How to Fix 'Too Many Free Trial Accounts Used on This Machine' (2026)

How to Fix "Too Many Free Trial Accounts Used on This Machine" (2026)

If you have been experimenting with AI-powered developer tools like Cursor, Windsurf, or other software that offers free trials, you have probably encountered this frustrating error message: "Too many free trial accounts used on this machine."

This error means the software has detected that multiple free trial accounts have already been activated from your computer. The application tracks machine-level identifiers to prevent trial abuse, and once that limit is reached, new accounts on the same device are blocked from starting a trial.

This guide explains exactly why this happens, what identifiers are being tracked, and every legitimate way to resolve it.

Why This Error Occurs

Software companies use several methods to fingerprint your machine and detect repeated trial signups:

Identifier	How It Works	Used By
Machine ID	Unique hardware identifier generated by the OS	Cursor, Windsurf, JetBrains
MAC Address	Network adapter hardware address	Many desktop apps
Disk Serial Number	Storage device serial number	Some license managers
Registry/Config Files	Local config files storing trial data	Most trial software
Browser Fingerprint	Canvas, WebGL, and other browser attributes	Web-based trials

When you create a new account and try to start a free trial, the application checks these identifiers against its server-side database. If it finds a match with previous trial accounts, it blocks the new trial.

Solution 1: Reset the Machine Identifier (Cursor-Specific)

Cursor stores a machine identifier in its configuration files. Resetting this identifier is the most common fix.

On macOS

# Find Cursor's storage directory
ls ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor/

# The machine ID is typically stored in the storage.json or machineid file
# Look for the relevant config file
cat ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor/User/globalStorage/storage.json

The telemetry.machineId and telemetry.macMachineId fields in storage.json are what Cursor uses to identify your machine. To reset them:

# Close Cursor completely first
# Then generate a new machine ID
python3 -c "import uuid; print(uuid.uuid4().hex + uuid.uuid4().hex)"

Replace the existing machine ID values in storage.json with the newly generated string.

On Windows

# The config is usually at:
# %APPDATA%\Cursor\User\globalStorage\storage.json

# Open the file
notepad "$env:APPDATA\Cursor\User\globalStorage\storage.json"

Find the telemetry.machineId field and replace it with a new UUID string.

On Linux

# Config location
cat ~/.config/Cursor/User/globalStorage/storage.json

# Generate a new ID and replace
python3 -c "import uuid; print(uuid.uuid4().hex + uuid.uuid4().hex)"

After editing the file, restart Cursor and sign up with a new email address. The trial should activate successfully.

Solution 2: Use the Cursor ID Modifier Extension

The community has built a VS Code extension specifically to address this issue. Since Cursor is based on VS Code, it supports VS Code extensions.

1. Open Cursor
2. Go to Extensions (Ctrl+Shift+X / Cmd+Shift+X)
3. Search for "Cursor Trial Reset" or "Machine ID Modifier"
4. Install the extension
5. Run the command palette (Ctrl+Shift+P / Cmd+Shift+P) and search for the reset command
6. Restart Cursor

This automates the manual process described in Solution 1.

Solution 3: Clear Application Data Completely

If resetting the machine ID alone does not work, a full application data reset may be necessary.

macOS

# Close Cursor first, then remove all app data
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/Cursor/
rm -rf ~/Library/Caches/Cursor/
rm -rf ~/Library/Preferences/com.cursor.*

# Reinstall Cursor from cursor.com

Windows

# Close Cursor, then delete app data
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:APPDATA\Cursor"
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Cursor"

# Reinstall from cursor.com

Linux

# Remove all Cursor data
rm -rf ~/.config/Cursor/
rm -rf ~/.cache/Cursor/

# Reinstall

After reinstalling, sign up with a fresh email address that has not been used with Cursor before.

Solution 4: Use a Virtual Machine

If the above methods do not work, running the software inside a virtual machine gives you a completely fresh machine fingerprint.

