The Apple Support Community will permanently close on November 20, 2026. Starting today, the site will no longer accept new posts and is available in a read-only state.
You can continue to find trusted guidance and support on the official Apple Support site.
We want to thank the community members who have contributed their time and expertise to help others with their Apple products.
The Apple Support Community will permanently close on November 20, 2026. Starting today, the site will no longer accept new posts and is available in a read-only state.
You can continue to find trusted guidance and support on the official Apple Support site.
We want to thank the community members who have contributed their time and expertise to help others with their Apple products.
My iMac suddenly signed out of App Store, Apple ID, iTunes, FaceTime etc. Now when I try to log in again it just freezes (circle spins). Occasionally it says unknown error occurred. I have to use force quit or can't close what I'm trying to sign into. My phone, iPads etc are all working normally, only the iMac won't sign in. Its a late 2013 model, 27inch, running macOS Catalina 10.15.8.
Please HELP!
iMac 27″, macOS 10.15
Since your iPhone and iPads can sign in to Apple services normally, the problem appears to be isolated to your iMac rather than your Apple Account.
Because several Apple services are affected simultaneously, possible causes include a network connectivity issue, incorrect date and time settings, or a problem with the macOS account authentication services.
I suggest trying the following troubleshooting steps from your Mac:
If Apple services work in another macOS user account, the problem is likely associated with your original user profile. If they fail in both accounts, the issue may involve macOS itself or network connectivity.
Since your iPhone and iPads can sign in to Apple services normally, the problem appears to be isolated to your iMac rather than your Apple Account.
Because several Apple services are affected simultaneously, possible causes include a network connectivity issue, incorrect date and time settings, or a problem with the macOS account authentication services.
I suggest trying the following troubleshooting steps from your Mac:
If Apple services work in another macOS user account, the problem is likely associated with your original user profile. If they fail in both accounts, the issue may involve macOS itself or network connectivity.
If you find that you're able to sign in successfully while in Safe Mode or in another admin user account you may have software in your primary account that is interfering with the process.
If that's the case please download and run Etrecheck. The free version is sufficient. However, if you find it worthwhile you should support the developer and purchase the app.
Copy and paste the results into your reply. Etrecheck is a diagnostic tool that was developed by one of the most respected users here in the ASC to provide a snapshot of the system and help identify the more obvious culprits that can adversely affect a Mac's performance.
Copy the report
and after clicking on the Reply button use the Additional Text button to paste the report in your reply.
Then we can examine the report and see if we can determine the cause of the problem.
Have you tried shutting down your iMac (power off) and then restarting it? Sometimes that clears up unexplained gremlins.
Thanks, I tried all these steps and it nothing work, I've read online that apple have stopped their servers for Catalina 10.15.8. This could be the issue.
First thing I tried, thanks
Tried the app, didn't help. Thanks though
iMac running macOS Catalina cannot sign into Apple services
