Hi kirkhopecm,
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities. I see from your post that you're unable to add a particular Gmail account to your MacBook Pro.
You mentioned you're able to add two other Gmail accounts. Does the account in question have any authentication or security measures set up that differ from the other two accounts?
Are you able to successfully log in to the affected account using webmail in Safari?
Since you're able to use this particular account on other devices, it may help to
Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac
. This will run a quick repair, and then prevents certain items from loading that could be causing the issue. With the understanding that you've been able to add two different Gmail accounts, this is still a worthwhile test in narrowing things down.
Safe mode (sometimes called safe boot) is a way to start up your Mac so that it performs certain checks and prevents some software from automatically loading or opening. Starting your Mac in safe mode does the following:
- Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed
- Loads only required kernel extensions
- Prevents startup items and login items from opening automatically
- Disables user-installed fonts
- Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files
If your Mac has an issue that goes away when you start up in safe mode, you might be able to isolate the cause.
To start up in safe mode:
- Start or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key. The Apple logo appears on your display. If you don't see the Apple logo, learn what to do.
- Release the Shift key when you see the login window. If your startup disk is encrypted with FileVault, you might be asked to log in twice: once to unlock the startup disk, and again to log in to the Finder.
To leave safe mode, restart your Mac without pressing any keys during startup.
If an issue doesn't happen when your Mac is started in safe mode, try restarting without pressing any keys.
- If the issue comes back, you might have incompatible login items.
- If the issue doesn't come back, it was probably caused by a cache or directory issue with your startup disk, which safe mode fixed.
Once you've booted into safe mode, try adding the account. If you're able to add it, then click the Apple menu () > Restart, and test to see if you can send and receive mail from this account now. If not, the next best step is to create a test administrator account and try to add the account there. Since there are a few variables involved in this issue (other devices, multiple email accounts), these tests will help pinpoint the issue. Here's
How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac
:
If another user account is already set up on your Mac, you can simply log out of your account (Apple menu > Log Out) and log in with the other account. But the best way to test is with a newly created account:
- Choose Apple menu () > System Preferences, then click Users & Groups.
- Click
, then enter an administrator name and password.
- Click the Add button (+) below the list of users.
- Complete the fields shown for a Standard or Administrator account, then click Create Account (or OK).
If you plan to test with any of the documents in your own account, make those documents available to the new account. Drag them to the Shared folder of the Users folder on your hard drive (~/Users/Shared). You can then move them to other folders after you log in as the new user.
Then log out of your account and log in with the new account:
- Choose Apple menu > Log out.
- At the login window, log in with the name and password of the new account. If you're also asked to sign in with an iCloud account or Apple ID, skip that step.
Now try to reproduce the issue in the new account. If you need to set up an email account or other account in order to test, you can do so.
If the issue doesn't happen in the new user account, the issue is related to the settings or files in your own account.
If you need help with a specific alert or issue, search the Apple Support website for the text of the alert. If the issue happens in only one app in your account, it might be related to one of that app's settings. Check the app's documentation or support website for help.
You can remove the new user account when you're done testing. Follow the steps for creating a new account, but click the Remove button (–) instead of the Add button (+). Before removing the account, make sure that you don't need any of the files or settings you created or copied in that account.
If the issue happens in the other user account:
Hopefully the steps above will help to get started on narrowing this down. Feel free to reply here in the Apple Support Communities with the results of the testing.
Take care.