# Using Multipass (lightweight Ubuntu VMs)
brew install multipass         # macOS
sudo snap install multipass    # Linux

# Create a new VM
multipass launch --name dev-env --cpus 4 --memory 8G --disk 40G

# Shell into it
multipass shell dev-env

# Install Cursor inside the VM
# Download and install as normal

Each new VM has unique machine identifiers, so the trial detection will not trigger. However, development inside a VM can be slower depending on your hardware.

Solution 5: Use Docker Dev Containers

VS Code and Cursor support Dev Containers, which can provide a different machine identity:

// .devcontainer/devcontainer.json
{
  "name": "Fresh Dev Environment",
  "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/base:ubuntu",
  "features": {
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/node:1": {},
    "ghcr.io/devcontainers/features/python:1": {}
  },
  "customizations": {
    "vscode": {
      "extensions": [
        "ms-python.python",
        "esbenp.prettier-vscode"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Open the project in a Dev Container, and the application may register a different machine identity.

Solution 6: Just Pay for It (Cost Analysis)

Sometimes the simplest fix is to subscribe. Here is a cost comparison of popular tools with this issue:

Tool	Free Trial	Paid Plan	Annual Savings
Cursor Pro	14 days	$20/month	$192/year (annual billing)
Windsurf Pro	14 days	$15/month	$144/year (annual billing)
JetBrains AI	7 days	$10/month	$96/year (annual billing)
GitHub Copilot	30 days	$10/month	$100/year (annual billing)

For professional developers, the $10-20/month cost typically pays for itself within the first day of use through productivity gains.

Solution 7: Switch to Free Alternatives

If you do not want to pay, several fully free tools offer similar capabilities without trial limitations:

Tool	Type	AI Model	Truly Free?
Continue.dev	VS Code extension	Any (BYOK)	Yes, open source
Cline	VS Code extension	Any (BYOK)	Yes, open source
Aider	CLI tool	Any (BYOK)	Yes, open source
Void Editor	Standalone editor	Any (BYOK)	Yes, open source
Cody (Sourcegraph)	VS Code extension	Claude + StarCoder	Yes, free tier
Claude Code	CLI tool	Claude	Pay per token

These tools let you bring your own API key (BYOK), meaning you pay only for the tokens you use rather than a monthly subscription. With free API tiers from Google AI Studio (Gemini) or Groq, you can get genuine zero-cost AI coding assistance.

Quick Setup with Continue.dev + Free Gemini API

# Install Continue in VS Code or Cursor
code --install-extension continue.continue

// ~/.continue/config.json
{
  "models": [
    {
      "title": "Gemini 2.5 Flash",
      "provider": "google",
      "model": "gemini-2.5-flash-preview",
      "apiKey": "YOUR_FREE_GOOGLE_AI_KEY"
    }
  ]
}

Get your free Google AI API key at aistudio.google.com. There is no trial period -- the free tier is permanent with generous rate limits.

Preventing This Issue in the Future

To avoid triggering this error again:

1. Use one account per tool. Do not create multiple accounts to extend trials.
2. Track your trial end dates. Set calendar reminders so you can make a decision before the trial expires.
3. Export your settings. Before a trial ends, export any custom configurations so you do not lose your setup.
4. Evaluate during the trial. Actually use the tool seriously during your trial to decide if it is worth paying for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this error mean I am banned? No. Your existing account still works. You simply cannot start a new free trial on that machine. If you had a paid subscription, it would still function normally.

Can I use a VPN to bypass this? No. The detection is based on local machine identifiers, not IP addresses. A VPN will not help.

Will factory resetting my computer fix it? Yes, but that is extreme. The solutions above achieve the same result without wiping your entire system.

Is resetting the machine ID against the terms of service? Technically, circumventing trial restrictions may violate the software's ToS. Use your judgment -- the safest approach is to either pay for the tool or switch to a free alternative.

Wrapping Up

The "too many free trial accounts" error is a machine fingerprinting issue, and there are clear ways to address it. For most users, resetting the machine identifier in the config file is the quickest fix. For a more sustainable solution, consider either subscribing to the tool or switching to fully free, open-source alternatives like Continue.dev or Cline.

If your projects involve AI-generated media like images, videos, or avatars, Hypereal AI offers a generous free tier with 35 credits and no credit card required -- no trial limitations to worry about.