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

Bill Leeman 0 Reputation points

2026-02-14T03:54:07.6866667+00:00

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.
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Bill Leeman 0 Reputation points

2026-02-14T08:06:28.52+00:00

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.
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Ralf 85 Reputation points

2025-11-21T13:29:23.84+00:00

As you explain it this way it looks logical. But I don't understand why it worked for a long time and caused troubles since a few days. What changed?
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Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-24T09:08:46.2266667+00:00

Hi @Ralf

Sorry for my delayed response.

Apologies for the earlier information. After conducting thorough research and testing, I’ve determined that this issue is unlikely to be related to F3 licenses or the Mail app on Mac. The term “desktop client applications” refers specifically to Microsoft 365 products such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Access (PC only), and Publisher (PC only).

Additionally, I’ve identified that this issue may be connected to a known incident (ID: EX1188132) currently being addressed by Microsoft: Some users may intermittently be unable to access their Exchange Online mailboxes using any connection method.

This explains why some of your users’ accounts might be affected. Your approach of triggering the license refresh could help re-establish the connection.

For your reference: Service health - Microsoft 365 admin center

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.

Appreciate your patience and understanding.

If you need any clarification or further help, feel free to reach out.

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

2025-11-25T14:44:53.32+00:00

Hi @Ralf

I hope the provided information were able to fully addressed your concern.

In case you require further assistance regarding this topic, feel free to reach out.

We more than happy to assist.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Pryhoda, Maksym 10 Reputation points

2025-11-26T09:34:11.2866667+00:00

Hi, , great thank you, from the screenshot you provided they should have already fixed that issue by Tuesday, November 25, 2025 at 4:30 AM GMT+7.
Thanks for providing helpful info and keeping in touch.
I just tried adding account, and it worked, now it's syncing all the data, thanks!

Jorge 0 Reputation points

2025-11-26T09:54:06.6033333+00:00

Same here
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Ralf 85 Reputation points

2025-11-21T08:49:52.8033333+00:00

In my case it looks like it has something to do with the license.

The user who had the problems used a f3 license. I added an exchange license to it and now I'm able to setup the mail account in apple mail.

and yesterday another user told he had problems using apple mail. I also added a exchange license to the user, but he has not yet confirmed if the problem is solved now.

But I think think microsoft changed something on the license.

When checking in the azure admin portal I can also see that imap is disabled for f3. For exchange licenses it's enabled. So I'm not sure if this was the same before the problems arised.
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Ralf 85 Reputation points

2025-11-21T09:28:39.9866667+00:00

The second user also confirmed that he can use his mail account in apple mail. So it's clear it has something to do with the licenses.

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

2025-11-21T10:28:49.25+00:00

Hi @Ralf

Thank you for your responding.

Based on my research, F3 licenses do not support desktop client applications, access is limited to Outlook Web App (OWA) and mobile apps. Therefore, when you switch to a license that includes access to desktop client apps will enable you to connect and configure your account.

You could refer via: Link

I hope this resolves your concern.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

KenV 5 Reputation points

2025-11-21T14:24:56.6866667+00:00

Here, it just started working again since today (Nov 21st)

Until yesterday evening, no luck, but now, on both my Sequoia and Tahoe macOS computers, I suddenly was able to add my Microsoft Exchange account again (and select Mail, Calendar, Notes etc for sync)

No settings were changed on my account, so I can only assume something changed on Microsoft's end..

Reddy, Manoj 0 Reputation points

2025-11-23T13:28:36.6766667+00:00

I'm still having the same issue. how would one change to an "f3 license" i'm an employee at a healthcare company and it was previously working fine.
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Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-19T15:00:25.0233333+00:00

Hi @Ralf

Thank you for posting your question in Microsoft Q&A.

We understand that your business account cannot be added to Apple Mail.

Based on my research, this issue may be related to a known issue that Microsoft has acknowledged regarding Microsoft 365 email accounts disconnecting from Apple Mail. You can find more details here: Reconnecting your Microsoft 365 account to Apple Mail - Microsoft Support

You could try to follow these steps to troubleshoot it:

Re-enter Your Login Credentials

When prompted, click Edit Settings in the Apple Mail app and re-enter your login credentials.

If you don’t see this message in Apple Mail:

Open the Settings app.

Go to Apps -> Mail -> Mail Accounts.

Re-enter your login credentials.

Update Your Microsoft 365 Account in Apple Mail

1.Delete Your Microsoft 365 Account

Open the Settings app.

Tap Apps -> Mail.

Tap Mail Accounts -> Exchange.

Scroll to the bottom and click Delete Account.

2.Add Your Microsoft 365 Account Again

Open the Settings app.

Tap Apps -> Mail.

Tap Mail Accounts -> Add Account.

Select Microsoft Exchange and enter your credentials.

Please understand that our initial reply may not always immediately resolve the issue. However, with your help and more detailed information, we can work together to find a solution.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.
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Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2025-11-20T13:28:12.66+00:00

Hi @Ralf

I hope you are doing well.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.

Pietro Masina 0 Reputation points

2026-01-19T13:07:23.5166667+00:00

I have the same problem described above. I have deleted my account and tried to reinstall it again, but I always receive the same error message, like the others above. I can access my account on Outlook, but not on Apple Mail. The account became suddenly unresponsive three days ago.
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AI answer

2025-11-19T13:58:13.6266667+00:00
The error message you are encountering when trying to add an Exchange account to the Mail app on macOS could be related to issues with the Autodiscover service or account settings. Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot this issue:

Check Autodiscover Configuration: Ensure that the Autodiscover CNAME record is set up correctly for your domain. This is crucial for Outlook and other mail clients to retrieve the necessary settings for connecting to Exchange Online.

Enable EWS: If you are using an older version of Outlook, ensure that Exchange Web Services (EWS) is enabled in Exchange Online. You can enable it using PowerShell commands if necessary.

Verify Certificate: If there are issues with the SSL certificate for your domain, it may prevent the connection from being established. Make sure that the certificate matches the user's SMTP domain.

Group Policy Settings: If you are in a managed environment, check the Group Policy settings to ensure that Autodiscover is not disabled. The policy settings should allow for connected experiences in Office to enable cloud Autodiscover options.

Manual Configuration: If automatic configuration fails, you may need to manually enter the account settings for the Exchange account in the Mail app.

If these steps do not resolve the issue, consider using the Microsoft Remote Connectivity Analyzer to test the Autodiscover service for any misconfigurations.

References:

Outlook can't set up a Microsoft 365 account

Outlook can't set up a new profile by using Exchange Autodiscover for an Exchange Online mailbox in Microsoft 365
AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.
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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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