Here is how to stop an influx of pop-up alerts on Mac saying \u201caccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d, which can be a sign of misconfiguration or malware.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Update: January 2025<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n With the ubiquity of potentially unwanted or outright harmful Mac applications in the wild, there are plenty of hypothetical situations that can undermine or ruin the user experience through annoying pop-ups within or outside a web browser. That being said, warnings that are caused by bugs or inconsistencies at the level of the operating system seem to be the lesser of two evils, but they are equally frustrating. To top it off, sometimes it\u2019s problematic to differentiate between malicious or benign catalysts for such activity, which hampers the process of accurately diagnosing the root cause. This ambiguity applies to the issue where pop-up alerts saying \u201caccountsd wants to use the \u201clogin\u201d keychain\u201d<\/strong> are repeatedly displayed on a Mac computer.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s start with the non-malicious facet of this problem. For clarity\u2019s sake, it\u2019s worth diving into the essence of the accountsd entity first. It is a system service geared toward ensuring that the installed applications and the Mac user\u2019s accounts are acting in concert. This bilateral harmony is a prerequisite for seamlessly accessing the native and third-party utilities without the need to enter authentication details off and on. To make this awesomeness happen, the user should head to Internet Accounts under System Preferences and enroll the frequently used services there. On a side note, the iCloud account is added to this list automatically. At some point, though, this synchronization may stop functioning the way it should.<\/p>\n \tSpecial Offer<\/strong> \t The \u201caccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d pop-up problem often appears after macOS updates \u2013 either major or supplementary ones. The possible correlation between these two occurrences is as follows: system tweaks may cause this keychain to be locked, although they shouldn\u2019t. When this drag kicks in, the workaround is to open the \u201cKeychain Access\u201d app from the Mac\u2019s \u201cUtilities\u201d interface, right-click the \u201clogin\u201d entry in the sidebar, choose \u201cChange Settings for Keychain login\u201d, and deselect the \u201cLock when sleeping\u201d option if the box next to it is checked. Also, consider disabling the \u201cLock after\u201d feature or enter a period of inactivity longer than the default five minutes.<\/p>\n Another likely scenario where the \u201caccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d pop-ups start flooding the system stems from a change of the macOS user account credentials. Ideally, the new password should take effect across all the services and applications without any manual action. However, this isn\u2019t always the case, and the authentication data for the high-level \u201clogin\u201d keychain and for the system might not match. If so, the easy fix is to make sure that the keychain and the system are using the same password. To do it, open the \u201cKeychain Access\u201d screen once again, right-click \u201clogin\u201d, and select \u201cChange Password for Keychain \u2018login\u2019\u201d in the context menu. Enter and confirm the new password to bring credentials back into sync.<\/p>\n In many cases, the frustrating bug in question co-occurs with similar pop-up activity involving a handful of other system processes. No matter if the user enters the Keychain password or hits \u201cCancel\u201d during login, noxious alerts that mention other daemons just cycle through in a specific sequence non-stop and call forth a spike in CPU and memory usage. Below is a brief overview of these commonly encountered dialogs.<\/p>\n Blaming the pop-up activity on a system glitch is the correct train of thought in most cases, but there is an extra shade of this problem most users are clueless about. Some strains of Mac malware masquerade themselves as legitimate system services, and a few are even capable of riddling regular processes with toxic components to slip under the radar. Things get worse if this impersonation trick is aimed at accessing the victim\u2019s keychains, which is a source of highly sensitive information that might fuel identity theft and virus distribution campaigns. Therefore, if the \u201caccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d and similar alerts are recurrently popping up on a Mac, one of the important remediation steps is to check the system for harmful code and remove whatever is detected.<\/p>\n The steps listed below will walk you through the removal of this malicious application. Be sure to follow the instructions in the specified order.<\/p>\n As an illustration, here are several examples of LaunchAgents related to mainstream Mac infections: com.pcv.hlpramc.plist<\/strong>, com.updater.mcy.plist<\/strong>, com.avickUpd.plist<\/strong>, and com.msp.agent.plist<\/strong>. If you spot files that don\u2019t belong on the list, go ahead and drag them to the Trash.<\/p>\n The system will display the list of items launched when the computer is starting up. Locate the potentially unwanted app there and click on the \u201c-\u201d (minus) button. <\/p>\n If your Mac has been infiltrated by adware, the infection will most likely continue to hold sway over your default web browser even after you remove the underlying application along with its components sprinkled around the system. Use the browser cleanup instructions below to address the remaining consequences of this attack.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n To begin with, the web browser settings taken over by the \u201caccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d virus should be restored to their default values. Although this will clear most of your customizations, web surfing history, and all temporary data stored by websites, the malicious interference should be terminated likewise. The overview of the steps for completing this procedure is as follows:<\/p>\n The Mac maintenance and security app called Combo Cleaner<\/strong> is a one-stop tool to detect and remove \u201caccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d virus. This technique has substantial benefits over manual cleanup, because the utility gets hourly virus definition updates and can accurately spot even the newest Mac infections.<\/p>\n Furthermore, the automatic solution will find the core files of the malware deep down the system structure, which might otherwise be a challenge to locate. Here\u2019s a walkthrough to sort out the \u201caccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d issue using Combo Cleaner:<\/p>\n Download Combo Cleaner<\/a><\/p>\n By downloading any applications recommended on this website you agree to our Terms and Conditions<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>. The free scanner checks whether your Mac is infected. To get rid of malware, you need to purchase the Premium version of Combo Cleaner.