Trying to add this account to my Mac mail, error issue account already exists.

Question

Trying to add this account to my Mac mail, error issue account already exists. I have cleared cache, I have restarted and shut down. I have logged out of iCloud. The email account is not showing in settings/ internet accounts.

Answer 1

unfortunately this doesn’t work, but thank you so much for the advice.

Answer 2

Hello. Can you confirm whether this is a Microsoft 365 work or school account, or a personal Outlook.com/Hotmail account?

Try the following:

1. Open Keychain Access.
   • Search for your full email address.
   • Delete any entries related to:
     • The email address itself
     • Exchange or Outlook
     • Microsoft Office identities
2. Open Finder, click Go > Go to Folder, and enter: ~/Library/Mail
3. Open the version folder inside (for example, V10 or similar).
   • Look for a folder that references your email address.
   • If you find one, move only that specific account folder to the Trash.

This removes any leftover local Mail data that may still be registered in the Mail database.

Once you’ve done both steps, restart the Mac and try adding the account again from:

System Settings > Internet Accounts

If it’s a Microsoft 365 account, select Microsoft Exchange when setting it up.