Snow Leopard 10.6.2: Unable to receive POP messages

Some users may experience an issue with their POP accounts after upgrading to Snow Leopard. When attempting to retrieve messages in Mail after updating it is possible that messages may no longer download. The 10.6.2 update to Snow Leopard has altered the process for authenticating POP accounts. Mail will only attempt to download messages using your selected authentication method, instead of attempting each method (as was the case in previous versions of Mac OS X).

Essentially what this means is that if you do not select the proper authentication for your incoming POP messages, you will not be able to receive your mail. To change the authentication options in Mail, follow these directions:

1. Open Mail and navigate to the Mail menu bar > Preferences (or Command + ,).
2. Choose Accounts and select the POP account that is not receiving messages from the left side of the window.
3. From the right side of the window, click the Advanced button.
4. From the drop down menu, select the proper authentication setup. Try Password, or Authenticated POP (APOP) first if you are not sure which option to choose. If you continue to have this problem, contact your ISP or mail provider for assistance.

---

Be sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums.
Do you have questions, issues, or stories you would like to see on MacFixIt? Email Us.