When an account needs signing in again

An account that worked before can stop working because the service has ended the access it gave Storage Studio. Your files in the account are fine; only the permission has lapsed. How you reconnect depends on the type: iCloud accounts have a Sign in again button, bucket and server accounts have Edit, and browser-sign-in accounts are removed and added again.

How you can tell

• Browsing the account says That account needs signing in again — its access has expired.
• Test connection on the account fails with a red message.
• For iCloud, Test connection says Apple needs you to confirm this Mac again for this iCloud account.
• A backup to the account reports that the cloud account's sign-in has expired — your backup passphrase is fine.

Why access runs out

• iCloud asks for a new verification code roughly once a month, and again if that Apple ID's password changes.
• Google Drive with your own credentials — if your Google Cloud project is still in test mode, Google ends the access after 7 days. Publishing the project stops this; see using your own sign-in credentials.
• Any provider can end access, for example when you change the account's password or remove Storage Studio's access in the account's security settings.
• Bucket and server accounts stop working when the access key, password or private key changes on the other side.

%% caption: Reconnecting an account, by type
flowchart TD
  A[An account stopped working] --> B{What type is it?}
  B -->|iCloud Drive| C[Sign in again, then enter Apple's new code]
  B -->|Bucket Storage, SFTP or FTP| D[Edit, then enter the new key or password]
  B -->|Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or Box| E[Note the transfers that use it]
  E --> F[Remove the account]
  F --> G[Add Account with the same nickname]
  G --> H[Set the transfers up again]
  C --> I[Test connection]
  D --> I
  H --> I

iCloud Drive

1. In Remotes & Accounts, select the iCloud account and click Sign in again.
2. Enter the Apple ID's password and click Sign in again.
3. Type the new code Apple sends to that Apple ID's devices and click Verify.

If you cancel or the code doesn't work, the account is put back exactly as it was. Its Photos library comes back with it. For more, see signing in to another Apple ID's iCloud fails.

Bucket Storage, SFTP and FTP

Select the account, click Edit, and type the new secret key, password or key passphrase. Fields you leave alone keep their saved values. Click Save account, then Test connection.

Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and Box

These accounts don't have an Edit or Sign in again button; to reconnect, you remove the account and add it again.

1. Make a note of any transfers that use the account. Removing an account also removes the transfers that use it, and the confirmation lists them.
2. Select the account and click Remove. Your files in the cloud aren't touched.
3. Click Add Account and sign in again — using the same nickname keeps things easy to recognise.
4. Set the transfers up again in Data Transfers.

See also: Testing, editing and removing an account · Connecting Google Drive · A transfer failed · A backup didn't run