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Accountsd (a portmanteau combining the words \u201caccounts\u201d and \u201cdaemon\u201d) is an important system process handling the workflow of authenticating with macOS native and third-party applications that require user credentials to operate. Part of the Accounts Framework, it automatically passes your username and password for a specific program whenever you open it. In plain words, Accountsd saves you the hassle of entering sensitive sign-in details each time you execute an app you have a personal account with. This sort of automation is a great shortcut that facilitates a proper user experience.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Here is the logic behind ensuring that the macOS database of authentication records, or keychain, is in sync with the sign-in data for all the apps you are using: each instance of login to your Mac provides the necessary permissions to programs in one fell swoop. This way, you don\u2019t have to type those details individually for every application.<\/p>\n However, things aren\u2019t always that smooth. One of the common occurrences that throws a spanner in the works is when your Mac repeatedly requests keychain passwords. In the context of the \u201clogin\u201d keychain, this drag usually occurs when your system-wide user password and the corresponding keychain password don\u2019t match. Another possible reason for this nuisance scenario is that the \u201clogin\u201d keychain may be configured to lock after a certain period of inactivity or when sleep mode is activated. The good news is, both predicaments are easy to sort out through a few tweaks of appropriate settings. The detailed how-to information is provided in the article above.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n It depends on the root cause. If you have recently changed your Mac login information, be sure to also update the password for the \u201clogin\u201d keychain. To do it, head to \u201cUtilities\u201d from the Mac menu bar, launch the \u201cKeychain Access\u201d app, right-click the \u201clogin\u201d entry in the sidebar, and pick the option that says \u201cChange Password for Keychain \u2018login\u2019\u201d. Type in the new password and save the change.<\/p>\n If the syncing routine is acting finicky because of a specified lock time-out, you should modify the troublesome setting. Click \u201cGo\u201d in the Apple menu, select \u201cUtilities\u201d, open the Keychain Access app, control-click the \u201clogin\u201d item in the left-hand sidebar, and select \u201cChange Settings for Keychain \u2018login\u2019\u201d. Then, consider unchecking the \u201cLock after\u201d setting and also deselecting the \u201cLock when sleeping\u201d option. Click \u201cSave\u201d so that the new configuration takes effect.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n If the recurrent password request mentions the \u201clogin\u201d keychain, then there are basically two methods to address the obnoxious issue. One is to ascertain that the Mac user account and keychain passwords are the same. The other is to check if you have any settings that instruct the system to lock the \u201clogin\u201d keychain based on certain conditions, for instance, a time interval or a wake from sleep event.<\/p>\n A somewhat different facet of the problem may manifest itself due to general security and privacy settings enabled on your machine. A common example is when macOS is set to require your login password after the sleep mode begins or the screensaver is activated. To see if that\u2019s the case, go to System Preferences (the gear icon in the Dock), select \u201cSecurity & Privacy\u201d, hit the \u201cGeneral\u201d tab, and take a look at the checkboxes ticked in there. Pay special attention to the \u201cRequire password\u201d entry. If you aren\u2019t okay with the current configuration, you might want to deselect the self-explanatory options that are giving you a hard time.<\/p>\n It\u2019s worth mentioning that sometimes such problems kick in after macOS updates. This is because something may have gone wrong during the process and previous user customizations aren\u2019t always retained. Also, password requirements could signal malicious attempts to get hold of sensitive data, and this activity is often precipitated by malware that has cropped up in the computer behind your back. That being said, performing some basic security check-up is a good idea if these requests make you suspicious.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Here is how to stop an influx of pop-up alerts on Mac saying \u201caccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d, which can be a sign of misconfiguration or malware. Update: January 2025 What is the \u201caccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d alert? With the ubiquity of potentially unwanted or outright harmful Mac applications in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24549,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11768],"tags":[16659,16657,16655,16658,1091,16660,11553,1765,8927,16656],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-24548","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apple-2","tag-accountsd","tag-accountsd-password-change","tag-accountsd-wants-to-use-the-login-keychain-mac-pop-up","tag-change-settings-for-login-keychain-mac","tag-keychain","tag-login","tag-mac","tag-popup","tag-remove","tag-remove-accountsd-wants-to-use-the-login-keychain-alert"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat is the \u201caccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d alert?<\/h2>\n
![\"\u2018accountsd](\"https:\/\/macsecurity.net\/storage\/posts\/August2021\/accountsd-wants-to-use-the-login-keychain-pop-up-alert.png\" "\\"\u2018accountsd")
<\/p>\n
\u201cAccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d virus alert may re-infect your Mac multiple times unless you delete all of its fragments, including hidden ones. Therefore, it is recommended to download Combo Cleaner and scan your system for these stubborn files. \tThis way, you may reduce the cleanup time from hours to minutes.<\/strong> \t Download Now<\/a> \tLearn how ComboCleaner works<\/a>. If the utility spots malicious code, you will need to buy a license to get rid of it.<\/sub> <\/span><\/p>\n![\"Change](\"https:\/\/macsecurity.net\/storage\/posts\/August2021\/change-the-login-keychain-settings-to-stop-alert.png\" "\\"Change")
<\/p>\nThe issue isn\u2019t isolated to accountsd<\/h2>\n
\n
A misconfiguration or something else?<\/h2>\n
\u201cAccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d virus alert manual removal for Mac<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nGet rid of \u201caccountsd wants to use the login keychain\u201d pop-ups in web browser on Mac<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\n<\/li>\nFAQ<\/h2>\n