A lot of businesses still run on a Microsoft Access database someone built years ago. It tracks jobs, inventory, clients or claims, and it works. Then something changes: the person who built it leaves, the team needs it on a phone, or IT points out that the version you run is no longer supported. That last one is now common, because Microsoft ended support for Access 2016 and Access 2019 on October 14, 2025.
We build custom web apps, including replacements for Access databases, so weigh our view with that in mind. This guide covers when moving off Access is worth it, when it isn't, your four options and how to switch without losing the business rules buried inside the old file.
The short answer
Access itself is not going away. It is still part of Microsoft 365 and still supported there. If your database works and a handful of people in one office use it, moving to the supported version may be all you need. Move to a web app when the problems are the ones Access was never built to solve: people working remotely or on phones, more users than the file handles well, outside people who need access, or a database only one person understands.
What changed in October 2025
When a product reaches end of support, it keeps working, but it no longer receives security updates or fixes. Office 2016 and Office 2019, including their versions of Access, reached that point on October 14, 2025. If your database runs on one of those versions, it is running on software that will not be patched again.
That alone is a reason to act, but not necessarily a reason to rebuild. It is a good moment to ask whether the database still fits the way the business works, because you are going to spend some money on it either way.
Signs it's time to move to a web app
- People need it away from the office. Access is a Windows desktop program. Getting to it from home, a job site or a phone usually means remote desktop workarounds that nobody enjoys.
- The file is getting big or fragile. An Access database file tops out at 2 GB, and shared files on a network are prone to slowdowns and corruption as more people use them at once.
- Only one person understands it. The forms, queries and macros were built by someone who has left or is about to. At that point it is undocumented software, not a database.
- Outsiders need to see the data. Clients checking a status, subcontractors confirming a schedule, an accountant pulling numbers. Access has no good way to give them a safe, limited view. Microsoft retired its own browser version of Access in 2018.
- The same data lives in other systems. If people retype what's in Access into QuickBooks, a CRM or a spreadsheet, the database has become one more island.
Signs you should stay in Access
- A few people in one office use it, on desktops. That is exactly what Access is good at.
- It works and somebody can maintain it. If a staff member or a local consultant can fix and change it, the case for a rebuild is weak.
- The only problem is the version. Moving to the Microsoft 365 version of Access keeps you supported at a far lower cost than a rebuild.
Your four options
| Option | Good fit when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Upgrade to Microsoft 365 Access | The database works well, a handful of people use it in one office, and the only problem is an unsupported version | It fixes support, not the limits: it still runs on Windows desktops, not phones or browsers |
| Move the data to SQL Server | The data has outgrown the file, but people like the Access screens they have (Azure SQL is the cloud version) | You now look after two things, and remote and outside access are still awkward |
| Rebuild in low-code | Your needs are fairly simple and you already pay for a platform such as Power Apps | Per-user licensing, and complex business rules can be hard to express |
| Rebuild as a web app | Many users, remote or field staff, outside people who need a login, or rules that are part of how you win work | The biggest investment of the four, and it needs an owner after launch |
Microsoft documents the second option, moving the tables to SQL Server and keeping Access as the front end, and for some businesses it is a sensible middle step. A good advisor should walk you through the cheaper options before recommending a rebuild.
What a migration actually involves
Moving the data is the easy part. Tables come across cleanly. The work is in everything around them.
- Finding the hidden rules. Years of business logic live in queries, form events and VBA macros: how a price is calculated, which records are hidden from whom, what happens when a job closes. Every one of those has to be found, understood and rebuilt on purpose.
- Cleaning the data. Old databases collect duplicates, blank fields and values that meant something only to the person who typed them. Cleaning up before the move is cheaper than after.
- Rebuilding the reports people rely on. Make a list of every report someone prints or exports, and who uses it. Those are often what the business actually depends on.
- Deciding who can see what. Access often has little or no real permission model. A web app should, so this is the moment to decide which staff, clients or partners see which records.
- Running both side by side. For a few weeks, use the new system next to the old one and compare results. Keep the old file as read-only history rather than deleting it.
Done this way, the business keeps running the whole time. The day everyone switches over should be uneventful.
What drives the cost
Be wary of anyone who prices a migration without opening the file. These are the things that move the number most:
- How much logic lives in VBA and macros. A database that is mostly tables and simple forms is a very different project from one with years of custom code.
- How many reports and screens people actually use. Many old databases carry forms nobody has opened in years. Retiring them is free.
- Who logs in. A tool for office staff costs less than one that also serves clients, field crews or partners.
- Connections to other systems. Syncing with QuickBooks, a CRM or a document store adds work, and usually removes the most retyping.
- Running it each year. Hosting, updates and small changes are an ongoing cost. Get that number in writing next to the build price.
Common questions
Is Microsoft discontinuing Access?
No. Access is still included in several Microsoft 365 plans and is supported there. What ended in October 2025 was support for the 2016 and 2019 versions.
Can we keep using our Access database after end of support?
It will keep running, but it will no longer get security updates or fixes. The safer short-term move is the Microsoft 365 version of Access while you decide what comes next.
Will we lose our data in a migration?
You shouldn't. Data moves across with checks on record counts and totals, and the old file stays as read-only history. The real risk is losing business rules, which is why finding them comes first.
Can people use the new system on a phone?
Yes. A web app works in any modern browser, on a desktop, tablet or phone, with logins and permissions for each person.
Questions to ask before anyone rebuilds it
- Will you open our database and list every table, query, form, report and macro before quoting?
- How will you find and document the business rules in our VBA code?
- How will you prove the data came across complete?
- Who owns the code and the data, and can we take both with us if we part ways?
- What does it cost to build, and what does it cost each year to run?
- Would you tell us if upgrading Access was the better answer?
If you'd like an honest read on your own database, you can schedule an evaluation. We'll look at what your Access file does today and tell you whether to upgrade, move the data or rebuild. If the database is one of several homegrown tools holding the business together, our guide to the signs you've outgrown spreadsheets covers the same decision for the spreadsheets around it.
Sources
Checked on November 7, 2026.