Each time you open an application on your Mac, an authentication process is performed in the background where your device verifies the sign-in credentials. Your Mac performs this operation in a seamless fraction of a second whenever you use any app or service to verify the credentials so that you don’t have to sign in each time before using the application.
So, are you seeing the “Accountsd wants to use the login keychain” alert on your macOS device? This alert follows with the message “Please enter the keychain password”. Most users have reported that even after hitting the “Cancel” button several times, this alert keeps popping on the screen.
Wondering how to fix it? We’ve got you covered. In this post, we have listed a few possible workarounds that you can use to get rid of this alert.
But before we proceed towards solutions, let’s get a basic understanding of what is accountsd and why this error message is being displayed on your Mac.
What is Accountsd?
Accountsd is a part of macOS’s “Accounts Framework”. The sole objective of the Accountsd service is to provide appropriate usernames and passwords to different apps to make the sign-in process smoother.
So, Keychain Access is Mac’s default app that stores all your passwords and credentials in one place. Right? Keychain access makes it easy for you to sign in, browse the web, or whenever you’re using cloud-based services, as you simply don’t have to enter your user ID and password every time before using an app or a service. Hence, the Keychain access app has a hold on all the passwords and sensitive information.
Well, now you must be wondering why you are seeing the “Accountsd wants to use the login keychain” alert on your screen, isn’t it? The accountsd is the service that is used for fetching the necessary information from the Keychain Access app. Each time when you launch an app on your Mac, the accountsd service gets to work verifying the credentials that are stored in the Keychain. And whenever the Accountsd service is unable to fetch your account details or passwords, you may get stuck with this alert.
Also read: How to Reset Keychain Password on Mac
How to Fix the “Accountsd Wants to use Login Keychain” Error on Mac
You can use any of the below-mentioned troubleshooting solutions for getting rid of this annoying alert notification from your Mac.
1. Disable the Auto-Lock
If the accountsd service is unable to fetch the necessary details from the Keychain Access app, this may occur when some of your app passwords are stored locally on your Mac rather than being saved on the iCloud. Hence, to fix this issue we will make some quick changes to the Keychain Access app and turn off the auto-lock feature.
Launch the Keychain Access app on your Mac.
Right-click on the “Login Module” option from the left menu pane and select “Change Settings for Keychain Login”.
The login keychain settings window will now appear on the screen. Uncheck the “Lock After” and “Lock when sleeping” options. Tap on Save to confirm.
Also read: 5 Best Password Manager For iPhone & iPad
2. Create a new Keychain
Altering the keychain access app settings did not help in getting rid of the alert? In our next workaround to fix the “Accountsd wants to use the login keychain” alert issue, we will try creating a new keychain to start afresh. Don’t worry! All the info stored in the old keychain won’t be erased once the new keychain is created.
Open Mac’s Finder.
In the “Go to this folder” text box, enter the following folder address.
~/Library/Keychains
Select the “Keychains Folder”.
Now hold the Option Key and then drag the Keychain folder on the Desktop.
Head back to the Desktop, right-click on the Keychains folder and then rename it.
Also read: 9 Best Password Manager for Mac In 2021
3. Reset Local Keychain
Open the Keychain Access app on your Mac.
Now tap on the “Keychain Access” option placed on the top menu bar and then select “Preferences”.
Tap on the “Reset My Default Keychain” option.
Create a new strong and secure for the Keychain Access app.
Tap on OK.
4. Delete the iCloud Keychain
If the iCloud keychain is not synced properly, you may encounter the “Accountsd wants to use the login keychain” alert. Hence, to delete the iCloud Keychain, follow these quick steps:
Tap on the Apple icon placed on the top menu bar, select “System Preferences”.
Select your Apple ID and then scroll through the list of items to look for “Keychain”. Uncheck on the “Keychain” option.
Reboot your device after making the above-listed changes.
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Conclusion
This wraps up our quick guide on the “How to fix the accountsd wants to use the login keychain alert” issue on Mac. In this post, we have listed some of the most common fixes that you can use for getting rid of the alert.
Do let us know whether the above-listed hacks helped you in fixing the issue. For any other queries or assistance, feel free to hit the comments section.