User profile for user: millerfarmily
millerfarmily Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Messages suddenly won't connect on iMac

2019 iMac running Monterey. Everything was working fine until this past Saturday. Suddenly, Messages stopped working just on the Mac. Next time I was on the desktop, it asked me to sign in with my Apple ID, but when I did it gave me a spinning wheel that went on and on until I finally had "an unknown error has occurred" message. The weird part is that after that when I open preferences, it shows my Apple ID as logged in, but there is a spinning wheel next to "Sign Out." If I click that it doesn't do anything (just continues to show the progress wheel), but when I restart Messages it has signed out and prompts me to login with my Apple ID. Wash, rinse, repeat. Basically I have to force quit the app to see if I am logged in, but even if I appear to be logged in, it isn't actually communicating with a server or syncing messages.


I have tried several things and keep rebooting to see if they work, but to no avail. The weird part is that when I restart the system doesn't give me any error messages or other issues, but when I login after the Mac reboots, I get a system message that says "Your computer restarted because of an error" every time, even though I have restarted it three times now and don't have any other software open. Help?


(Messages and iCloud are working fine on my phone.)

iMac 21.5″, macOS 12.5

Posted on Sep 7, 2022 7:58 AM

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User profile for user: Eric Root
Eric Root
User level: Level 10
685,221 points

Posted on Sep 7, 2022 5:40 PM

Are you running any anti - virus programs? Using a VPN?


Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later. 


Isolating an issue by using another user account 


If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode using your normal account.  Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up after waiting 10 seconds. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application un-installer or by using the developer’s uninstall instructions. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once. 


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Question marked as Top-ranking reply
User profile for user: Eric Root
Eric Root
User level: Level 10
685,221 points

Sep 7, 2022 5:40 PM in response to millerfarmily

Are you running any anti - virus programs? Using a VPN?


Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later. 


Isolating an issue by using another user account 


If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode using your normal account.  Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up after waiting 10 seconds. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application un-installer or by using the developer’s uninstall instructions. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once. 


Safe Mode - About.    

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Messages suddenly won't connect on iMac

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