure Two-step verification is turned on (see Part A).
Try signing out and back in, then revisit the Account Security page.
If you use Yahoo as part of an AT&T or other bundled account, you may need to manage security at login.yahoo.com/myaccount/security.

Make sure you're using the App Password (16 characters, no spaces), not your regular Yahoo password.
Double-check that the IMAP username is your full email address (e.g., yourname@yahoo.com).
Verify the IMAP address is imap.mail.yahoo.com (not imap.yahoo.com).
If you copied the App Password with spaces, remove them.

Go to Account Security, scroll to Generate app password, and click Manage app passwords. You'll see a list of all App Passwords you've created. Click Revoke next to the one you want to remove. Post Guard AI will no longer be able to access your mailbox until you create a new App Password.

AT&T-linked Yahoo accounts work the same way, but use the following IMAP settings:

IMAP Address	`imap.mail.att.net`
IMAP Port	`993`
Use SSL	Enabled

If imap.mail.att.net doesn't work, try imap.mail.yahoo.com instead.

Back to Mailbox Manager