How do I set up 2 Step Authentication with App Passwords on Gmail SMTP for use in PDF-eXPLODE?

ISSUE:

My SMTP settings in PDF-eXPLODE Email Settings is a Username nd Password. However, Gmail is complaining that PDF-eXPLODE the app, is 'Not Secure'.  I have to replace the password with an App-password based on 2 Step Authentication. What do I do?

 

ANSWER:

The steps leading up to the Two Step Authentication (and subsequent 'App-Password' configuration) could slightly differ depending on whether your Gmail email address is a personal email directly setup with '@gmail.com' or it is Gmail account based on your own domain  like : mail@3000ad.com.au which is a Gmail account. Let's start and we will get back to this difference.

  1. Log in to your account by clicking [Go To Google Account] button at myaccount.google.com/
  2. Sign into your Google account
  3. Then this screen should open. If it does not open, click on the round profile button at the top right of the screen and when it pops down a menu, select 'Manage your Google Account' for the screen below to open.

  4. Click on the menu Security and move the screen in the centre upwards, till the section Signing in to Google appears as shown here:

     

  5. You will notice that in the screen above, there are 3 sections : Password - to change your existing sign-in password, 2-Step Verification - this will probably be set to No,  App Passwords - this will either NOT appear or if it appears and no App-Password is set up, it will be blank.  If App-Password does not appear, do not worry as this will appear once you set 2-Step Verification  to On by clicking the > ('Greater Than' arrow) to turn it ON in the next screen. Once 2-Step Verification is ON, the App-Password option will be visible.

     

  6. Click on > on App Password section. You will be presented with a log-in screen where you need to enter the current log-in password for your account. and click NEXT
  7. On the next screen you will be presented with the following:

  8. Select app  drop down and from the options, select Other (Custom name)

  9. Then enter the name: PDF-EXPLODE on Windows  and click GENERATE
  10. A 16 character App-Password will display on-screen. You must copy and paste this password into a notepad document and save it as "password.txt into the PDF-eXPLODE folder or any other archive folder for safe keeping. This password will NEVER appear anywhere else and if you loose it, the option must be deleted and then regenerated again.
  11.   
  12. Enter this App-Password into the PDF-eXPLODE SMTP settings.

 

If your 2-Step Verifiction option does NOT appear below Signing in with Google section, then it has to be turned on by accessing this link: https://admin.google.com/ac/security/2sv

Once the appropriate screen opens, click Security and then in the sub-menu, select Authentication. On the right side, the following screen appears. Complete it as shown

 

Once this is set up for your domain, then you can go back to Manage your Google Account/Security/Signing in with Google and below that will appear the 2-Step Verification. When that is turned on, App-Password will appear and you should be able to set that app-password for your PDF-eXPLODE SMTPimg_62db94f908d8e.png

 If you choose, you can view a YouTube video on how to set up App Passwords in Gmail here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4CtP1MBtOE

 

 

 


Article ID: 122
Created On: Sat, Jul 23, 2022 at 5:34 PM
Last Updated On: Fri, Nov 4, 2022 at 7:28 AM

Online URL: https://kb.pdf-explode.com/article/how-do-i-set-up-2-step-authentication-with-app-passwords-on-gmail-smtp-for-use-in-pdf-explode-122.html