AOL Help - "Your mail session has timed out.. Log in again"

The following article may also be found in our Online Help area.

When you are using the AOL® Mail on the Web service, you may receive the message, " Your mail session has timed out. Please log in again" , for any one of several reasons. After trying the first solution, check to see if you can access your mail normally. If you still receive the message, continue using the suggested solutions until the problem is fixed.

You may wish to print or save a copy of these instructions as this page may not remain visible as you go through the suggested steps.

Solutions

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Sign on again
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Enable firewall to use HTTPS
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Clear the cache, cookies and history

Sign on again

AOL Mail on the Web has an idle timer that signs you off after 24 hours of no activity. In the event this happens, simply sign back in to AOL Mail on the Web to access your e-mail.

Note: You can change the default time out period. To learn how to do this, click here.

To sign on again:
1. Go to www.aol.com.au, then click the Mail icon.
2. In the E-mail address: box, type your AOL® E-mail address.
3. In the Password: box, type your AOL® password.
4. Click the Sign In button.

Note: If you have only been signed out by the idle timer and haven't closed the AOL® Mail on the Web window, you can simply sign back in by entering your password in the Password: box and clicking the Sign In button on the screen that opens after you have been timed out. (Your E-mail address should already be showing in the Screen Name: box. If you want to sign in with a different E-mail address, you will need to delete the E-mail address showing and type a new one.)

Enable firewall to use HTTPS

If a firewall software has been installed on the computer or network, you should configure it to allow the use of HTTPS to access the Internet or temporarily disable it, then try accessing the AOL® Mail on the Web site again. If successful, then you know that the firewall software is responsible for the problem.

Note: If disabling the firewall software allows you to access the AOL Mail on the Web service properly, you will not have any firewall protection at all. We recommend enabling the firewall immediately to ensure the protection of your computer. If you wish to continue using the firewall, you may be able to change the settings to work with HTTPS. If you are unsure of how to do this, please refer to your System Administrator, firewall documentation, or software manufacturer for support.

Clear cache, cookies and history

Whenever you visit Web sites, they will store what is known as temporary Internet files and cookies on your computer to identify that Web site. Sometimes these temporary Internet files and cookies can cause the issue you are experiencing. Similarly your History list can also be a concern. The more days you have specified for pages to be saved on your history list, the more disk space is used on your computer. You can free up disk space by clearing this list.

To clear cache, cookies and history for Internet Explorer® 7.0:
1. Close any Internet browser windows that may be open on your computer.
2. Click the Start button, select All Programs, then click Internet Explorer.
3. In the upper right, click the Tools menu, then click Internet Options.
4. On the General tab, in the Browsing history section, click the Delete button.
5. In the Temporary Internet Files section, click the Delete files button to clear the cache.
6. Click the Yes button to confirm.
7. In the Cookies section, click the Delete cookies button, to clear cookies.
8. Click the Yes button to confirm.
9. In the History section, click the Delete history button to clear history.
10. Click the Yes button to confirm.
11. In the lower right, click the Close button to close the Delete Browsing History window.
12. Click the X button in the upper right to close the Internet Options window.
13. Click the File menu, then click Exit.

To clear cache, cookies and history for Internet Explorer 6.0:
1. Close any Internet browser windows that may be open on your computer.
2. Click the Start button, select All Programs or Programs, then click Internet Explorer.
3. Click the Tools menu, then click Internet Options.
4. On the General tab, in the Temporary Internet files section, click the Delete Files button to clear cache.
5. Click the Delete all offline content box to place a check mark in it, then click the OK button.
6. In the Temporary Internet files section, click the Delete Cookies button to clear cookies.
7. Click the OK button to confirm.
8. In the History section, click the Clear History button to clear history.
9. Click the Yes button for confirmation.
10. Click the OK button to close the Internet Options window.
11. Click the File menu, then click Exit.

To clear the Firefox® cookies and cache:
1. Click the Start button, select All Programs or Programs, select Mozilla Firefox, then click the Mozilla Firefox icon.
2. Click the Tools menu, then click Clear Private Data.
3. Click the Cache and Cookies boxes to place check marks in them, ensure other boxes do not have check marks in them, then click the Clear Private Data Now button.
4. Click the File menu, then click Exit.

To clear the Netscape® Navigator 9.0 and above cookies and cache:
1. Click the Start button, select All Programs or Programs, select Netscape Navigator, then click the Netscape Navigator icon.
2. Click the Tools menu, then click Clear Private Data.
3. Click the Cache and Cookies boxes to place check marks in them, ensure other boxes do not have check marks in them, then click the Clear Private Data Now button.
4. Click the File menu, then click Exit.

To clear the Netscape® below 9.0 cookies and history:
1. Launch the Netscape® browser as you normally would.
2. Click the Tools menu, select Cookie Manager, then click Manage Stored Cookies.
3. Click the Remove All Cookies button.
4. Click the Close button.
5. Click the Edit menu, then click Preferences.
6. In the Category section, click History.

Note: If you do not find History in the Category section, click the arrow next to Navigator to find it.

7. Click the Clear History button.
8. Click the OK button.
9. Click the File menu, then click Exit.