Box Problems & Issues
Real user-reported problems, complaints, and limitations for Box. Based on analysis of 15 signals.
Overall score: 54/100
Issues by Category
Box Sync end of life in December 2026
Box is retiring Box Sync in December 2026. After that, there are no bug or security fixes. Users must move to Box Drive, which streams files on demand instead of keeping a full local copy. Folders needed offline have to be marked again in Drive. Universities including Cornell, UW-Madison and Tufts are migrating their users.
Box file size limit: 250 MB free, 5 GB Business, despite 'unlimited storage'
Per-file upload caps depend on plan: 250 MB (free), 2 GB (Business Starter), 5 GB (Personal Pro, Business), 15 GB (Business Plus), 50 GB (Enterprise), 150 GB (Enterprise Plus), 500 GB (Enterprise Advanced). Shared folders use the folder owner's limit, so a paid user uploading into a free user's folder is capped at 250 MB. The mobile app and Box Sync cap at 15 GB, and email uploads at 50 MB.
Recipients pushed to sign up just to open a shared Box file
Reviewers say people receiving a Box link are sometimes forced to create an account, then nudged toward paid plans. Collaboration invites can stay stuck as pending or hit seat-limit errors. Shared links also break when the owner changes link access or the owner's account is deactivated.
'Account storage limit reached' even on unlimited plans
Business Plus and other 'unlimited' customers report 'Account storage limit reached' errors. Usually the cause is a quota set by their admin, or a shared folder owned by a free 10 GB account, since storage counts against the folder owner. Business Starter is not unlimited: it has 100 GB and a 10-user cap.
Version history limited on cheaper Box plans
Box keeps 1 version per file on the free plan, 10 on Personal Pro, 25 on Business Starter, 50 on Business and Business Plus, 100 on Enterprise, and unlimited only on Enterprise Plus and above. Teams that need long audit trails have to buy the top tiers.
Why is Box so expensive? Per-seat pricing with a 3-user minimum
Every business plan, from Business Starter to Enterprise Advanced, requires at least 3 paid seats. Monthly billing costs about a third more than annual: Business is $20 vs $15 per user/month, Business Plus $33 vs $25, Enterprise $47 vs $35, and Enterprise Plus (about $50) is sold only on annual billing. Small teams and solo users pay for seats they don't need.
Charged after cancelling Box and refunds denied
A recurring Trustpilot theme in 2025-2026: charges after cancellation, annual renewals users didn't expect, duplicate billing, and refund requests denied or needing repeated escalation. Box cancels at the end of the paid term and points refund requests to its cancellation team rather than issuing automatic pro-rata refunds.
External collaborators cost extra on the Business plan
Box's pricing page lists external collaborators on the Business plan as pay-per-collaborator. Unlimited external collaborators start at Business Plus ($25-33 per user/month). Teams that share with many clients or contractors can be pushed up a tier.
Box Drive slow to sync changes between computers
In a long Box Community thread (2023-2024), files showed up on box.com right away but took 30 minutes to several hours, sometimes more than a day, to reach Box Drive on other computers. This happened even with small test files, on different networks, and on the latest Drive version. Other users report large offline folders taking days to sync and files being skipped.
Box uploads fail or crawl, especially large files through Box Drive
Users report web uploads failing with a generic 'something went wrong' error, and files over a few hundred MB failing through the desktop app while the browser works. Box's own troubleshooting points to browser cache, extensions, firewalls, proxies, VPNs and file names. Box says it does not throttle bandwidth, but it processes each file after upload.
Box Drive cache eats disk space beyond its limit
Box Drive's cache is meant to stay under 50% of free space or 25 GB, but users report caches of 200 GB or more. The cache location can't be moved. Offline folders don't count toward the cap. The reliable way to clear the cache is to log out of Box Drive, which also removes offline content.
Box Drive 'problem items' and files that won't sync
Box Drive marks files it can't sync as problem items. Common causes are names with characters Windows or macOS reject, unsupported file types (Outlook PST, QuickBooks, Mac packages, Google Docs), full local disks, and the folder owner's quota. Users often only notice when a red exclamation icon appears or when collaborators can't see a file. Mac users also report zero-byte uploads and having to log in again repeatedly.
Box customer support hard to reach on lower plans
Recent Trustpilot reviews keep describing slow or unhelpful replies, chatbot loops, long phone waits, and ticket forms that don't match the problem. Several say real human help is mostly reserved for higher-priced plans. On the Box Community forum, many sync threads are marked 'answered' with only generic advice.
Locked out of Box account and 2-step verification codes not working
Users report being locked out, accounts disabled or reactivated unexpectedly, failing password resets, and 2-step verification codes that arrive late, show as expired, or trigger a 'too many attempts' lock. Getting back in usually requires a support ticket.
No Box Drive for Linux
Box desktop apps support only Windows and macOS. Box community moderators have said a Linux client is not on the roadmap. Linux users are limited to the web app or workarounds such as a Windows virtual machine.
Regret Patterns
Common reasons users regret choosing Box.
Paid for enterprise-level plans but couldn't reach a human
Teams expected quick help at $25-47 per user and instead got chatbots, ticket forms and generic forum replies when sync or access broke.
Hit file size caps despite 'unlimited storage'
Buyers read 'unlimited storage' as no limits, then large videos or CAD files bounced off the 5 GB (Business) or 15 GB (Business Plus) per-file cap.
Box Drive sync delays slowed the team down
Files saved on one computer took a long time to appear on colleagues' machines, so people emailed copies or used the web app instead. Some teams left Box over it.
Renewed for another year without meaning to
Personal and small-business users report annual renewals or charges after cancelling, and refunds that took repeated escalation or were refused.
Paid for 3 seats when only 1-2 people used it
The 3-user minimum on every business plan means small teams pay for unused seats, while competitors let them pay per actual user.
Simpler tools would have been enough
Organizations that only needed basic file sharing found Box's governance features unused and its cost hard to justify compared with Drive or OneDrive.
When Box Breaks Down
Specific scenarios where Box fails or underperforms.
Several people editing files from Box Drive on different computers
Changes can take a long time to appear on other machines, so people open stale copies or create conflicting versions.
Uploading multi-gigabyte media through Box Drive
Large files can fail with network errors in the desktop app or exceed the plan's per-file cap. Users often fall back to browser upload or a higher tier.
Migrating from Box Sync to Box Drive before December 2026
Files are no longer fully local by default. Offline folders must be marked again, and unsynced files need backing up before uninstalling Sync.
Sharing with outside clients on the Business plan
External collaborators are paid per collaborator on Business. Recipients may be asked to sign up, and links break if access levels or the owner's account change.
Locked out right before a deadline
Failing 2-step verification codes or a disabled account mean waiting on a support ticket, with no quick self-service path back in.
Mac upgrade or new Mac
Box Drive on macOS runs on Apple's File Provider. After upgrades, users report Drive not launching, disappearing from Finder's sidebar, or needing a reset.