[Fixed] Unable to Verify Account Name or Password

Users may stumble upon the “unable to verify account name or password” issue on Mac when accessing services such as LinkedIn, Google, Yahoo and Flickr. This issue may come from security concerns, wrong password and proxy server settings.

Apple Mail remains connected to the server to confirm if users have a new item in the inbox. When the email server goes down temporarily or gets inundated with requests, it declines the requisitions from Mac mail with an error message like “unable to verify account name or password”. However, this may also occur if you change keychain password as this wipes data in internet accounts.

We recently received queries on a quick fix to fix the issue from our readers. This article constitutes our response and reliable solutions for Mac owners grappling with the puzzle.

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Part 1. Preventative & Maintenance Techniques to Avoid Validation Issues

Approach 1. Remove Expired Certificates or Old Passwords Archived in Keychain on Mac

If your mail remains inaccessible due to the unable to verify account name or password error, check the Keychain to erase obsolete data. Delete any terminated or annulled certificates along with existing password duplications from the Keychain.

From Applications, launch Keychain Access and search for the entry based on the connections you use like here. Next, go to Mac mail and confirm your email, a password prompt will appear. Type the exact password in the account password field and enable “Remember this password in my keychain”.

Approach 2. Spruce up Your Mac

You can rely on Mac cleaner tools to clean up your Mac. Often, folder caches, cookies, and junk files corrupt your Mac while diminishing performance. These files belong to purgeable space and can be removed.

For bugs-free maintenance, PowerMyMac spruces up, protects, and optimizes your Mac machine. It erases and steers clear of future junk, detects duplicates, uninstalls unnecessary apps, and makes your device run at full pelt. It packs up to many useful tools for all-around care.

Best of all, PowerMyMac comes with an uninstaller feature to permanently remove unnecessary applications and related pieces of data. You can rely on this tool to solve any issues associated with uninstalled stubborn apps. This cleaner digs deeper to eliminate every fragment of the uninstalled software.

You can clear your Apple Mail caches or other application caches using the PowerMyMac tool if you can't verify your account name or password.

Approach 3. Delete Offline Mail Cache Folder

If your mailbox is sluggish or the emails don’t appear, we recommend removal of the offline mail cache because infected data may cause the error code. Follow these steps to erase mail caches and avoid "unable to verify account name or password" issue:

1. From Terminal window, fill in the command, viz. "defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE;killall Finder" and press Enter to see the underground cache files;
2. Shut down the Mail application;
3. Navigate to the cache folder as follows, Users > your_profile > Library > Mail > IMAP_account_name;
4. Delete ".OfflineCache".

A newly-created cache folder kicks in when you launch Mail app again. Open the app to ascertain if the email loading runs faster and whether the error of unverified name or password has disappeared. To get rid of Mail cache, you can also utilize the multi-tool cleaner-PowerMyMac. This cleaner can help you erase system data, duplicates, caches, uninstalled app remnants and more on Mac.

Part 2. How to Manually Fix Unverified Name or Password Issue

Method 1. Feed Email Password in System Preferences

The verifying hitch may appear if you previously changed the Keychain password. If you encounter the validation issue in the Mail app, feed in the password to authorize the account in System Preferences. Do these steps to fix "unable to verify account name or password" issue:

• Launch System Preferences and select Internet Accounts;
• On the left board, select the account that needs validation, pop-up prompts you for the password.
• Hit Cancel to view the comprehensive page of archived email accounts.
• Fill in the password in the blank fields and hold down Tab key button on the keyboard to access the next spaces.
• The system validates your account as long as you enter the correct password. A similar method applies to confirm email accounts.

Method 2. Re-Feed Email Account

Deleting and re-feeding the email details into the Mail app may pull off the account name and password validation trick. The effects of this include the removal of the email cache from the system. However, the computer preserves the attachment you’ve stored and the genuine data archived on the email server. Choose between the approaches below to get rid of the email accounts and fix "unable to verify account name or password" issue.

Way 1. Delete the email account from the Mail App

• Open the Mail app.
• Hit Mail option at the top menu followed by Preferences at the pull-down list.
• Click on the email account required on the left sidebar, and then choose "-" button at the foot.
• Hit “OK” to wrap up the process.

Way 2. Delete the Email Account from System Preference

• Launch System Preferences and select Internet Accounts.
• Select the email account required followed by "-" button at the foot.
• Click on “OK” to finish the process.

Restart the machine after the deletion. Reintroduce the email account to the Mail app via System Preferences>Internet accounts or Mail App > Mail > Accounts.