Old Macbook air(or any old Mac) could not connect to App store/iCloud using AppleID

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Old Macbook air(or any old Mac) could not connect to App store/iCloud using AppleID

Recently I experienced this issue and couldn't figure out why.

Solution:

It was solved by updated the default MacOS version to a later version by downloading/installing the latest supported MacOS using Command+Option+R combination when start the Mac with Internet connection, and select the version of MacOS you want to download and follow the steps to get the installation done.

This was not documented anywhere from my initial search online.

I hope it helps others with similar issue

Posted on Jun 12, 2025 7:44 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Limnos

Community+ 2026

Level 10

430,469 points

Jun 12, 2025 8:48 AM in response to sonichanxiao

I find when I am using old equipment that Apple's online services are the first to start failing because of old software. In fact I am experiencing that right now and finding that many of the Support Articles that are key to online support information are missing sections. They basically are not rendering fully. I can maybe see some of it such as it saying "Follow these instructions"–but then there are no instructions. In fact it goes a bit farther and Safari is the absolute worst browser to use if you use an old Mac because Apple drops updating it far earlier than other browser authors.

As for lack of documentation, Apple almost exclusively works on the premise that everybody is using the latest system software at all times. What you "discovered" is basically what Apple constantly advises by presenting update notifications (or "nags" as some say). You must have gotten good at ignoring those. ;-) The support articles here almost always start by saying to ensure you are running the latest system software when trying to troubleshoot.

Update macOS on Mac - Apple Support

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Answer 2

Jun 12, 2025 1:03 PM in response to sonichanxiao

If updating from a really old macOS you may have to do it in multiple steps.

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Answer 3

sonichanxiao Author

Level 1

4 points

Jun 12, 2025 9:15 AM in response to Limnos

I do agree should update the software/OS first.

But from my experience, you can not connect to App store, so no straight forward solution to update the OS to a later supported version for upgrading MacOS. That's what I was struggling with. The base system in the recovery partition is way too old, it's 10.8. That's the issue.

I tried different solutions from others including reset NVRAM, none of them works, maybe people did not have this issue I had. I am just trying to share the experience for non-tech people after they haven't updated their Mac for ages.

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Old Macbook air(or any old Mac) could not connect to App store/iCloud using AppleID

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