Why does my Apple account password stop working after a few logins?
Asked by
MellowOrbit42
For the past few months, my Apple account password has repeatedly stopped being accepted when I sign in through the main Apple website. I'm entering the password manually and it is definitely correct. Resetting it fixes the problem temporarily—usually for one or two logins—but after I leave it for a while, the same password is rejected again. The iOS apps seem fine and don't log me out, and I've already tried clearing cookies and signing out of iCloud on my Mac. Is there anything else I should check before abandoning Apple altogether?
Answers
This could be browser-specific. Some people run into repeated sign-in failures with Firefox on both macOS and Linux, while Safari or Chrome works normally. Try signing in through Safari or Chrome and see whether the problem returns there. If it only happens in one browser, clearing its stored Apple data or switching browsers may solve it.
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Which Apple service are you signing into? If it’s the main Apple website rather than the cloud dashboard, try removing the site’s cookies and saved login data specifically, then sign in again. Also make sure the browser is fully updated and that autofill isn’t inserting an old password.
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If the password is being copied from a password manager or document, check for an invisible space or line break at the end. Since you’re typing it manually, though, that sounds less likely. It may be worth testing the account management page directly and changing the password there, then signing in again from a clean browser session.
MellowOrbit42: I’m not copying and pasting it. I’ve reset the password around six times this year, and each reset works immediately, but after I wait a while the same password stops being accepted again.
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MellowOrbit42: I’ve already tried Safari, but I’ll compare it with Chrome as well. The issue usually happens when I’m using the main Apple website to buy an online voucher, rather than inside the apps.