I'm trying to set up a new account in the Mail dialog for Accounts, but get an error message "This account already exists". However, the account does not show up in the dialog, so there is no way to access it. This is on OS X 10.11.

If your iCloud email address (i.e. your Apple ID) is the same as the one you are trying to add to Mail in El Capitan, then you may get this error. I resolved it by deleted my iCloud account, then adding the email account, then creating my iCloud account fresh.

1) quit Mail app

2) System Preferences > Internet Accounts > select iCloud account “-“ key to delete account. (say yes to all the warnings)

3) start Mail app, Preferences > Accounts > “+” button

4) enter email account info, account gets created in Mail. Quit Mail app

5) System Preferences > Internet Accounts > “+” to add your iCloud account (tick boxes for which services you wish to have synced).

Hello, fourthchakra.

Thank you for visiting Apple Support Communities.

I understand that you are receiving an error that your mail account has already been configured. If the email account that you are attempting to add is not already setup, try restarting your computer. Once this is done see if this mail account is listen in System Preferences > Internet Accounts. If the account is listed, try deleting the account and then add it back again via the steps in the article below.

Mail (El Capitan): Set up Mail with your email accounts

Cheers

This solution did not help me but I solved my problem as follows:

Clicked on + to add another Account

Clicked on "Other Mail Account" and continued.

In the Name Box I typed the name I had used in "Description" in the original Main Accounts window.

Voila.

Help Please none of the suggested solutions worked for me.

I deleted my BT Email account. When I view my list of accounts via Mail/Preferences/It has been removed from Mail/preferences/accounts it is not listed.

I try to add it in again via Mail/preferences/accounts click on the plus sign, click on Other Mail Account, add in email address and password, click sign in then I get the message "This account already exists".

Help please need to access my mail ASAP

Thanks

Vainona wrote:

Thanks this fixed the problem but only loaded about 120 emails...any way of getting all back?

Sorry Vainona just saw your reply... they all loaded for me. Is your email account an IMAP account? (Meaning all the emails are stored on the email provider's server, and when set up, it simply downloads them from there.) Can you log in to your webmail and see all of them there?

JDfunky his method worked for me

quote

If your iCloud email address (i.e. your Apple ID) is the same as the one you are trying to add to Mail in El Capitan, then you may get this error. I resolved it by deleted my iCloud account, then adding the email account, then creating my iCloud account fresh.

1) quit Mail app

2) System Preferences > Internet Accounts > select iCloud account “-“ key to delete account. (say yes to all the warnings)

3) start Mail app, Preferences > Accounts > “+” button

4) enter email account info, account gets created in Mail. Quit Mail app

5) System Preferences > Internet Accounts > “+” to add your iCloud account (tick boxes for which services you wish to have synced).

Thanks for taking the time to post this. After about 3+weeks of no primary mail on my computer I screwed up the courage to delete the email accounts. It was a time consuming pain but it worked.

Thank you Mr. Proctor, not so much thanks to Apple...

Greg Domingues

I tried to follower your steps, but was not able to delete the ICloud account - it would not delete it even when I checked "delete from the Mac" so I didn't get any warnings. I'm 94 and am frustrated that my email stopped working a couple months ago when I upgraded to OS 10.11.6, so I thought if I removed the account and re-added it, that might fix the problem. I used my email address for my Apple ID, which I guess was a mistake. I can check email through my browser, but would prefer to use Mail. I live in assisted living, so there's no 15-year-old to ask for help!

Hi Polly303, Lets see if we can help in the absence of useful 15 year olds.. 🙂 so to clarify, can you tell me where you got to in my steps, and exactly what happened at that point please?

1) quit Mail app

2) System Preferences > Internet Accounts > select iCloud account “-“ key to delete account. (say yes to all the warnings)

3) start Mail app, Preferences > Accounts > “+” button

4) enter email account info, account gets created in Mail. Quit Mail app

5) System Preferences > Internet Accounts > “+” to add your iCloud account (tick boxes for which services you wish to have synced).

This solution worked for me - thanks.

thanks - just spent an hour with shaw and APPLE - but your email helped me fix it.

Thanks this fixed the problem but only loaded about 120 emails...any way of getting all back?

Many many many thanks, i've been messing around for 3 days until i stumbled on this and it resolved it in less than 60 seconds.

Thanks again

Graham