Microsoft stopped supporting Access 2021 and Access LTSC 2021 on 13 October 2026 (Microsoft's US date, so 14 October in Australia). Your database still opens and still works. What has stopped is Microsoft's security fixes, bug fixes and help for that version. Access 2016 and Access 2019 already reached the same point on 14 October 2025. The quick, low-cost fix is to move the database onto a supported copy of Access: Access in a Microsoft 365 subscription, which keeps updating, or Access 2024, which is supported until 9 October 2029. That buys time. The bigger question is whether the database itself should keep running your quoting, stock, jobs or client records, and that's what most of this post is about.
What "end of support" actually means
End of support doesn't switch anything off. Nobody will lock your database, and the file won't stop opening on 14 October. Microsoft's lifecycle pages say that after this date there are "no new security updates, non-security updates, free or paid assisted support options or online technical content updates" (Microsoft Lifecycle, ending support in 2026).
In plain terms, three things change:
- No more security fixes. If a weakness is found in Access 2021, it stays open on your PCs.
- No more bug fixes. If a Windows update or a change elsewhere in Office breaks something, Microsoft won't fix it for that version.
- No more help from Microsoft for that version.
The risk builds up rather than arriving on one day. Each Windows update, new PC or change to a connected system is another chance for something to break, with nobody obliged to fix it. Add the usual Access story, where the builder left years ago and one person knows which buttons to press, and you have the problem we describe in when only one person knows how it works.
The dates, checked against Microsoft
From Microsoft's lifecycle pages (US dates; add a day for Australia):
- Access 2016 and Access 2019: support ended 14 October 2025 (Microsoft Lifecycle, ending support in 2025).
- Access 2021 and Access LTSC 2021: support ended 13 October 2026 (Access LTSC 2021 lifecycle).
- Access 2024 and Access LTSC 2024: supported until 9 October 2029 (Access LTSC 2024 lifecycle).
- Access in a Microsoft 365 subscription: no fixed end date. It's on Microsoft's Modern Lifecycle Policy and stays supported while you keep it updated.
Access is included in Microsoft 365 Business Standard, Business Premium and Apps for business, according to Microsoft Support. Microsoft 365 Business Basic doesn't include the desktop apps, so it doesn't include Access. Access only runs on Windows PCs.
How to check which version you have
Do this on every PC that opens the database. It's common to find a mix.
- Open Access (any database will do).
- Click File, then Account. On some versions it's File, then Help.
- Look under Product Information. It will say something like "Microsoft 365 Apps for business", "Access 2024", "Office LTSC Professional Plus 2021" or "Office Professional Plus 2019".
- Click About Access and note whether it says 32-bit or 64-bit. This matters when you upgrade (see the technical section below).
Microsoft's own instructions are on its what version of Office am I using page. If any PC shows 2016, 2019 or 2021, that PC is running an unsupported version.
The low-cost steps to take now
None of these needs a project, and they reduce the risk while you decide.
- Back it up properly. Copy the database files somewhere that isn't the same server or PC, on a schedule, and test that you can open a copy. If the data sits in a separate "back end" file, back that up too.
- Move every PC to a supported Access. Either Access in your Microsoft 365 plan or Access 2024. Test the database on one upgraded PC before you upgrade the rest.
- Write down what the database does. Use the checklist in the next section. It's useful whichever way you go, and it's the first thing anyone helping you will ask for.
- Get a second person able to run it. Someone other than the usual operator should be able to do the weekly export, run the month-end report and fix the common error.
If the database is small, a few people use it in one office and it does its job, a supported Access and a good backup can carry it for years.
What to document before anything changes
Before an upgrade, a rebuild or a replacement, write this down.
- Tables: the main ones (customers, jobs, quotes, stock, suppliers) and roughly how many records each has.
- Forms: the screens people actually use day to day.
- Reports: which reports get printed or emailed, who receives them, and how often.
- Queries and macros: anything that runs on a button press, such as "close off month", "generate invoices" or "update prices".
- Who uses it: names, roles, and which PC or location they use it from.
