Legacy Rescue · Microsoft Access

Access Database Replacement: A Safe Upgrade Path

Microsoft Access is not dead, and we will not pretend it is. But Access 2016 and 2019 left support on 14 October 2025, Access 2021 follows on 13 October 2026, and every Access database stops at 2 GB and 255 users. When a business outgrows Access, we rebuild it as a web application with every record kept.

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The facts

Is Microsoft Access end of life?

No. Access in Microsoft 365 is fully supported and Access 2024 runs to 9 October 2029. The risk sits in specific versions and hard limits: Access 2013 support ended 11 April 2023, Access 2016 and 2019 ended 14 October 2025, Access 2021 retires 13 October 2026, and no version lifts the 2 GB file limit or the 255-user ceiling.

Access 2013 Support ended 11 April 2023
Access 2016 / 2019 Support ended 14 October 2025
Access 2021 Retires 13 October 2026
File size limit 2 GB per database
Concurrent users 255 maximum
Access 2021 retires October 2026
DATABASE STATUS ACCESS .ACCDB
FILE SIZE . . . : NEAR 2 GB LIMIT
USERS . . . . . : MORE EVERY YEAR
VERSION . . . . : OUT OF SUPPORT
COMPACT/REPAIR : AGAIN
PRESS ANY KEY TO WORRY
Sources: Microsoft lifecycle: Access 2016 · Microsoft lifecycle: Access 2021 · Microsoft: Access specifications · Microsoft: Access Services retirement · IT Jobs Watch: MS Access
Staying costs too

The risks of staying on Access

  • The 2 GB wall An Access database cannot exceed 2 GB, and there is no supported way to raise it. Archiving buys time; it does not change the ceiling.
  • The multi-user ceiling Access caps at 255 concurrent connections, and shared network databases are notorious for locking and corruption as teams grow.
  • Out-of-support versions Access 2013 support ended in April 2023, 2016 and 2019 in October 2025, and 2021 follows in October 2026. Old versions run unpatched.
  • No web route inside Access Access web apps were shut down in April 2018. Browser access means re-platforming either way; Microsoft points to Power Apps.
  • The VBA knowledge is retiring UK job adverts citing MS Access fell from 139 to one in two years. Too often, the person who understands the macros is the system.
Honest trade-offs

Your exit options, compared

OptionWhat it means RiskVerdict
Stay Move to Microsoft 365 Access and tidy the database. Fine inside the limits; the 2 GB and 255-user ceilings remain. Right for small teams.
Refactor Keep the Access front end, move the tables to SQL Server. Buys real headroom; the forms, VBA and desktop habits remain. A good half-step.
Replace Off-the-shelf package or a Power Apps rebuild. Per-user subscription forever; bespoke logic must fit their shapes. Works for standard processes.
Rewrite Rebuild as a web application, parallel run, then cut over. Managed by the parallel run; the old database stays live. Our method.
The process

How the migration runs

  1. Audit

    A free 30 minute call plus a written one-page risk summary.

  2. Roadmap

    Code and data audit, migration options, fixed-price proposal. £1,950, credited against the build.

  3. Parallel run

    Your old system stays live until the new one has proven itself.

  4. Cutover & aftercare

    Switch over when ready. We stay on hand.

Access specifics: .accdb and .mdb tables link or export cleanly. Very old Access 97 files need a staged conversion through an intermediate version, which the audit handles. VBA logic is mapped and rebuilt, not machine-translated.

The safety net

The parallel run is the proof.

We do not ask you to trust a brochure. Your Access system stays live and primary while the new one runs alongside it, reconciled record by record until the comparison is boring. Cutover happens when you say so, with the old system kept as a fallback.

Read the Field Notes
Asked by Access owners

Questions

Our Access database is slow and keeps corrupting. Can it be fixed in place?
Sometimes. Splitting the front end from the back end, or moving the tables to SQL Server, can stabilise it. The audit will say honestly whether that buys years or months.
Is Access being discontinued?
No. Microsoft 365 Access is supported and Access 2024 runs to October 2029. The real questions are whether your version is supported and whether the limits fit your business.
We are near the 2 GB limit. How urgent is that?
Urgent. Access has no supported way past it. Archiving buys time; a proper database is the fix. Mention it on the audit call and we will prioritise.
Can the new system keep our screens familiar?
The new system is designed around how your team actually works, which usually means keeping the workflow and improving the screens. Familiarity is a design input, not an accident.
What happens to our VBA macros?
They are read, mapped and rebuilt as proper application logic. The behaviour survives; the fragility does not.

Get a straight answer on your Access database.

Book a free Legacy Risk Audit
Replies within one working day, from the engineer, not a sales team.