You will see this message if it has been more than 8 hours since you last signed into Yahoo! Mail and you did not click the Exit link at the end of your session. We display this message and ask that you re-login as a safeguard for Yahoo! Mail users, specifically ones who use public or shared computers.

You may also want to check your Account Information. If you have chosen to be prompted for a password more frequently than every eight hours, your session will expire after the specified amount of time. To change this, please follow the steps below:

1. Sign into your account
2. Click Options on the left side navigation bar
3. Click on User Information on the Options screen
4. Once at the Yahoo! Account Information screen, click on the Edit button next to the Member Information section
5. Under General Preferences, change your Password Prompt to whichever time you wish
6. Click the Finish button to activate your changes

*Please note that opening another browser window and logging in to a second Yahoo! Mail account will automatically log you out of the first. When you return to the first account, clicking on any link will give you the "Your login session has expired" message.

If you repeatedly receive the message 'Your login session has expired', or are repeatedly cycled back to the sign in screen with no error message after entering your ID and password then the problem you are having appears to be caused by a difficulty setting your user cookie.

A cookie is a small piece of information stored by your browser to help identify who you are. Yahoo! Mail uses cookies to keep you logged into your account as you move from page to page. If your cookie is not being accepted correctly, you will be logged out of your account as soon as you move to a different page. This is what is likely blocking your current ability to sign in or stay signed in.

There are a number of reasons why your cookie may not be set properly. We have listed these reasons in order from easiest to hardest in order to save you from taking unnecessary steps.

• The date on your computer is set incorrectly. Since cookies rely on dates, a computer with an incorrect date may "mislead" your browser into forgetting about your cookie. To fix this, simply set the correct time and date on your computer.

• You have installed an application that monitors/blocks cookies from being sent. These include virus protection software, etc. To remedy this, simply disable the monitoring application before logging in.

• You are behind a firewall that doesn't allow you to receive cookies. This is sometimes the case for users connecting from a business intranet that limits cookie acceptance for security reasons. To check if this is a factor, contact your System's Administrator.

• Your browser is not set to accept cookies. Most browsers have the option of either accepting all cookies, showing an alert before accepting a cookie, or not accepting cookies at all. In order to use Yahoo! Mail, your browser must be set to accept all cookies without alerts. If your browser gives you the option to accept all cookies, you should choose it. If your browser gives you the option to show an alert before accepting a cookie, you should not select it. Below are the setting instructions for several popular browser types.

  When making these adjustments, be sure to confirm any changes you make by clicking the "OK" button in the Options windows.

  • Netscape versions 3.x and earlier: Click Options/Network Preferences/Protocols. Uncheck the option "Show an alert before accepting a cookie."
  • Netscape 4.0: Click Edit/Preferences/Advanced. Make sure the setting "Accept all cookies" is checked.
  • Internet Explorer 3.x and earlier: Click View/Options/Advanced. Uncheck "Warn before accepting cookies."
  • Internet Explorer 4.0: Click View/Internet Options/Advanced. Make sure "Always accept cookies" is checked.

• Your browser's cookie files are corrupted. Corrupted cookie files sometimes cease to support Yahoo! Mail. Try shutting all of your browser's windows, and then deleting the cookie files in your browser's directories. Usually, these files will be called simply "Cookies." As always, be sure that you have selected the proper files before actually deleting them.

• Your browser is corrupted. If the above suggestions have not helped you to solve the problem, it may be that your browser itself is corrupted. The easiest solution may be to try another browser (if you have one) on your computer. You may wish to reinstall your current browser as well by finding the original installation file and repeating the install process. As a last resort, you can download a new browser, or an updated version of your present browser, from the web.* Note that this may take awhile, depending on your modem's speed.

For more information on cookies, please visit the following sites:

• An Article on Cookies from HotWired
• A Description of Cookies from Netscape Technical Support
• Yahoo!'s Cookies Category

* The Netscape browser can be found at: http://home.netscape.com/download/
The Internet Explorer browser can be found at: http://www.microsoft.com/ie/download/