When a mailbox disconnects
Why connections lapse, how you find out, and what reconnecting does and does not change.
Mailbox connections lapse. It is normal, and it is not a bug.
Why
- A password or app password changed, on an IMAP mailbox.
- Access was revoked, deliberately or by an admin.
- The provider expired the authorization, which Google does routinely.
- Two-factor was switched on, which invalidates old credentials.
How you find out
The connection shows as needing attention and prompts you to reauthorize. You will not get an email about it, so the honest answer is: you find out when you go looking, or when you notice the inbox has been quiet.
If nothing has arrived for a suspiciously calm week, check the connection before concluding that business is slow.
Reconnecting
Reauthorize the same connection rather than adding a second one. Reconnecting the existing connection keeps its history, so messages you already handled stay handled.
Adding a fresh connection to the same mailbox instead gives you a clean slate, which sounds harmless and means every old message is a candidate for import again.
What is not affected
Projects and contacts already created stay exactly as they are. They stopped having anything to do with the mailbox the moment they existed.