Less Secure App Access Is Gone: How to Connect Gmail Now

Gmail's less secure app access is turned off for good, and there is no setting that brings it back. Personal Google accounts lost it in May 2022; Google Workspace accounts lost it in spring 2025. Your main Google password no longer works in a mail client, scanner or script. Reconnect with Sign in with Google (OAuth), or, where the device cannot do OAuth, use an app password.

Below: where the setting went, which of the two fixes applies to you, short steps for each, and what to check when the connection still fails.

Where did "Allow less secure apps" go in Gmail?#

Google removed it. The toggle is not hidden in a new menu, and no account type, admin role or support request can switch it back on. Any guide that tells you to open Security and turn on "Less secure app access" predates the change.

The dates differ by account type, which is why people hit this at different times:

• Personal Gmail accounts: Google stopped supporting sign-ins that use only a username and password in May 2022 (Google's notice at the time gave 30 May 2022).
• Google Workspace accounts: the admin console setting was removed in June 2024. Google paused the final step in October 2024, resumed in January 2025, and its admin help page gives 14 March 2025 as the date less secure app access was turned off. A later Workspace Updates note moved final disablement to 1 May 2025.
• IMAP itself: since January 2025, IMAP is always on in Gmail and the on/off toggle is gone from Gmail settings. The protocol still works; only password-only sign-in does not.

Which fix applies to you#

Open the account-setup screen of the client or device. If it offers Sign in with Google, or sends you to a Google sign-in page, use that. You do not need an app password, and Google itself says app passwords are unnecessary in most cases.

If the only options are a username and a password field, you are on the app password path. That usually means network scanners and printers with scan-to-email, NAS boxes such as Synology or QNAP sending alerts, older mail clients, and scripts that log in to smtp.gmail.com directly.

Option 1: reconnect with Sign in with Google#

1. 1

   Remove the broken account

   Delete the Gmail account from the client so the saved password is gone.

2. 2

   Add it back as a Google account

   Pick Google or Gmail as the account type rather than IMAP, so the client opens Google's sign-in page.

3. 3

   Sign in and approve access

   Complete your password and 2-Step Verification on Google's page, check what the app is asking for, and allow it.

Option 2: use a Gmail app password#

For the full walkthrough, see the step-by-step Gmail app password setup. The short version:

1. 1

   Turn on 2-Step Verification

   At myaccount.google.com/security, make sure 2-Step Verification is on. App passwords only work on accounts that have it.

2. 2

   Open the app passwords page

   Go to myaccount.google.com/apppasswords and sign in again if Google asks.

3. 3

   Create one per device

   Name it after the device or app, such as "Office scanner", and create it. Copy the 16-character code straight away.

4. 4

   Enter it in place of your password

   Username is your full Gmail address; password is the code, typed without spaces.

5. 5

   Check the server settings

   Incoming IMAP: imap.gmail.com, port 993, SSL. Outgoing SMTP: smtp.gmail.com, port 587 with TLS or 465 with SSL.

6. 6

   Send a test

   Run the device's connection test or send a test email. If it fails, work through the list below.

What to do when the connection still fails#

• The app passwords option is missing: 2-Step Verification is off, set up with security keys only, or your account uses Advanced Protection or is a work or school account. See if the app password option is missing.
• 535 5.7.8 "Username and Password not accepted": Gmail rejected the credentials. The client is usually still sending your old main password, or the app password was mistyped, has spaces, or comes from a different Google account. See 535 5.7.8 explained.
• 534 5.7.9 "Application-specific password required": your regular password is not accepted for this connection. Create an app password and use it instead. See 534 5.7.9 explained.
• 534 5.7.14 "Please log in through your web browser": Google wants you to sign in to the account in a browser first, then retry. See the web-browser sign-in error.
• Connection times out instead of rejecting you: check the port. Use 587 or 465. Port 25 is often blocked by home and cloud networks, and older devices default to it.
• You changed your Google password recently: every app password was revoked. Create a new one. More cases are in Gmail app password not working.
• A security alert blocked the sign-in: review recent security activity at myaccount.google.com/security, confirm it was you, and retry.

Connecting Gmail to an AI email client#

AI Emaily, which we build, connects Gmail with Sign in with Google through the Gmail API, so there is no app password to create and no SMTP settings to enter. You can revoke its access from your Google Account at any time, and there is a 7-day free trial on Pro and Autopilot plans.