Access 2016 and 2019 stopped getting security updates on 14 October 2025. Your .accdb file is fine; the program you open it with is not. The cheap fix is opening the same file with Access from Microsoft 365, which Business Standard and Premium already include. The better fix, if the database runs the business, is moving the tables to Dataverse or SharePoint lists and either keeping the Access forms for now or rebuilding them as a Power App. Three routes, priced below.
The dates
| Version | Support ended | What that means |
|---|---|---|
| Access 2016, Access 2019 | 14 October 2025 | No security updates. Still opens files, still runs VBA |
| Access LTSC 2021 | 13 October 2026 | Support ended |
| Access in Microsoft 365 Apps | Supported, updated monthly | Included in Business Standard and Premium on Windows; has the export-to-Dataverse tool |
From Microsoft's lifecycle pages; the rest of the Microsoft estate is on the end-of-support dates page.
Why an unpatched Access matters more than an unpatched Word
Access runs code. The macros and VBA in a business database execute on every PC that opens it, and the file sits on a shared drive that everyone can write to. An unpatched Access with a shared .accdb is a small firm's most exposed piece of software, more than Word, because a malicious or corrupted file does not need a click on a link, only the morning routine. That is the reason to act, not the end-of-support date itself. A shared SQL Server Express database from the same era fails quietly for a different reason: it stops accepting writes at 10 GB (50 GB on SQL Server 2025 for Windows), with no warning banner and no date to watch for.
Three ways forward
| Route | What changes | Cost | Right when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Upgrade the program, keep the file | Every PC opens the same .accdb with Access from Microsoft 365. Nothing else moves | $0 on Business Standard or Premium; an afternoon of installs | The database is small, one or two people use it, and it is not the thing the business runs on |
| 2. Move the tables, keep the forms | Microsoft's export tool moves the tables to Dataverse and relinks the Access forms to them. The corruption-over-VPN problem ends; the forms live on | $4,000 to $8,000, two to three weeks; NZ$32.40 per user per month for Dataverse | Several people share it, the forms are fine, and you want the risk gone this quarter |
| 3. Move the tables, rebuild the forms | Data to SharePoint lists or Dataverse; forms, reports and VBA rebuilt as a Power App and flows; the shared-drive file retired | $4,000 to $10,000 into SharePoint, $8,000 to $18,000 into Dataverse | The database runs the business, people use it on phones or off site, or the forms have become the problem |
Route 2 is the underrated one. Microsoft's export tool validates the tables, moves them, and points the existing Access front end at the cloud copies, so the office keeps its familiar screens while the risk of a corrupting shared file disappears. Route 3 can follow later, form by form. The mechanics of both, and the six data types that break, are on the migration hub; the buyer's version with the SharePoint-or-Dataverse decision is moving an Access database off the shared drive, and the cost and weeks in NZD are at Access to Power Apps in NZ.
What to do this month, whichever route
- Find every PC still running Access 2016 or 2019 (File, Account shows the version) and install Microsoft 365 Apps on them. This is route 1 and it is free; do it even if route 2 or 3 follows.
- Take a copy of the .accdb somewhere that is not the shared drive, today, and check it opens.
- Count the tables and note whether money sits on any of them. That is enough to price routes 2 and 3.
How many weeks the move takes, by source and destination, is in how long moving a small business off an old database takes.
An older database than Access is Visual FoxPro, which lost all Microsoft support in January 2015; what to do with the data.
Common questions
Is Microsoft Access being discontinued?
No. Access 2016 and Access 2019, the one-off purchase versions, left support on 14 October 2025, and Access LTSC 2021 followed on 13 October 2026. Access inside Microsoft 365 Apps is supported and still updated, and it is included in Microsoft 365 Business Standard and Business Premium on Windows. The risk sits in the version of Access opening the file, never in the file itself.
Can I still open my Access database after end of support?
Yes. The .accdb opens in any version of Access, and Access 2016 or 2019 keeps running; it just stops receiving security updates, which matters because Access runs VBA and opens files from shared drives. The cheapest fix is opening the same file with Access from Microsoft 365, which most firms already pay for.
What does it cost to move an Access database to Microsoft 365?
Three price points. Upgrading the Access program to the Microsoft 365 version is $0 if you hold Business Standard or Premium. Moving the tables to Dataverse with Microsoft's built-in export tool and keeping the Access forms is a few days of work, $4,000 to $8,000. Rebuilding the forms as a Power App on SharePoint or Dataverse is $4,000 to $18,000 depending on the home, and removes the shared-drive file for good.
Should I move Access to SharePoint or to Dataverse?
SharePoint lists if the database is a handful of tables under about 20,000 rows with no money on them; Dataverse if there are real relationships, invoices or hours, or several people editing at once, at NZ$32.40 per user per month for Power Apps Premium. Microsoft's export tool only goes to Dataverse; SharePoint is a flow or dataflow job.
Sometimes the giveaway sits in the website in front of the database, not the database itself: how to tell whether an old site is a design problem or a legacy system wearing a website's clothes.
Where to start
Tell me the table count, who uses it and whether an accountant reconciles anything in it. One free 30-minute call and you get route 1, 2 or 3 with a fixed price; if it is route 1, you do not need me.