- What it connects to: exports to Xero or MYOB, imports from a supplier price file, Excel workbooks that link to it, mail merges in Word, emails sent through Outlook.
- Where the files live: the PC or server path, and whether the data sits in a separate back-end file.
- What would hurt if it stopped: for example, "we can't send quotes" or "we can't do the monthly invoice run".
- Who understands it: the person who built it, whether they're still reachable, and who in the business knows it best now.
The connections are the part people forget. A weekly export that someone imports into Xero or MYOB is where errors creep in, and the first thing to check after any upgrade.
The real decision: keep, rebuild or replace
The upgrade buys time. The longer-term choice is one of three, and none of them is right for every business.
Keep and stabilise
The database works, a few people use it, and it does something specific to your business. Keep it, but make it sturdier: split the screens from the data if that hasn't been done, move the data into SQL Server so it's less likely to corrupt, back it up properly and document it. It's usually the cheapest path, but it still needs Windows PCs and doesn't help staff on site or at home.
Replace with a product
If the database does something standard, such as a simple CRM, job tracking, stock control or an asset register, there's probably a product that does it, and someone else maintains it. Be honest about this one. A cheap, well-supported product that covers most of what the database does is often the better answer, even if a few habits have to change. Our guide to choosing business software walks through how to compare products against what you actually need.
Rebuild on a supported platform
If the database is your process (the way you quote, schedule or track compliance is what sets you apart) and no product fits, rebuild it as a system people can use in a browser, with proper user logins, an audit trail and a direct link to Xero or MYOB so nobody re-keys invoices. This costs the most up front, and it's only worth it when the database really is doing something no product does.
We've written more about this choice in when to upgrade a legacy system and when to replace it. If the "database" is really a set of linked spreadsheets, when the spreadsheet is the system covers that situation.
The technical side (for whoever looks after the database)
- 32-bit and 64-bit. New Microsoft 365 installs default to 64-bit. Older databases with VBA code that calls Windows directly (lines starting with
Declare) needPtrSafeadded and some variable types changed before they'll run in 64-bit Access. Old ActiveX controls, such as some calendar pickers, may not work at all. - Compiled files. An .accde or .mde may need recompiling from the original .accdb, so make sure you still have it.
- Linked tables and ODBC. If tables link to SQL Server or another database, check the ODBC driver on each upgraded PC and refresh the links.
- Integrations. Re-test every export and import, such as CSV files for Xero or MYOB, Excel links and mail merges, with real data before the whole office upgrades.
When it's worth getting help
You can do the version check, backup and documentation yourselves. Bring someone in when the database runs something you can't afford to stop, nobody understands the code, it has to connect properly to Xero or MYOB, or you want an independent view on rebuild versus product.
Our Access database replacement service covers all four options: stabilise, replace with a product, run operations in ERPNext alongside Xero or MYOB, or rebuild. We look at the database first and give you a fixed quote. If the Access database is one of several systems that don't talk to each other, the Process & Systems Audit ($5,000) maps all of them and gives you a written report on what to fix first.
Frequently asked questions
Will my Access database stop working after end of support?
No. Access 2021 keeps opening and running your database after 13 October 2026. What stops is Microsoft's security updates, bug fixes and support for that version. The risk is that a future Windows or Office change breaks something and nobody is obliged to fix it.
Should I move to Access 2024 or Access in Microsoft 365?
If you already pay for a Microsoft 365 plan that includes Access, using that version is usually simplest, and it keeps updating. Access 2024 is a one-off purchase supported until 9 October 2029, so it suits businesses that don't want a subscription, but you'll face the same question again in 2029.
How do I know if my business depends on an Access database?
Ask which screens your team uses for quoting, stock, jobs, compliance or client records, then look at the file name or the title bar. If the file ends in .accdb, .mdb, .accde or .mde, it's an Access database.
Is it worth replacing Access with a product instead of rebuilding it?
Often, yes. If the database does something standard and a supported product covers most of it, the product is usually the better long-term choice. A rebuild makes sense when the database captures a way of working that no product handles.
If your quoting, stock or job tracking lives in an Access database and you're not sure which path is right, book a free initial chat.