iCloud keeps signing me out? 8 fixes for iPhone and iCloud.com

Being signed out of iCloud means your photos, contacts, notes, passwords and backups stop syncing until you sign in again, and Find My may stop showing the device, so it is worth fixing properly rather than just signing in each time. This guide covers iPhone and iPad, iCloud.com in a browser, and iCloud on Mac and Windows. If your problem is a password box that keeps popping up while you are still signed in, see why your Apple ID keeps asking for a password instead.

Why iCloud signs you out

• A password change: changing your Apple Account password signs out other devices and browsers on purpose.
• Security checks: Apple may end sessions after unusual sign-in activity or a new trusted phone number.
• Device settings: a wrong clock, a VPN or a network filter breaks the secure connection to iCloud.
• Browser settings: blocked or auto-deleted cookies end iCloud.com sessions.
• Outdated software: old iOS, macOS or iCloud for Windows versions struggle with current sign-in.

How to fix iCloud signing you out on iPhone

iCloud.com keeps logging you out

• Tick Keep me signed in on the sign-in page, and choose Trust when asked whether to trust the browser.
• Allow cookies for icloud.com: in Safari, turn off Block All Cookies in Settings › Apps › Safari; in Chrome, allow cookies for icloud.com in Settings › Privacy and security.
• Do not use private or incognito windows, which delete the session when closed.
• Check cleanup extensions: privacy or cleaner extensions that clear cookies on exit sign you out every time.
• Expect some sign-outs: for security, iCloud.com sessions end after a period of inactivity, and on shared or public computers you should sign out yourself.

iCloud keeps signing out on a Mac

Update macOS in System Settings › General › Software Update, make sure Date & Time is set automatically, and look for a banner in System Settings › [your name] asking you to sign in again or update settings. If it keeps happening, sign out of iCloud there, restart the Mac, and sign in again. Keep a copy of iCloud data on the Mac when asked, so your files and notes stay available while you are signed out.

iCloud for Windows keeps signing out

Could someone else be signing you out?

Rarely, repeated sign-outs mean someone knows your password and changed it, or is signing in elsewhere. Warning signs include emails from Apple about a password or email change you did not make, sign-in alerts showing a map of an unfamiliar place, or devices you do not recognize in your device list. If you see any of these, reset your password from your own iPhone right away, remove unknown devices and trusted numbers, and turn on two-factor authentication if it is off. See what to do when your Apple ID is locked for more on securing the account.

iPad and Apple Watch

iPad uses the same steps as iPhone. Apple Watch follows the iPhone it is paired with, so fix the iPhone first; if the watch still shows an account alert, open the Watch app on the iPhone, go to General › Apple Account and sign in again. Cellular Apple Watch models may also ask you to re-enter the password for their own services after a password change.

Habits that keep you signed in

• Keep iOS, macOS and iCloud for Windows up to date.
• Leave Date & Time on automatic on every device.
• Use one Apple Account for both iCloud and the App Store whenever you can.
• After a password change, sign in on every device the same day.
• Only use VPNs and network filters that allow Apple’s services.

When a VPN or network filter is the cause

Some VPNs, ad blockers and school or office networks block or reroute the addresses iCloud uses to confirm your session. The result is a sign-in that works briefly and then drops. Test by turning the VPN off and switching to cellular data for a day. If the problem stops, add an exception for Apple services in the VPN app, or ask the network administrator to allow them. Apple publishes the domains its services need for network administrators, so your IT team can look them up.

Private Relay, part of iCloud+, is Apple’s own feature and works with iCloud normally, so there is no need to turn it off while troubleshooting.

Two Apple Accounts on one iPhone

An iPhone can use one Apple Account for iCloud and a different one for the App Store and media, under Settings › [your name] › Media & Purchases. People who have two accounts, such as an old one and a new one, sometimes sign out of one while trying to fix the other. Check which email appears at the top of Settings (iCloud) and which appears in Media & Purchases. For most people, using the same account for both avoids confusion and repeated sign-ins.

After signing back in: check everything syncs

• Open Settings › [your name] › iCloud and make sure Photos, iCloud Drive, Contacts, Messages and Passwords are turned on.
• Check that iCloud Backup is on and runs tonight.
• Enter another device’s passcode if asked; end-to-end encrypted data such as Passwords, Health and, with Advanced Data Protection, more of iCloud needs it.
• Give Photos and Messages a few hours on Wi-Fi to catch up.

If syncing still does not resume, see how to fix iCloud storage problems, since a full iCloud account also stops syncing even when you are signed in.

Work, school or family restrictions

An iPhone managed by an employer or school can have rules that sign you out, block changes to the Apple Account or use a Managed Apple Account instead of your personal one. Ask your IT department. On a child’s iPhone, a parent may have restricted account changes in Screen Time, which also greys out the Sign Out button.

Signed out after changing your password

This is expected. After a password change, go through each device once: iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Apple TV and any Windows PC, and sign in with the new password. Until you do, those devices keep asking or show that iCloud is signed out. If you did not change the password yourself, change it now and check the device list in Settings › [your name] for anything you do not recognize. See how to reset your Apple Account password.