iMac continuous request for device password to log into iCloud

Recently (approximately one month ago) my iMac began frequently asking me to confirm my device password in order for iCloud to keep functioning. I have complied, but then a few days later, I get the same request, again. I looked in the forum and none of the suggestions I can find have helped. To be clear


  1. My mac is up-to-date, running Ventura 13.2.1
  2. There are no Apps requesting updates - They are all updated
  3. We do have family iCloud sharing, but there are no requests for permissions or to install anything new on my spouse's device
  4. All iCloud backups have been successfully completed.
  5. I have NOT recently changed any of my passwords/reset any of my devices
  6. Each time I enter the password it is successful, so it is not as if the apps/devices aren't recognizing the password. They are. They just keep asking for them.


Actionable steps to fix this would be appreciated. Thank you.


iMac (2017 – 2020)

Posted on Mar 13, 2023 9:33 AM

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4 replies

Mar 14, 2023 4:53 PM in response to TeachGuz

Hello TeachGuz,


Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you're having issues with a repeating prompt to log into iCloud. Next, what we would recommend, is testing this issue in another user account. What we need to do, is log out of your current user. Log back in under another Standard or Administrator account and see if the same issue occurs there. This way we can tell if it is an issue with your user account, or if it is system wide: Add a user or group on Mac - Apple Support


"Add a user

  1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > System Settings, then click Users & Groups  in the sidebar. (You may need to scroll down.)
  2. Click the Add Account button below the list of users on the right (you may be asked to enter your password.)
  3. Click the New Account pop-up menu, then choose a type of user.
    • Administrator: An administrator can add and manage other users, install apps, and change settings. The new user you create when you first set up your Mac is an administrator. Your Mac can have multiple administrators. You can create new ones, and convert standard users to administrators. Don’t set up automatic login for an administrator. If you do, someone could simply restart your Mac and gain access with administrator privileges. To keep your Mac secure, don’t share administrator names and passwords.
    • Standard: Standard users are set up by an administrator. Standard users can install apps and change their own settings, but can’t add other users or change other users’ settings.
    • Sharing Only: Sharing-only users can access shared files remotely, but can’t log in to the computer or change settings. To give the user permission to access your shared files or screen, you may need to change options in File Sharing, Screen Sharing, or Remote Management settings. See Set up file sharing and Share the screen of another Mac.
  1. For more information about the options for each type of user, click the Help button in the lower-left corner of the dialog.
  2. Enter a full name for the new user. An account name is generated automatically. To use a different account name, enter it now—you can’t change it later.
  3. Enter a password for the user, then enter it again to verify. Enter a password hint to help the user remember their password.
  4. Click Create User.
  5. Depending on the type of user you create, you can also do any of the following:
    • For an administrator, select “Allow user to administer this computer.”
    • Select “Allow user to reset password using Apple ID.” To use this option, the user must have set up iCloud on this Mac. However, this option isn’t available if FileVault is turned on and set to allow the user to reset their password at startup using their Apple ID.
  • Use Sharing settings to specify whether the user can share your files and share your screen.
  • For information about Apple’s privacy policy, see the Apple Privacy Policy website.


We hope this helps.


Cheers!


May 1, 2023 9:07 AM in response to TeachGuz

The login keychain is corrupted , from Mac spotlight open keychain access , right click on login ( it should be always unlocked for normal working keychain ) , click on delete keychain " login " , restart the Mac from apple logo , enter the old admin name and new password ( your old password will be deleted from keychain ) see the article Delete a keychain in Keychain Access on Mac - Apple Support

Note : creating a new admin account in users and groups is also one of the way as specialist mentioned , your old admin account is corrupted , in new admin account this will sort out .


May 1, 2023 7:07 AM in response to TeachGuz

Hey TeachGuz,


Thanks for confirming that for us, that isolates the issue to your primary user account. Next, are you noticing that any other services are affected? For instance Messages or FaceTime or is this only impacting iCloud? If other services are affected, let us know exactly what happens with them, including any errors received.


Also, if you go to System Settings > Internet Accounts, do you see your iCloud account listed there?


Did you make any recent changes to your Mac or your Apple ID just before this began occurring?


If you boot into safe mode on your primary user account, do you continue to notice this same behavior? We ask because this will help us further isolate if this is being caused by something loading at startup.


Keep us posted on what you find out, as these details will help us continue to narrow the issue down.


Take care!


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iMac continuous request for device password to log into iCloud

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