This article explains how to check your internet connection and troubleshoot Messenger sign in issues.

If you are having issues signing in to Messenger, please check these four things:

1. Check your connection, please try to load the Yahoo! homepage by entering the following URL in Internet Explorer :
   • http://www.yahoo.com/
     
     It is important that you try this in Internet Explorer as Yahoo! Messenger relies on Internet Explorer to connect to the Internet. If you aren't able to view the Yahoo! homepage, then you may have an Internet connectivity issue and you should contact your Internet Service Provider for assistance.
2. Please make sure you have the correct Yahoo! ID and password and try to sign in on the Yahoo! Sign In page.
   • If you are able to successfully sign in to your account on the Yahoo! Sign In page, try Yahoo! Messenger again. If you aren't able to sign in, it could be due to an issue with your account. Please click here to access the Yahoo! Password Helper.
3. If you are having trouble signing in to Messenger, please make sure that you can access secure pages from Internet Explorer.
   • Try to sign in to Yahoo! by going to the Yahoo! Sign In page and entering the same Yahoo! ID and password you were using before.
   • If you aren't able to sign in, then you will need to contact your Internet Service Provider or your Network System Administrator and configure your Internet Explorer for secure (https) pages. You can read the help article, How to setup Messenger to use a proxy server to connect to the Internet if you know how to configure this yourself.
4. If you are having issues with signing into Yahoo! Messenger, please try the following:
   • Go to the Yahoo! Messenger for the Web page and click Sign In. On the sign in page, enter the same Yahoo! ID and password you were using before.
   • If you are unable to log in try signing into another Yahoo! property such as Yahoo! Mail
   • If you are able to sign into other properties but not Messenger, this may be a Messenger specific issue, Please click here to Check Connection Settings.
   • If you are unable to sign into other properties including Messenger please visit our help page article: Why doesn't my password work?