Have you ever seen the ACCOUNT_UNAVAILABLE issue on your Mac machine? Not everyone might have seen this, but for some, that can cause a severe headache while setting up the new Mac machine. But no need to worry. We will let you know how to fix it or completely solve the issue.
When the ACCOUNT_UNAVAILABLE issue happens?
The issue happens mainly when you try to set up your new Mac machine. For example, suppose you are configuring your new mac machine, whether your iMac, Mac Book, or even the Mac Mini. You might need to sign in with your Apple Id. Though signing in with Apple Id is not necessary, but you need the same for installing the apps from the App Store, to use apple specific features like Apple TV+, iCloud, iMessage, etc.
But, for some users, while signing in using Apple Id, an error might pop up, with no other information other than a simple alert ACCOUNT_UNAVAILABLE. If you get this message, you won’t be able to use the Apple Id on your Mac device. Moreover, since the error message is too short, you might face some difficulty finding the exact reason for the issue.
Why the ACCOUNT_UNAVAILABLE Issue happens on Mac
The issue is due to several factors like the time settings on your device, pending updates, and finally due to the account-related issues. So we will check them one by one and find the solutions to fix the ACCOUNT_UNAVAILABLE issue.
How to Fix the ACCOUNT_UNAVAILABLE Issue on Mac
As mentioned above, there are multiple reasons for the issue, so that we will see each one by one.
Modify the system time
Once you buy a new Mac Machine, the system time might not be correct in all the case. In that case, make sure to set the time according to your local time. The system time should be the same as in your region. Otherwise, you might face issues in signing in with your Apple Id.
Install the Pending Update
Most probably, there might be some pending system update when you set up a new Mac machine. In that case, check the system updates, and if you find any pending updates, install them first before sign in using the Apple Id. After that, check whether you can sign in. If not, proceed with the next option.
Issue with the Apple Id
In some cases, your Apple id might be inactive, which might be the reason. In that case, make sure you can log in to your Apple Id portal using any web browser. If you can use all the Apple services via a web browser, there won’t be any issue with your account.
If you see any message saying the account is locked, try resetting the password and thus unlock the account first.
Once done, try signing in using the account from your Mac machine. If the problem is still there, contact apple support via Phone, Email, or Chat. We recommend initiating the conversation via live chat. And let them know about the issue. Also, ask them to unlock your account for all the Apple services.
The main issue here is that chances are there to get locked if you haven’t used the apple id for a particular period. So even if you reset the account and unlocked it, the account might not get unlocked for all the Apple services. Since Apple has many services that use the same apple id, we need to make sure that the Id is unlocked for every service.
So, while chatting with apple support, make sure to inform them about this point and ask them to unlock your Apple Id for all the Apple services.
If everything goes fine, you can sign in using the Apple Id on your new Mac machine.
Create a new Apple Id
In the worse case, if none of the above steps didn’t fix the issue, the only option is to create a new Apple Id. If you are OK to discard your old Apple Id and migrate to a new account, then go ahead and create a new Apple id. This will fix the issue. But this won’t be a good option for all users, especially if you have been using the old Apple id for a long time.
