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Replacing an Access database: how to tell it is time

Onagero, editorial team · published on · 6 min read

In short

Microsoft is not discontinuing Access, but every Access database has limits: at most 2 GB per file, Windows only, and usually only one person knows the code behind it. It is time to move when several people work in it at once, the data should come together with the ERP, or the file needs repairing regularly. There are three ways forward: move the data to a database server and keep Access as the front end, a low-code platform, or your own application that your specialists describe.

Is Access being discontinued?

No. We found no announcement from Microsoft that Access itself will be discontinued (as of 20 October 2026). Access is included in the Microsoft 365 business plans with desktop apps, as a desktop version for Windows only.

Individual versions run out: support for Access 2021 ended on 14 October 2026, Access 2024 is supported until 10 October 2029. Back in 2017 Microsoft announced the retirement of Access Services and with it the Access web apps in the browser. Access has remained a program for the Windows desk.

The limits Microsoft itself names

  • 2 GB per file, minus system objects. More is only possible by linking tables from several files.
  • 255 concurrent users is the technical maximum. Microsoft gives no recommendation on how many people over a network is too many.
  • Windows only. Access does not run on a Mac, a tablet or the phone on the shop floor.

How to tell it is time

  • One person knows the database. Someone built the forms, queries and VBA code years ago, and nobody dares to change them.
  • Several people work at once, there are locks, or the file has to be compacted and repaired regularly.
  • The data should come together with the ERP, and today someone types numbers from one system into the other.
  • It should work on the move, on a tablet in production or at the customer.

Three ways forward

Database server, Access as the front end. The tables move to a database server such as SQL Server, Access stays as the front end. This solves size and concurrent users, but not the dependence on one person and on Windows.

Low-code platform. With tools such as Power Apps, specialists build new front ends with formulas and connectors. Direct access to SQL Server is a premium feature there; more in the comparison Power Apps or Onagero.

Describe your own application. With Onagero your specialists describe what the Access database does today and get an application in the browser, on your server. Onagero reads the tables of your Access database, directly from the file or from a database your IT moves them to. Which way fits, we settle at the start.

How to switch without losing data

  • Take stock: tables, queries, forms, reports and VBA modules, and who really uses what.
  • Run in parallel: old and new side by side for a while, with the same data.
  • Reconcile: compare row counts and totals per table before the old file becomes read-only.
  • Keep the old file, read-only, until nobody asks for it any more.

Sources (as of 20 October 2026)

  1. Microsoft Support: Access specifications
  2. Microsoft Lifecycle: Access 2021
  3. Microsoft Lifecycle: Access 2024
  4. Microsoft Support: differences between Microsoft 365 plans
  5. Microsoft Learn: Office applications service description
  6. Microsoft Access Support Team Blog: Access web apps to be retired (2017)

This article gives orientation and is not legal or tax advice.

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Questions on this topic

Is Microsoft discontinuing Access?

We found no announcement from Microsoft (as of 20 October 2026). Individual versions run out: Access 2021 was supported until 14 October 2026, Access 2024 is supported until 10 October 2029.

How large can an Access database be?

According to Microsoft 2 GB per file, minus system objects. Larger data is split across several linked files or moved to a database server.

How many people can work at once?

The technical maximum according to Microsoft is 255 concurrent users. Microsoft gives no recommendation for practice over a network.

Does Access run on a Mac?

No. Access is only available for Windows.

Can Onagero read our Access database?

Yes. Onagero reads the tables directly from the Access file or from a database your IT moves them to. Which way fits, we settle at the start.