(May 30, 2022) Google no longer supports the use of third-party apps or devices which ask you to sign in to your Google Account using only your username and password.
Now, we have to use an App Password - this password is specific to the device type (Windows, Mac, etc.) and specific to the Google application we will use (Mail, Calendar, YouTube, etc.)
If you are building a new python app that sends an email using GMAIL, follow the steps below:
Part 1: Setup you Python Functions to generate and send an email
In this example, we have the email module which contains the ff. functions:
a) generate_email - we set a sender, recipient, subject, body and attachment.
b) generate_error_report - custom email where attachment is not needed.
c) send_email - to send an actual email, configure a secure connection to Gmail SMTP_SSL server by declaring the right host and port.
*host=smtp.gmail.com
*port=465
You can check my full code: [Github] Python Functions to Generate and Send an Email
Part 2: Gmail Setup
Once your Python script is ready, you can now configure the Gmail account you will use for this automation.
Step 1: Enable IMAP
- On your computer, open Gmail.
- In the top right, click Settings Settings and then See all settings.
- Click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab.
- In the "IMAP access" section, select Enable IMAP.
- Click Save Changes.
Step 2: Enable 2FA
Go to your Google Account Settings > Security
*IMPORTANT: Make sure that this is ON for you to access the next step.
Step 3: Generate an App Password
Go to Google Account > App Passwords
Select App: Mail
Select the specific device you are using
Click GENERATE and you will see a prompt like this:
When you are connecting to the Gmail SMTP server, you will use this App Password instead of your personal Gmail password.
Running your Python Script to send your emails
You can do this approach or directly declare the sender (your gmail) and your app password in your Python script.
If your still encounter errors on your setup, you can also read this thread: https://support.google.com/mail/?p=BadCredentials
Top comments (0)