I was trying to add a ProtonMail account to my Apple Mac desktop app and I received the error “Account Already Exists”. No matter how many times I tried to add the account the error kept on popping up.
Weirdly enough this is an error that has to do with your iCloud account and not whatever account that you’re trying to add.
Here is how to fix it:
- Click on the Apple logo in the top left corner of your screen
- Click on System Preferences
- Find iCloud and click on it
- In the bottom left corner click on “Sign out”
- Now go try to add your new email account again and it should add successfully
- Go back to System Preferences and sign back in to iCloud
Unfortunately this is the only way to resolve whatever hiccup or backlog that is causing the issue on your system. Fortunately it’s a pretty solution.
Let me know if this fixed your issue below in the comments!
There is no Sign Out button on the bottom left?
Thanks for the tip ! By doing that, I have managed to re-add two Exchange mail accounts with no problem, but not my third which is a Yahoo account. The Exchange ones are for work, but the Yahoo one is my personal account. Still getting ‘this account already exists’ even after logging out of iCloud. Really frustrating. It all started when I changed my Apple ID password a few days ago. All my email accounts were blocked. I haven’t dared to mess around with Keychain, which some have suggested. Meantime everything works fine on my MacBook and iPhone ! Any idea what I might try next ?
The Sign Out button is the minus sign in the lower left. After you’re done, you use the Plus sign to bring iCloud back up. I figured it had something to do with iCloud but I didn’t think of disconnecting from it until I found this. What appears to be the problem is removing the email account doesn’t clean up the iCloud account properly but disconnecting from it prevents mail from seeing the information that is left over. I had an additional issues as I am running earthlink and they are set up for POP. To configure for Imap, I use an invalid password and when the error screen comes up, I can configure for Imap. It’s a nasty trick but so far it works.
I’m having the exact same issue as Chris Reilley and yes it’s really frustrating and virtually every problem, which are many with Mac OS Catalina and Mojave, stem from iCloud which preserves information in cryptic, inaccessible files, including iCloud Drive, that is slowly taking control over user decisions. Safari Bookmarks changes, Desktop and Documents if you are silly enough to leave that checked etc. etc. etc..
I have 9 email accounts and I’ve deleted the corresponding Keychain files of the account which will not return to active to no avail, therefore the retention of the account information, that cannot be added because, “A SMTP account already exists. Only a single SMTP account is allowed to be saved,” remains an unsolvable problem for hours now. The advice online presumed the iCloud email is the issue. THis is the first which recognizes that other acocunts are being affected by the iCloud chokehold as well.
When the account is added, it loads the emails in a flash and then snaps to inactive again. An Old Schol Method involves modifying the V2 –> MailData –> Accounts.plist file using BBEdit. I tried this as well to no avail. This compromises security so I put it back to it’s original state.
The email account in question is my primary business email account which inexplicably failed after changing my iCloud password. There is no existing account! I am re-adding it, but clearly it’s retained in a .plist file somewhere that users can no longer access because Tim Cook has lost the plot that Steve Jobs spent 20 years Creating and the solution is bundled somewhere that’s also a myster to Phone Techs. Less user access is the new ethic. He has probably determined that 3.7% less phone calls occur when users have less choices and that means another vacation in the Bahamas with noting that it means 8 hours of user BS to solve additional problems that some code decision has created.
I’ve turned off the iCloud account and this does not work either. Perhaps reinstalling the entire Operating System will do the trick TImmy Boy? User’s time matter too. The corporate thugs seem to forget that or never gave a damn in the first place. If I find an answer I will post it here. I would appreciate if you all cold do the same.
It’s also worth noting that when the account is added and cannot be saved, it repopulates the cells with the wrong information before deactivating. This wrong information, including the incoming and outgoing server, is clearly stored somewhere persistent. It’s the finding of that storage location that will solve this problem. It is quite likely a KeyCain file or .plist file.
GO TO System Preferences –> Internet Accounts and delete the account in question. Create it from scratch again. That’s it. It will repopulate the INBOX emails because it’s an IMAP account. There’s no need to sacrifice your first born or reintall the Harddrive after all.
On os catalina, I even deleted the iCloud account and still get the message that the account already exists.
This worked like a charm for me. I signed out of my Apple ID (System Preferences > Apple ID > Overview > Sign Out…). Then while still signed out, I tried re-adding the problem email account and finally got no error message! The email is now added and working (and is no longer “offline”). Just logged back into iCloud with my Apple ID and all is working fine.
After spending hours live chatting with Apple customer service while simultaneously Googling solutions, this finally worked. Thank you!
Trying to get your yahoo email to work on the mail app? Going through the log in steps but getting a “this account already exists” message?? Try this: go into the apple menu, system preferences, select internet accounts. click on Yahoo mail and a side menu opens listing various features such as mail, contacts. calendars, reminders, notes. You have to check the box for the mail and what ever other features you wish to activate. Then go back to the mail app and log in.
Your advice fixed it! Thanks!!
Easiest way to get around this Apple bug: run Keychain Access, find the passwords for that account (com.apple.account.IMAP.password and com.apple.account.SMTP.password) and change them
I’m so thankful! Now I’m back to having my email account on my Mac! That was a tricky bug! Some UX improvement from Apple about this issue would be great!
M Lars. You are genius !
Yes, this was the solution. After 1 hour of searching & reading apple support & forums your clear, simple method worked first time!
I tried signing out of icloud and then adding mail account and I would get the same message. What worked for me is going to system preferences>internet accounts> and check the mail box under yahoo (or whatever account you have) and then open the mail. I was automatically signed in. hope this works for you guys!
@Brenna Your method worked for me just now. Thank you so much!