Backblaze has been selling a very simple and powerful idea for years: unlimited backups for personal computers. That promise allowed it to stand out from many competitors, especially among users looking for an automatic, hassle-free solution. But the landscape has just visibly changed. The new terms of service, effective from April 16, 2026, introduce language that permits the company to demand usage reductions, limit accounts, apply throttling, or even suspend service if it considers a customer exceeds “typical usage patterns” or imposes an “undue load” on its infrastructure.
On paper, Backblaze still uses the word “unlimited” in its commercial offer for Computer Backup. However, in the new terms, it makes clear that “unlimited” only applies to “ordinary and intentional” use of the service and does not cover scenarios that, in the company’s judgment, fall outside the intended design of the product. In practice, this means that the promise remains as a marketing claim, but it is no longer as absolute as before.
This shift isn’t happening in isolation. Just one day after these terms took effect, Backblaze published a specific explanation regarding another significant change: synchronized data via Dropbox and OneDrive are no longer backed up in the same way as before. The company admits that these services have changed their operation on Windows and now use the Cloud Files API to represent many files as reparse points, meaning markers or pointers to the cloud instead of actual copies stored locally. According to Backblaze, storing such pointers does not equate to backing up the file itself, which is why they have decided to exclude those folders to avoid creating a false sense of protection.
This technical reasoning makes sense on its own. The problem is that it comes after years in which the company itself claimed quite the opposite: that its application could back up data synchronized with Dropbox, iCloud Drive, Google Drive, or OneDrive as long as they resided on the computer. That message was clearly present in previous Backblaze publications discussing the difference between sync and backup. The contrast between that earlier message and the current one explains why many customers feel the service has lost some of the comprehensiveness it once appeared to offer.
What really changes in the service
The most important nuance is not legal but practical. Until now, a user could interpret “unlimited” as providing coverage without many fine print caveats for everything on their device and connected external drives. With the new wording, Backblaze explicitly reserves the right to intervene whenever resource consumption is deemed disproportionate, without providing an objective figure to clearly define where the exact limit lies. This introduces uncertainty into a product that had previously gained strength from its straightforward promise.
Additionally, there’s a change in behavior regarding folders synchronized by some cloud services. Backblaze states that the issue does not stem from arbitrary decisions but from the technical evolution of Dropbox and OneDrive on Windows. They also emphasize supporting iCloud Drive and Google Drive supports, and they are exploring how to improve coverage of other synchronized sources in the future. Still, the bottom line for end users is straightforward: they can no longer assume that everything they see on their computer is truly protected by backup.
The following table summarizes this transition more clearly:
| Aspect | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Main marketing message | Unlimited computer backups | The “unlimited” claim remains, but with limits tied to “ordinary and intentional” use |
| Data synchronized with Dropbox and OneDrive | Backblaze claimed they could back these up if stored on the device | Backblaze explains many files are now pointers; such folders may be excluded |
| Company’s ability to limit accounts | Less visible publicly | The new terms allow demands for changes, volume reductions, throttling, or suspension |
| Official justification | Simplicity and full protection of the computer | Infrastructure stability and actual backup reliability |
These changes are backed by publicly available documentation from Backblaze and its own blog, so they do not seem like rumors or strained interpretations. They represent a real redefinition of the operational scope of the product, even if the company continues asserting that the core promise remains unchanged.
How AI shifts the perspective and explains the timing
It would be overly simplistic to say that Backblaze has cut back on its “backup” offering simply because it’s now more interested in AI. But ignoring the context would also be naive. The company now presents itself as a “high-performance cloud storage platform for the AI era,” a very different image from its traditional identity as a popular backup provider for consumers.
Furthermore, in 2025, the company told investors that data stored by AI clients had increased 40-fold within a year, and that the number of clients in that segment had grown by 70%. It also highlighted that three of its ten largest clients were in the AI sector. While these figures do not prove that personal backup services are becoming irrelevant, they clearly show where the business that excites Backblaze the most is headed.
Viewed this way, some users’ feelings are not surprising. As the B2 Cloud Storage business shifts toward AI workloads, media, and data-intensive applications, the core product for personal backups begins to face more conditions, nuances, and less absolute certainty. It’s not that Backblaze is abandoning consumer backup entirely, but it is increasingly speaking like a platform for enterprise storage rather than a brand that promised “Backup your Mac or PC and forget about it.”
The underlying problem isn’t just technical, it’s trust
This is the truly delicate point. Backblaze may be correct in asserting that it does not want to back up empty pointers from Dropbox or OneDrive and call that “backup.” From a technical standpoint, this caution is defensible. What erodes trust more is not so much the explanation itself but the disconnect between the historical promise, the current marketing language, and the new operational limitations.
When a service is sold as “unlimited” for years, users interpret that as paying for peace of mind. If they then discover that the term depends on “typical” usage, provider’s internal interpretation, and technical exclusions that are not always obvious, the word remains legally usable but effectively changes in meaning. In backup products, this distinction is especially significant: what is at stake is not just comfort but the trust that your data will be available when needed.
Backblaze has room to repair some of its reputational damage by doing something very straightforward: clearly explaining what its product covers now, what it does not, and precisely where the line for “improper use” begins. Because, at this moment, the dominant feeling isn’t that they have openly lied but that they have begun to redefine an “unlimited” that no longer seems quite so limitless. For a company that built its image on simplicity, this is a fairly serious problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Has Backblaze removed the word “unlimited” from its backup service?
No. The company still uses “unlimited” in its Computer Backup offering, but its new terms clarify that this refers to “ordinary and intentional” use, and that it reserves the right to act if it detects atypical consumption patterns or undue load.
Has Backblaze stopped backing up Dropbox and OneDrive entirely?
Backblaze explains that the issue affects synchronized folders that now use reparse points or markers in Windows. According to the company, in these cases, it does not see the actual file but a pointer, leading them to exclude such folders.
Which synchronized services does Backblaze currently support?
In its April 2026 public statement, Backblaze says it has added support for iCloud Drive and Google Drive, though it acknowledges that extending support to all sync providers is more complex.
How does AI relate to this change at Backblaze?
The company isn’t saying that the policy changed because of AI, but it presents itself as a “high-performance storage platform for the AI era,” and has informed investors that data stored by AI clients increased 40 times in 2025.
via: tomshardware