Mac shows iCloud password popup every boot.

Hi min20,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities.

It sounds like you may have entered iCloud account information when setting up your Mac, which you can now see in System Preferences under iCloud. If you aren't sure what iCloud is, take a look at this webpage:

Apple - iCloud - Your content. On all your devices.

http://www.apple.com/icloud/

If you have an iCloud account, but your Apple ID password isn't being accepted, this article should help.

If you forgot your Apple ID password

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5787

Cheers!

-Jason

Your problem most likely has to do with the fact that you are running beta OS versions which can produce all kinds of glitches. And, if you are running a developer's beta, then there are forums where you can discuss your problems as no one here can realistically help you if they are not running the same OS version. As well, we are not allowed to discuss anything about not yet publicly released OS versions and you are violating your NDA, so it'd be better for you to post your question in the developer forums.

You are not alone.

This needs an Apple iCloud Guru to clarify & solve.

This first showed up for me in Mavericks 10.9.3, and was not fixed in 10.9.4. Neither was a beta version. Updating to a later version of the OS also fails to resolve this suggesting that perhaps it is the iCloud authentication server that is broke -AGAIN!

Unfortunately the Apple helpdesk knows nothing of this issue, or are trying to keep lit under wraps.

My guess is that some of the downloads from Software Update are in fact experimental builds, Noting that is some countries Apple is playing with two factor authentication, perhaps we have been hit by a build that is trying out an alternative authentication method, that simply keeps failing. Though perhaps it is geolocation triggered, as doing a clean install achieves no improvement.

ICloud, which I prefer to call iClod still has bugs, but unfortunately those best able to fault find the authentication system are not available to users, so getting this bug fixed will involve further contributions from more clued up users.

Unfortunately it seems that the failure manifests in several ways, with at least 3 different, but cryptic seemingly random dialogue boxes appearing in response to entered passwords, and also no apparent response at all, i.e., no change.

What is odd is that one can be successfully signed in to iCoud, able to manage ones account, but unable to successfully verify ones password in the preference pane. Looking deeper in the console loads there is reference to a file not being able to be written. So is this a permissions issue, or is the preferences file to be written missing from the bundle from the iCloud bundle.

And even more oddly when one intentionally enters an incorrect password in the password verification dialogue, iCloud seems to correctly identify it as an incorrect password, suggesting that iCloud recognises a correct password but then fails to complete the verification transaction.

Note this iCloud preference pane userID password verification process is not documented anywhere that I have been able to discover. Is it another inadvertent FEATURE of OS X that was mostly deprecated because it did't work as expected?

One day Apple will wake up and instigate a dedicated iCloud help call centre tasked to ensure that all users have access to this service which has become intrinsic to ownership and use of a Mac.

I have also this pop-up this morning. For iCloud, Face Time and iMessages. I re-entered my password and now it's OK. Even if i reboot.

It's just an automatic verification ?

To me this seems not to be a problem, but it makes me feel uncertain. It started (only twice) when I installed the latest version of OS X 10.9.4 and I think it has something to do with permissions because I repaired before each time (twice) permissions with computers own tool. The Mac repaired every time same things, few x, r or w missing or replaced by -. But I don't really know because I'm amateur with these computer issues. Bad feelings, one can't be sure if somebody is fishing on illegal waters. I don't write my password and it doesn't harm my Mail which is the only iCloud part I use.

I'm having the same issue. I'm on 10.9.4. That pop-up will NOT go away. I enter my password over and over again and it just won't go away. I'm 100% sure I'm using the correct password because it's the password that you have to use to log into this site. I've also logged into iCloud.com with the same creds.

Ugh, make it stop!

I think I just fixed it. I had to completely log out of iCloud (locally through the system preferences) and log back in.

Me too, signing out of the iCloud preference pane (including removing all data locally) did the trick.

I have had this same issue. It does not accept my password and I am certain that I am entering the correct one. At reboot I get prompted for my iCloud password repeatedly and it will not accept the correct password no matter how many times I enter it. It does not quit until I hit enter twice. What is odd is that it doesn't seem to affect my iCloud services such as mail, etc. This is driving me nuts. This kind of thing is not something I want to see on my Mac. Glitchy crap like this is why I quit Windows. I use a separate Apple ID for my iTunes store, but that should not affect my iCloud.

iMac (27-inch, Late 2013)

OSX Yosemite 10.10.3 (14D136)

This started in 10.9 or earlier. I've had it since then. My new MacBook Pro also has it in 10.10. I just ignore the message since it does not seem to have any negative effect. Just a big PIA.

This worked when I put in my apple ID password, thanks! The confusion is that it tells you to put in the password for your e-mail address, which is NOT necessarily the same. So I went crazy trying to enter my e-mail password over and over. Apple should correct that message to say Apple ID password.

That fixed it for me as well when I first experienced the problem back in March. Now, unfortunately, it has returned, but this time I'm using iCloud Drive and the Photos app so I rather not sign out and delete 50 gb of photos just to sign in again in hopes of solving the problem.