# Can't update my AOL address book - grrrrr **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 8, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-update-my-aol-address-book-grrrrr/829194 "2019-02-08T20:57:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-update-my-aol-address-book-grrrrr/829194/1 "2019-02-08T20:57:39Z")
Editing my AmericaOnline (run together here for SEO) address book has proven impossible lately. A friend changed his email address, and I go into my address book and either copy-and-paste the new address, or type it in one character at a time. But I keep getting the message, “A server error occurred while saving your contact. Please try again later.” I’ve tried again later, on this and other computers, several times over the span of several days, and keep getting the same error message. Any suggestions (other than get an email account with someone other than AOL)? ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-update-my-aol-address-book-grrrrr/829194/2 "2019-02-08T21:06:09Z")
I use AOL mail, but not the “Address Book” feature. Looking at it just now: Is that the same as “Contacts”? ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-update-my-aol-address-book-grrrrr/829194/3 "2019-02-08T22:36:09Z")
AOL needs to die in a fire. Moving to another email platform would be my best advice as an IT guy. Systems like gmail can poll your AOL mail and receive it in their system, and allow you to reply as a new address. Eventually everyone is replying to the new email. I get calls to “fix” aol mail issues all the time, another email provider is my solution every time. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-update-my-aol-address-book-grrrrr/829194/4 "2019-02-09T01:24:37Z")
The curse of the early adapter (25 years on). 😉 ---
**Author:** ![TSBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/77aa72/32.png) [@TSBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TSBG)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-update-my-aol-address-book-grrrrr/829194/5 "2019-02-09T07:10:40Z")
Switch to Gmail. I know my response is IMHO, but seriously–it is SO EASY to switch to Gmail. I used to work for AOL and I had a legacy account–because you used to have to PAY FOR EMAIL but I had it FOR FREE! And I kept the account because everyone had that address. Anyway, AOL got worse and worse, and finally there was some kind of utter meltdown, and I spent a little time setting up a Gmail account. **drachillix** is accurate about the convenience of transporting old mail and alerting contacts to the new address. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-update-my-aol-address-book-grrrrr/829194/6 "2019-02-09T11:14:27Z")
Sorry, no help here. I’m not sure they actually care enough to keep it working. I will point out that, if AOL has POP or IMAP access or a mail forwarding feature, you can switch away from AOL without losing your email address, if that’s the reason you don’t want to change. I check my Hotmail account on Gmail all the time. (Hotmail had the username I wanted.) Edit: one possible idea. Can you try making a new entry for them, put in the correct info, then delete the old one? ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-update-my-aol-address-book-grrrrr/829194/7 "2019-02-09T18:10:29Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I will point out that, if AOL has POP or IMAP access or a mail forwarding feature, you can switch away from AOL without losing your email address, if that’s the reason you don’t want to change. I check my Hotmail account on Gmail all the time. (Hotmail had the username I wanted.) It does. > **[AOL: IMAP, POP3, and SMTP settings | Blog | Limilabs](https://www.limilabs.com/blog/aol-imap-pop3-smtp-settings)** > > AOL supports access via IMAP, POP3 and SMTP protocols. Below you can find the configuration settings for all protocols. All AOL servers (IMAP, POP3 and SMTP) can work in plain mode (you can use Connect method) or use implicit SSL (use ConnectSSL... You can also connect to it in a client like Outlook or Thunderbird. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2019, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-update-my-aol-address-book-grrrrr/829194/8 "2019-02-09T21:49:43Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Editing my AmericaOnline (run together here for SEO) As a matter of curiosity, what sort of search are you trying to optimize here, and why? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2019, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cant-update-my-aol-address-book-grrrrr/829194/9 "2019-02-10T05:14:26Z")
Thanks, all. > [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I use AOL mail, but not the “Address Book” feature. Looking at it just now: Is that the same as “Contacts”? Yes. > [@psychonaut](#): > > As a matter of curiosity, what sort of search are you trying to optimize here, and why? If I have to look up this thread again.