Data syncing & recovery key issues: How to resolve?

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Level 1

36 points

Data syncing & recovery key issues: How to resolve?

Fellow Apple Support Community members — I’ve reached a near-fatal situation with my Mac and my Apple account, and I now reach out to you for urgent help. It is my last resort and last hope.

There are two major problems happening on my Mac devices concurrently:

(1) iCloud data is not properly syncing across devices and on the Web.

(2) The 28-character recovery key previously set for my Apple account is not being recognized/accepted.

Summary: The problems first arose suddenly and unexpectedly a couple of weeks ago while I was logged into my Apple account and routinely syncing photos across devices. When I tried to log out this time, however, the dreaded red-circled error message popped up on my two devices: “iCloud Data Isn’t Syncing”. When I clicked on the “Resume Data Sync” option, I was prompted to input both the password of my device (iMac) and the recovery key I had previously set. When I did so, an error warning in red letters then appeared: “The recovery key you entered is not valid”.

I am 100-percent certain that the recovery key had been correctly inputted; I am always meticulous about setting passwords and other security measures across my Apple devices. I also am aware, though, that when a recovery key is inexplicably rejected on any Mac (which, in fact, does happen sometimes; check these Community forum archives for details), it is more or less Game Over.

In short, it is a vicious cycle: resume data syncing —> password/recovery key —> resume data syncing —> password/recovery key, over and over.

If I want to resume data syncing or log out of iCloud or make any kind of changes in iCloud, I am prompted with: (1) a request for the device or Apple account password, and (2) a request for the recovery key, which is never accepted even though it is correct.

The systems I currently have in place, and their respective related issues, are:

—iMac desktop, OS Tahoe 26.0.1

The dreaded red-circled error message that pops up — “iCloud Data Isn’t Syncing” — is there most of the time. I notice at other times, though, that the red-circle error warning disappears. Then, at other times, the red-circled error warning returns and there is no way of getting rid of it. The “iCloud Data Isn’t Syncing” error message comes and goes and there is no predictable pattern to it.

With the exception of Apple Mail, most of the other native Mac apps in iCloud on this device are turned off. Only Apple Mail is being synced. If I want to turn on other apps for syncing, I am confronted with the vicious cycle, above, of resume data syncing —> password recovery key — over and over.

—iPhone ver. 18.7.1 (latest version; iPhone OSTahoe update has not yet come to Japan, where I live)

Very similar to the situation with the iMac desktop, above, with one glaring difference: the dreaded red-circled error message of “iCloud Data Isn’t Syncing” is always present. It never goes away. The vicious cycle described above is exactly the same here on the iPhone device.

— iCloud: accessible online by web browsers

I am able to log into and out of the iCloud website with no problem. I can access Apple Mail with no problem. But the other native Mac apps (Photos, iCloud Drive, Notes, etc.) are not accessible. To access them, I am prompted to have my devices give “temporary permission” to open that particular application. I click on the prompt to give permission. Then, an error message soon appears: “Can’t Display iCloud Drive [or Photos, etc.] — Your device hasn’t given access to display your files and documents [or photos, etc.]. Check that it is on and connected to the Internet”.

As far as storage space is concerned, there is now 145 GB free space available out of 200 GB in my iCloud account, more than enough to get by. And yet these problems persist.

What I cannot currently do at this point, as a result of the above dire situation:

• Cannot resume data syncing across my two devices

• Cannot update my Apple Account settings across the devices

• Cannot have my recovery key accepted and used at all

• Cannot create a new recovery key

• Cannot log out of iCloud on my two devices. I am essentially “locked in” to my iCloud account on these devices. (I can at least log into/out of iCloud on web browsers.)

• Cannot back up my iPhone device in iCloud as I usually do.

• Cannot open some of Apple native software (iCloud Drive, Photos, Notes, etc.) via web browser when logged into the iCloud website.

