Fix iCloud Status Not Updating in macOS 13

If your iCloud account status appears frozen, incomplete, or fails to update within System Settings on macOS 13 (Ventura), the problem is typically caused by local cache corruption, background daemon stalls, or temporary authentication errors. This guide outlines the most common reasons behind this glitch and provides direct, step-by-step troubleshooting methods to refresh your iCloud status and restore proper synchronization.

Common Causes of the Issue

  • Corrupted Cache: Cached account data stored locally in macOS can prevent the new System Settings app from displaying current information.
  • Stalled Background Processes: The system daemons responsible for iCloud sync (cloudd and bird) may crash or hang in the background.
  • Apple Server Outages: Temporary downtime with Apple ID or iCloud services can prevent your Mac from retrieving updated account status.
  • macOS 13 Bugs: Early versions of macOS 13 introduced a completely redesigned System Settings interface, which suffered from interface refresh bugs that were resolved in later point updates.

Step 1: Check Apple System Status

Before troubleshooting your Mac, verify that the issue is not on Apple's end:

  1. Open a browser and visit the official Apple System Status page.
  2. Verify that Apple ID, iCloud Account & Sign In, and related iCloud services have a green indicator. If an outage is reported, you must wait until Apple resolves it.

Step 2: Force Quit System Settings

The redesigned System Settings app can occasionally fail to refresh its view.

  1. Press Option + Command + Escape to open the Force Quit Applications menu.
  2. Select System Settings and click Force Quit.
  3. Reopen System Settings and check your Apple ID banner.

Step 3: Restart iCloud Sync Daemons

You can force macOS to restart the background services that manage iCloud data:

  1. Open Terminal via Spotlight or from /Applications/Utilities/.

  2. Enter the following command and press Return:

    killall cloudd bird

  3. macOS will automatically relaunch these processes, prompting an immediate status refresh.

Step 4: Sign Out and Sign Back In to Apple ID

Refreshing your authentication session clears stuck credentials and forces System Settings to pull fresh data from Apple servers:

  1. Go to Apple menu () > System Settings.
  2. Click your Apple ID name at the top of the sidebar.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the right-hand pane and click Sign Out.
  4. Choose whether to keep a local copy of your data (your data remains safe in iCloud).
  5. Restart your Mac.
  6. Open System Settings, sign back into your Apple ID, and allow the system a few minutes to repopulate your account status.

Step 5: Clear Local CloudKit and Account Caches

If signing out does not work, clearing corrupted configuration files manually can resolve persistent status freezes:

  1. Open Finder.

  2. Press Shift + Command + G to open the "Go to Folder" prompt.

  3. Paste the following path and press Return:

    ~/Library/Application Support/CloudDocs

  4. Move the contents of this folder to the Trash.

  5. Next, navigate to:

    ~/Library/Caches/

  6. Locate and delete any folders named com.apple.iCloudHelper or com.apple.CloudKit.cloudd.

  7. Restart your Mac immediately.

Step 6: Update macOS 13

macOS 13 received multiple maintenance updates to fix stability and UI rendering issues within the redesigned System Settings interface:

  1. Go to System Settings > General > Software Update.
  2. Install any pending updates for macOS Ventura.