New limits on free Dropbox accounts are a problem if you have more than three devices

Dropbox has quietly started to apply limits to the number of devices that could be connected to a basic account to encourage upgrades to the paid version, with users of the free tier now only able to access the cloud storage service on a maximum of three devices.

Dropbox has not previously applied a limitation to devices allowed per free account, but the change now means users will have to take care to link only the devices they want to use the service through. While this may seem fine for users who have only one Mac, iPad, and iPhone to add all of their personal hardware, the change mostly affects those who have more elaborate computing needs.

Spotted by Liliputing, the change to the support page advises "Basic users have a three device limit as of March 2019," whereas Plus and Professional users can link unlimited devices. Business users can also link unlimited devices, but Advanced and Enterprise Dropbox Business administrators can limit the number of devices for a team if required.

For users who already have more than three devices linked to an account before the change in policy Dropbox advises the hardware will still be linked to the account, but additional devices cannot be added until a free slot is opened up by removing existing listings.

Paid accounts for Dropbox start from $10 per month for Plus, which provides 1 terabyte of capacity, or $20 for the 2-terabyte Professional version which also includes Smart Sync, Showcase, and priority chat support.