Troubleshooting Guide
Find solutions to common Aid4Mail issues. Browse by category or check the most frequently encountered problems below.
Browse by Category
Select a category to see related issues, or view all issues at once
Diagnostic Tip
Many issues are caused by Windows security features (antivirus, firewall, Controlled Folder Access). If Aid4Mail isn’t working as expected, check these security settings first.
All Issues
Showing 9 issues
Possible Causes & Solutions
Antivirus software quarantining Aid4Mail
Some antivirus programs (Avira, WithSecure, Cylance, Deep Instinct) may flag Aid4Mail as a false positive.
Add the Aid4Mail program folder and all executables to your antivirus exclusion or trusted programs list.
Aid4Mail.exe, Aid4Mail-Authenticator.exe, a4m-32.exe, a4m-64.exe
Windows SmartScreen blocking execution
Windows SmartScreen may prevent unrecognized apps from running.
When prompted by SmartScreen, click "More info" then "Run anyway". This is a one-time approval.
Data Execution Prevention (DEP) interference
Windows DEP may block Aid4Mail processes, especially with large datasets.
Add Aid4Mail executables to the DEP exception list in Windows Advanced System Settings.
System Properties → Advanced → Performance Settings → Data Execution Prevention
Possible Causes & Solutions
Windows Controlled Folder Access blocking token storage
Windows security feature prevents Aid4Mail from saving authentication tokens.
Add Aid4Mail executables to Controlled Folder Access "allowed apps" list.
Settings → Update & Security → Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Manage Controlled folder access → Allow an app
Invalid proxy settings
Network proxy configuration doesn’t match your environment.
Verify proxy settings in Aid4Mail match your network. If not using a proxy, ensure proxy settings are disabled.
For corporate networks, consult IT department for correct proxy configuration
Windows Firewall blocking OAuth2 flow
Firewall prevents Aid4Mail from completing authentication.
Add Aid4Mail-Authenticator.exe to Windows Firewall allowed apps list.
Windows Security → Firewall & network protection → Allow an app through firewall
Possible Causes & Solutions
Windows Controlled Folder Access restrictions
Windows is protecting folders from unauthorized changes.
Add all Aid4Mail executables to the "allowed apps" list in Controlled Folder Access settings.
Aid4Mail.exe, Aid4Mail-Authenticator.exe, a4m-32.exe, a4m-64.exe must all be added
Insufficient user permissions
Current user account lacks write permissions.
Run Aid4Mail as Administrator or ensure your user account has write permissions to the output folder.
Right-click Aid4Mail.exe → Run as administrator
Group Policy restrictions (corporate environments)
Corporate IT policies preventing file operations.
Contact your IT department to review group policies affecting Aid4Mail.
May need policy exceptions for Aid4Mail folders
Possible Causes & Solutions
Multi-Factor Authentication configuration issue
OAuth2 IMAP requires MFA to be Enabled (not Enforced) in Microsoft 365.
Set MFA status to "Enabled" not "Enforced" in Microsoft 365 admin center.
Admin center → Active users → Multi-factor authentication. Also check Azure AD Conditional Access Policies.
Using Graph API for uploads (read-only limitation)
Microsoft Graph API only supports downloading emails, not uploading.
To upload emails to Microsoft 365, switch to IMAP or Outlook Profile as the target format.
Graph API can only be used as source format, not target
MAPI installation incompatibility
Office installed as Desktop Apps or certain Click-to-Run versions.
For Desktop Apps: Reinstall regular Office from Microsoft 365. For Click-to-Run: Use Tools → Fix Registry for MAPI.
Affects PST, MSG, and Outlook Profile conversions
Possible Causes & Solutions
Yahoo/AOL 1,000 message search limit
Yahoo and AOL cap search results at 1,000 messages per folder.
Use smaller date ranges or split searches. Aid4Mail auto-narrows date ranges but can’t subdivide below one day.
If >1,000 messages exist in a single day, excess won’t be collected
Yahoo/AOL date filter inaccuracy
IMAP bug with SENTBEFORE/SENTSINCE operators.
Use broader date ranges and filter locally, or be aware Aid4Mail uses BEFORE/SINCE as workaround.
Filters by internal date instead of sent date, which may differ
Apple Mail multiple accounts in source
Processing parent folder with multiple accounts causes incomplete extraction.
Process each Apple Mail account separately. Set source to individual account folders.
Use V10/[account-id]/ paths, not V10/ parent folder
Gmail not refreshing after import
Gmail web interface doesn’t auto-refresh when content is added programmatically.
Press Ctrl+R to refresh Gmail. Verify you authenticated the correct account during OAuth2.
Imported content only appears in the authenticated account
Possible Causes & Solutions
Folder names with special characters corrupted
Thunderbird stores folders with special characters differently on disk.
Temporarily rename folders to remove special characters before conversion, then rename back.
Affects characters like ?, *, #, and non-ASCII characters
All emails marked as "Read" (status flags missing)
Since Thunderbird 102 (June 2022), status flags no longer stored in headers.
This is a Thunderbird limitation affecting all third-party tools. No workaround available.
Status information (replied, forwarded, flagged) cannot be preserved
Imported folders not appearing
Thunderbird fails to index imported mailboxes with certain naming patterns.
Rename problematic folders before import, avoiding foreign characters.
After import, rename folders in both source and Thunderbird
Possible Causes & Solutions
Windows Firewall blocking connections
Firewall preventing network access for authentication and email retrieval.
Add Aid4Mail-Authenticator.exe to Windows Firewall exceptions.
Required for OAuth2, cloud attachments, and license activation
Proxy configuration mismatch
Aid4Mail proxy settings don’t match network configuration.
Verify proxy settings in Aid4Mail. Disable if not using proxy. Check with IT for corporate proxy details.
Symptoms include "Token exchange failed" errors
Antivirus blocking network access
Security software interfering with online connections.
Add Aid4Mail to antivirus network exceptions or temporarily disable network scanning.
Affects email account access and cloud attachment downloads
Possible Causes & Solutions
Antivirus real-time scanning
Security software scanning every file operation.
Add Aid4Mail folders to antivirus exclusions for better performance.
Especially important for large email processing jobs
User Account Control (UAC) interference
UAC prompts disrupting processing.
Temporarily lower UAC settings or run Aid4Mail as administrator.
Most relevant during installation and updates
Data Execution Prevention (DEP) blocking operations
DEP interfering with memory allocation for large datasets.
Add Aid4Mail executables to DEP exception list.
System Properties → Advanced → Performance Settings → DEP tab
Possible Causes & Solutions
Firewall blocking activation server
Network security preventing connection to license server.
Ensure Aid4Mail can access the internet. Add to firewall exceptions if needed.
For offline activation, use Tools → Offline Activation
Proxy blocking activation
Corporate proxy preventing license verification.
Configure proxy settings correctly or request offline activation key.
Contact support for offline activation file
Invalid or expired credentials
License key expired or incorrectly entered.
Verify license key is current and entered correctly. Contact support if issues persist.
Version 6 accepts Version 5 credentials if still valid
Still Need Help?
Can’t find a solution? Our support team is ready to assist you.