Unable to turn on iCloud Keychain or Keychain spinning for MacBook Pro

My daughter was experiencing an issue with turning on iCloud Keychain for her MacBook Pro. After a few troubleshooting tasks, I found a solution that I wanted to pass along.


For anyone who has an issue with Keychain spinning on a MacBook or can't enable it altogether, I've provided the steps I took below.



Two-Factor Authentication is a requirement for enabling the iCloud Keychain. Double-check that you are eligible based on your country/region: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202861


Do a Spotlight search for Keychain Access and open the app. From the Menu tool bar, click Keychain Access > Preferences. Then, click Reset My Default Keychains. *Please note: This will remove any previously stored passwords from the Keychain. You will be prompted to enter the Administrator's password to proceed.



Once finished, go back to System Preferences > Apple ID > iCloud > click to enable Keychain. If successful, you should see a message to enter the passcode of a trusted device. It will specify which device you should enter for.


If successful, you should see a checkmark beside Keychain:




I hope this is helpful to others.

MacBook Pro

Posted on Mar 21, 2020 1:50 AM

Reply
2 replies

Mar 21, 2020 5:39 AM in response to Saraiami

Saraiami wrote:

Reset My Default Keychains. *Please note: This will remove any previously stored passwords from the Keychain.




Sign out of iCloud and then back in again.


Resetting my Default Keychain would be a last resort— for the very reason you lose all stored data here.



Sign out of iCloud on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, or Mac

https://support.apple.com/hr-hr/HT208242



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Unable to turn on iCloud Keychain or Keychain spinning for MacBook Pro

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