There was an error in Apple ID Preferences.

Question

garej241 Author

Level 1

15 points

There was an error in Apple ID Preferences.

I cannot sign in Apple ID from MacBookAir (with MacOS Catalina 10.15.1, unfortunately, installed).

I know password. I can sign-in on browser (both in iCloud and in ID).

But on the Mac it simply throws the message:

System Preferences: "Preferences Error: There was an error in Apple ID Preferences."

What kind of Error is that and what to do?

PS. When the Mac is shown as registered device on web and I try to sign in I've got another warning:

"Verification failed: An unknown error occurred."

I've tried to delete the device from ID account. Now it accepts the credentials but fails either.

Pretty annoing...

MacBook Air 13", 10.15

Posted on Nov 3, 2019 12:27 PM

Reply

Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Eric Root

Level 10

685,221 points

Nov 3, 2019 1:27 PM in response to garej241

Some people have solved this by going to System Preferences/Internet Accounts, selecting an iCloud account there, and signing in. You need to repeat this for each iCloud account.

Might be a corrupt .plist.

Do a backup, preferably 2 backups on 2 separate drives.

Quit System Preferences.

Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J. When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder. Select Library. Then go to Preferences/com.apple.systempreferences.plist. Move the .plist to your desktop.

Restart the computer, open the application, and test. If it works okay, delete the plist from the desktop.

If the application is the same, return the .plist to where you got it from, overwriting the newer one.

Thanks to leonie for some information contained in this.

Reply

There was an error in Apple ID Preferences.

Similar questions