Access 2021 End of Support: What to Do Before 13 October

On 13 October 2026, Microsoft ends support for Office 2021 and Office LTSC 2021. That includes Access 2021. If your business runs on an Access database, this post explains what changes, what doesn't, and how to decide what to do next.

What end of support actually means

After 13 October, Microsoft stops releasing security updates, bug fixes and technical help for Access 2021. That's it.

Your database won't lock you out. Staff can open it the next morning and keep working. The problem is what happens over the following months:

• New security holes won't be patched.
• A Windows or Office update can break a form, a report or a piece of VBA code, and Microsoft won't fix it.
• Insurers, auditors and larger clients increasingly ask whether you run unsupported software. "Yes" is a harder answer to give.

Access 2016 and Access 2019 already reached end of support on 14 October 2025. If you are on one of those, you are past the deadline already.

Check which version you have

This takes one minute.

1. Open your database in Access.
2. Click File, then Account.
3. Click About Access and read the version.

Check every computer that opens the database. It's common for one office PC to be years behind the rest.

Your three options

You don't have to rebuild anything just because a support date is coming. There are three sensible paths, from cheapest to most complete.

1. Upgrade Access

Move to Access in Microsoft 365 or buy Access 2024. Test that your forms, queries, reports and code still work, and fix anything that doesn't.

This is the right choice when a small team uses the database in one office and it rarely causes problems. It costs a licence and a few hours of checking.

2. Move the data, keep the Access screens

Your tables move out of the Access file and into SQL Server or Azure SQL. Staff keep using the same Access screens, so nobody has to learn anything new. But the data now sits in a real database with proper backups, better security and room for more users at once.

This suits businesses that are fine with Access itself but have outgrown the file. Common signs are slowness, "database is locked" errors, file corruption and remote staff struggling over a VPN.

3. Replace it with a web app

The database is rebuilt as a web app that works in any browser, on any device. Data moves across, reports become live dashboards or PDF exports, and it can connect to tools like Xero or MYOB.

This makes sense when staff need it on the road or at home, when data is typed into Access and then typed again somewhere else, or when the person who built it has left and nobody can change it. For most small and medium databases in Australia, a replacement costs AU$25,000 to $80,000 and takes 8 to 24 weeks. Our Access to web app migration playbook covers how that process works.

A quick way to decide

• One office, a few users, and it rarely breaks? Upgrade.
• Slow, corrupting, or needed from home? Move the data to SQL Server or Azure SQL.
• Needed on phones, connected to other systems, or impossible to change? Replace it.

If you are unsure, start with the cheapest option that fixes your real problem. You can always move further later. Moving the data out of the Access file first also makes a future rebuild easier, because the hardest part is already done.

What to do this week

1. Check the Access version on every computer that uses the database.
2. Make a full backup. Copy every .accdb or .mdb file, including any separate "back end" file that holds the tables.
3. Write down who uses it, what for, and which reports people depend on.
4. Find out who built it and whether any documentation exists.
5. Pick one of the three options, or ask someone to help you choose.

Need a hand?

Hireadev is a Brisbane software business run by Ryan Brooker. We help businesses across South East Queensland and Australia upgrade, move and replace Access databases.

See the options and prices on our MS Access database replacement page, or book a free 30-minute Access review. We'll look at your database and tell you which option fits, even if it's the cheapest one.