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

Ralf 80

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 13,215 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 5 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

24 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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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 13,215 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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The operation couldn’t be completed. (com.apple.accounts error 3.)

Turn on EWS org-wide

24 answers

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