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I cant sign into microsoft exchange on my apple desktop so my email (including outlook) is frozen

Chris Bailey 20 Reputation points
2026-05-21T17:32:28.7066667+00:00

Outlook is working fine on my iphone and ipad. When I log into my apple desk top exchange asks me to sign in. It does not recognise my password and when I use the authenticator that doesn't fix the problem either. Then all my mail is frozen.

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Exchange Online

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AI answer

2026-05-21T17:32:52.6+00:00

Use the Apple Mail account reset steps and re-connect the Microsoft 365/Exchange account on the Apple desktop.

  1. First, re-enter credentials in Apple Mail:
    1. Open the Settings (or System Settings) app on the Mac.
    2. Go to Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts (wording may vary slightly by macOS version).
    3. Select the Microsoft 365/Exchange account that is failing.
    4. When prompted, choose Edit Settings and re-enter the correct email address and password.
    5. Complete any Microsoft sign-in prompts, including Authenticator approvals.
  2. If re-entering credentials does not work, remove and re-add the Exchange account in Apple Mail:
    1. In Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts, select the Exchange account.
    2. Click Delete Account at the bottom of the page.
    3. Confirm removal. This only removes the account from the Mac; mail remains in the mailbox in the cloud.
    4. Still in Settings > Apps > Mail > Mail Accounts, click Add Account.
    5. Choose Microsoft Exchange.
    6. Enter the same email address used on the iPhone/iPad where Outlook works.
    7. Complete the Microsoft 365 sign-in flow, including password and Authenticator approval.
  3. If the account is an Outlook.com/Hotmail/Live address and is added as Exchange instead of Outlook.com, remove it and re-add it as Outlook.com (where available) so that modern authentication is used. This avoids basic-auth sign-in failures that can freeze mail sync.
  4. If the issue persists after re-adding:
    1. Remove the account again from Apple Mail.
    2. Clear browser cache used for sign-in (for example, in Safari: Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data).
    3. Restart the Mac.
    4. Add the account back as Microsoft Exchange (for work/school) or Outlook.com (for personal Outlook.com/Hotmail/Live) and complete sign-in.

If the Exchange account itself is disabled or locked by the organization, contact the Microsoft Exchange administrator to re-enable the account before trying to add it again on the Mac.

References:

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