How to Log In to AOL Mail (and Fix Sign-In Problems)

One AOL account signs you in to everything AOL — Mail, AOL.com and AOL's other products — so the username and password you use for your email are the same everywhere. You can sign in with your username or your full AOL email address.

Sign in on the web

1. Go to aol.com and click Sign in in the top-right corner. (You can also go straight to mail.aol.com.)
2. Type your username or email address and click Next.
3. Enter your password and continue.
4. If AOL asks for a verification code or you've turned on 2-step verification, enter the code it sends to your recovery phone or email, or the one shown in your authenticator app.

Only type your password on pages whose address contains aol.com. AOL says it never asks for your password in emails or phone calls.

“First time signing in here?” and verification codes

After the right password, AOL sometimes asks for a one-time code sent to your recovery phone number or alternate email address. That's a security check, and AOL triggers it when, for example:

• you're on a new browser or device, or travelling away from your usual location,
• you're using a VPN, a proxy server, or a private/incognito window,
• you've cleared your browser's cookies, or
• there have been many attempts with a wrong password, or other suspicious activity.

If the code doesn't arrive, work through these in order: wait a few minutes; check your spam or junk folder if it was emailed; make sure your phone has signal and can receive texts if it was texted; then go back and request a new code.

“Invalid password” error

• Caps Lock or Num Lock may be on — turn them off and retype.
• Your browser may be filling in an old password after a change. Update it in the browser's saved passwords.
• Try another browser. If it works there, your account is fine; clear the cookies in the first browser, or update it.
• Someone may have changed your password. Reset it with AOL's Sign-in Helper, then check your settings and secure the account — see AOL Mail security.

Don't keep guessing: too many wrong passwords or codes can lock sign-in for a while. If you're not sure of the password, reset it instead.

The sign-in page keeps reloading

A sign-in loop usually comes from your browser's sign-in cookie. AOL's fix:

1. Go to the sign-in page you normally use and enter your username.
2. Click Not you?
3. Enter your username and password again and click Sign in.

Still looping? Clear your browser's cookies, quit and reopen the browser, try a different supported browser, or try a different sign-in page — AOL.com or AOL Mail.

Signing in from Outlook, the Gmail app or another email app

Your normal AOL password often won't work in other email apps. Apps that support AOL's secure sign-in — the Mail app on iPhone and Mac, Samsung Email and Thunderbird — open AOL's own sign-in page when you add the account (on iPhone, Mac and Samsung, choose the AOL logo). Others, including Outlook for Windows and Mac, Windows Mail and the Gmail app, need an app password. Steps are in AOL Mail security and the servers in AOL Mail server settings.

If your account no longer exists

AOL deletes accounts that haven't been signed in to for 24 months, accounts whose owners asked for deletion, and accounts used against its Terms of Service. A deleted username can't be used again. If the Sign-in Helper says the account has been deactivated or can't be reset online, that's what has happened — you'd need to create a new account.