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unable to add exchange account to the mail app on osx
A cloud-based service included in Microsoft 365, delivering scalable messaging and collaboration features with simplified management and automatic updates.
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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.)
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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."
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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.
what helped for me, even as EWS enabled for individual email, but not on organization level
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
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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!
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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
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Running this command via Exchange Online PowerShell worked for me:
Set-OrganizationConfig -EwsAllowLegacyAuth $true
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I started having similar issues with my Mac Mini and Apple Mail starting 02/01/2026. I went through various troubleshooting steps and unfortunately followed the step to remove and readd my account. However, I have been unable to readd my account to Apple Mail. Continuing with the troubleshooting I came across the EWS issue. So tonight, using Exchange Online PowerShell I checked and confirmed that both my account and my wife's had EWS set to True. I then found our organization EWS setting was set to False. I reset it back to True and I was able to successfully get my wife's account to reconnect on her MacBook. However, the change has had no effect on Apple Mail on my Mac Mini. So, at this point I'm stumped. In one of the options, I read that it might take up to 24 hours for the EWS changes to take effect. So, I'm going to wait to see if it makes a difference on my account, but I seriously doubt that as I would expect that my wife's account wouldn't be working now. However, I've had stranger things happen over the years, so I'll cross my fingers and wait.
I will update this message as I continue to troubleshoot.
As promised, I found that after waiting about an hour I tried adding my Exchange Account back to Apple Mail worked. So going through the process of ensuring my organization had EWS enabled set to True and my user accounts set to True as well resolved the issue. This will now give me the time to migrate my email off Exchange online to another source, before EWS support goes away later this year.
What a nightmare. Microsoft recommends EWS be blocked, but don't say that is crashes authentication in MacMail... here is where the setting is:
After enabling EWS at the org level, it took a few hours for it to replicate throughout Microsoft for my tenant, but this successfully resolves the apple error. Thanks for your screenshot!
Thank you for this screenshot! Go to the "Block Access to Exchange Web Services" and disable this and once your org settings take, it effectively enables EWS then your exchange email account works again in Apple Mail.
The problem comes from a Microsoft recommendation.
in admin.microsoft.com -> search for security baseline
The key "problem" recommendation is called "Block access to Exchange Web Services" this is REQUIRED for Mac mail!
The worst part is that once enabled there is a delay, so you don't realize the cause/effect until a few hours later.
Key = DO NOT FOLLOW THIS RECOMMENDATION IF YOU WANT MACMAIL TO WORK. Microsoft needs to include potential consequences with their recommendations in the future!
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You have to divert from the optimal baseline in organization wide settings / baseline manager. DISabling the BLOCKING of EWS did the trick. As long as modern auth is still active, the risk is marginal
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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.