None of these, among many other attempts, has worked in solving the problems. I am facing a crisis of sorts with iCloud and my devices. I cannot move forward or backward with my iCloud account situation; I am stuck in place. How can I resolve this very serious situation? Please share your ideas, past experiences, explanations, suggestions here. I promise to follow them up.

Full text of posting

[Edited by Moderator]

iMac 24″, macOS 26.0

Posted on Oct 18, 2025 7:30 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

tonykaku Author

Level 1

36 points

Nov 1, 2025 3:43 AM in response to tonykaku

Though no one ever bothered to reply to this urgent post regarding a recovery key/data syncing emergency, let me update you on what has happened since the last two above posts. In short, the emergency has been confronted and the problems resolved.

Here's how it happened: After more than a month of trying everything, several times over, I tried once again to get past the recovery key not being accepted. On my iMac system settings portal, there was an option just below the recovery key input area to the effect of: "Don't have access to recovery key?". I had clicked on this before multiple times, and nothing ever came of it.

This time I was prompted to delete end-to-end encryption of some data on iCloud, just as I had been before, and I tried again to click on that. Before, the process had failed several times to go forward. This time, luckily, the process went forward and deleted the encryption, allowing my device (iMac) to log out of iCloud smoothly. This worked on both my iMac and iPhone.

Persistence — that is the only thing that was able to resolve this emergency. The resolution arose just as suddenly and unexpectedly as the problems had arisen in the first place more than a month ago. So, if you are faced with a similar dire situation in the future, do all the investigation and research you need to to solve this problem on your own. But just don't give up! Keep going back again and again and again and keep trying the same processes and the same options, clicking the same buttons, etc. If you are fortunate, as I was, you may find a resolution to the whole morass.

Mr./Ms. Moderator, please go ahead and mark this thread on the Community forum as SOLVED. And to all those who bothered to help — including the intrepid Apple support staff here — thank you for all your effort and concern. It was much appreciated.

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Answer 2

tonykaku Author

Level 1

36 points

Oct 27, 2025 4:56 AM in response to tonykaku

Thank you to all on this Apple Community forum who took the time to read my long posting (above) on two interconnected problems I am still struggling to overcome: data syncing and recovery key error issues.

I need to continue to appeal for your help on this forum and to pick your brains about exactly which steps I can take now to get out of this deep hole that I’ve suddenly and unexpectedly found myself in regarding my iMac and iPhone:

Specifically, what are my options at this late hour? How can I get to the place where (1) I am logged out of iCloud, and (2) more importantly, I am able to somehow “reset” or renew my Apple account recovery key?

Is the recovery key problem here a matter of my Apple account or Mac hardware/software issues? Do I need to get rid of my old Apple account ID and replace it with a new one? Would that give me the option to reset the Apple account recovery key anew and move forward?

I cannot try reinstalling OSTahoe on my computer, unfortunately, due limited storage space (256GB system). In that case, would I have to take the drastic step of actually buying a new Apple computer and starting completely from scratch? That would be absolutely the last resort, obviously. Are there no other steps I can take before I get to that final (expensive) stage?

Again, to summarize the problem: I am “locked inside” my iCloud account and iCloud data is not syncing at all. To continue syncing and updating my Apple account, I am prompted to type in my computer password as well as my recovery key. I had earlier printed out that recovery key and kept it for reference. An error of an “invalid” recovery key keeps coming up, however, whenever I try to do that — which is an error in itself because I was very careful in noting and preserving my recovery key at the time. My Apple account recovery key is, in fact, correct — not “invalid”.

Anyway, I cannot log out of iCloud and I can do almost nothing within iCloud due to the data syncing issue. And in turn, I cannot resolve the data syncing issue because the correct recovery key I keep entering is treated as “invalid”. It’s an endless loop with no resolution in sight.

If this kind of desperate situation can suddenly happen to me, a longtime loyal Apple Mac user, it can happen to any of us here in this Community forum. Please share the benefit of your own experience with Apple and with Macs to let me and others here in this Community forum know what can be done now to resolve this major problem.

Your suggestions, advice and guidance matter.

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