The operation couldn’t be completed. (com.apple.accounts error 3.)

Ralf 85

unable to add exchange account to the mail app on osx

Carl Murphy 10 Reputation points

2025-12-10T19:34:43.68+00:00

I have the same issue for the past two days and not able to add the account back.

The operation couldn’t be completed. (com.apple.accounts error 3.)
Matt Turner 0 Reputation points

2025-12-11T15:21:18+00:00

I'm getting this error once the account authenticates but Mac OS Mail still cannot connect. Removed the account and attempted to add it back to no avail. Outlook for Mac still working. It started a couple days ago when Mac mail said "account offline."
Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-12-12T07:50:04.28+00:00

Hello everyone,

Thanks for sharing your concerns. To help us provide support more efficiently, please:Create a new thread on the forum describing your issue in detail.

Include your Outlook for Mac version and specify which license you are using.

This information will make it easier for our team to provide the appropriate support for your case.

Warm thanks.
Kostya Afendikov 10 Reputation points

2026-02-23T22:21:30.71+00:00

what helped for me, even as EWS enabled for individual email, but not on organization level

Turn on EWS org-wide

Set-OrganizationConfig -EwsEnabled $true

Verify it flipped

Get-OrganizationConfig | fl EwsEnabled

You want:

EwsEnabled : True

wait 15-30 min, restart Mac and try to add account again
rvg01 10 Reputation points

2026-03-07T05:38:05.59+00:00

You don't need to restart the Mac. After enabling Exchange Web Service EWS in the Org Settings, it does take a few hours to replicate across Microsoft for your tenant before you can go back into your Mac computer's Apple Mail application to add the Exchange email account again. But this change fixes and resolves this error!
Matt Kaufmann 0 Reputation points

2026-03-19T15:49:59.8766667+00:00

I sent this conversation to my IT department asking them if they had EWS enabled org wide. Turns out it was not, they enabled it, I waited 24 hours and then was able to add the exchange account.

Thank you to Kostya Afendikov

25 answers

Marius Coterlet 0 Reputation points

2026-09-11T13:26:04.31+00:00

After making sure that EWS was enabled both at the tenant level and at the user level, and after trying all sorts of different ideas, I thought I would check whether I could connect another email account from the same tenant to the Mac Mail. To my surprise, I was able to do it successfully.

I then opened the Passwords app on the Mac and deleted all the entries related to the Microsoft account. After that, I tried adding the account again, and this time it worked.
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Serg 0 Reputation points

2026-01-21T10:14:08.4433333+00:00

same issue here, any updates on this?
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Carl Murphy 10 Reputation points

2025-12-09T18:46:26.93+00:00

This issue shows as resolved on the MS status page buts its still happening this evening for me.
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sam mp 15 Reputation points

2026-01-17T12:43:30.4466667+00:00

Same for me for the past 24hrs. Made changes based on MS' recommended security settings. Thought it was tied to CA pols and/or legacy auth, but Apple Mail + Internet Accounts on macOS use oauth2 prompts... would be nice to know if this is a security mod in Entra/CA pols, a macOS quirk or a mix'n'match of the two? iOS works fine...

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Serg 0 Reputation points

2026-01-21T10:25:25.77+00:00

same for me
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Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-27T08:38:44.4833333+00:00

Hi everyone,

I’d like to inform you that the issue (ID: EX1188132) is currently being addressed by Microsoft. The fix has reached approximately 93% saturation across affected environments, and Microsoft is actively monitoring service availability to ensure full restoration for impacted users.

Please try reconnecting your account to verify if the issue persists. We will provide further updates as soon as the incident is completely resolved.

Reference: https://admin.cloud.microsoft/?#/servicehealth/:/alerts/EX1188132

Note: To access this link, you must have admin roles such as Global Admin, if you are a normal user, you can ask your IT admin to check it for you.

We truly appreciate your understanding and patience.

Best regards,
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Sebastian Riethmüller 0 Reputation points

2025-11-26T17:35:49.77+00:00

Me too, I was able to add my Exchange account today successfully. Looks like the issue has been fixed.
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The operation couldn’t be completed. (com.apple.accounts error 3.)

Turn on EWS org-wide

25 answers

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