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Forum Discussion
DB Basic: Had to reformat/update OS on my laptop, now DB won't recognize it
I've used DropBox Basic for years. Everything's been fine until my 2017 MacBook Pro needed a complete OS reinstall. I formatted the drive, installed Monterey (up from Mojave), and now the DropBox login says I can't add a "new" device without getting a paid plan.
I see the laptop in my list of devices twice: the new install is "MyMBP", and the old one is "MyMBP.local". I haven't changed the name in the Sharing control panel.
I had a similar problem updating my Mac Mini to an SSD, so I can't use the SSD.
Since I'm not adding new devices, is there a solution?
Thanks.
Edit: corrected the year of my MacBook Pro.
TicoTico wrote:
I formatted the drive, installed Monterey (up from Mojave), and now the DropBox login says I can't add a "new" device without getting a paid plan.
It may be the same device but Dropbox sees it as a different one, and with Dropbox Basic you're allowed three devices. Think of it more like three installations. Install Dropbox more than once on the same device, and Dropbox sees it as a different device.
If you're at the device limit for your account you can remove any devices that are no longer needed or recognized, then install again. Just head over to your Security page and you can remove the extra devices.
When removing a device, know that a Basic account only allows three devices now but in the past it allowed more. If you have more than three devices linked to your account at the moment, you would need to remove all but two devices before you would be able to add another.
- Rich
Super User II
TicoTico wrote:
I formatted the drive, installed Monterey (up from Mojave), and now the DropBox login says I can't add a "new" device without getting a paid plan.
It may be the same device but Dropbox sees it as a different one, and with Dropbox Basic you're allowed three devices. Think of it more like three installations. Install Dropbox more than once on the same device, and Dropbox sees it as a different device.
If you're at the device limit for your account you can remove any devices that are no longer needed or recognized, then install again. Just head over to your Security page and you can remove the extra devices.
When removing a device, know that a Basic account only allows three devices now but in the past it allowed more. If you have more than three devices linked to your account at the moment, you would need to remove all but two devices before you would be able to add another.
Thanks for your helpful response, Rich.
That's how Dropbox behaved this time, but it's inconsistent. When I've had to reformat and reinstall Mac OS on this laptop in the past, I made a copy of the drive and ran the Migration app off the copy. Dropbox continued to work fine. This time I migrated my data from my Time Machine backup, which didn't have a backup of all my files in /Library, where I suspect a Dropbox authorization file or key lived. So I think this is an oversight, albeit a convenient one. The inconsistent behavior is confusing, and unfortunate.
You're right, I've had at least four devices for years: iPhone, iPad, Mini, and laptop. I wish there was a "lite" plan for lightweight users like me. The least expensive plan is way more than I need.
Thanks again!
