The company announced in November 2017, close to the application’s 25 th birthday, that it intended to retire Microsoft Access from its online productivity suite. The official shutdown date for Access Web Apps and Web Databases in Office 365 was set for April 2018.
So, does Microsoft have plans to end Microsoft Access?
Some sources claimed no, Microsoft have no plans to end Microsoft Access. They are committed to its development. See this video from Access Program Manager Ebo Quansah where he confirms that Microsoft will continue to develop Access and included it in future releases of Office.
The current version of Microsoft Access, Version 2019 goes end of life in 2025, and our expectation is that the next version will be supported until at least 2028. However, if you are planning for beyond that it’s worth considering that many people are still using Access 2010 or earlier.
Why does Microsoft continue to support Microsoft Access?
There are many of these legacy applications running well under current versions of Windows and many clients who would be lost without them. That’s why Microsoft continues to support Access. They have a very large customer base that depends on it. One thing about Access that many developers love: it has a small footprint and is highly efficient.
After four years in the cloud, Microsoft Access is retiring support for browser-based business applications. This decision will have a profound effect on loyal customers and their day-to-day operations.
Is MS Access on the desktop being discontinued?
You may be confused. MS Access on the desktop is not being discontinued. But, MS Access web services are. Back in 2018, it stopped being possible to create web-based MS Access applications, and in the near future MS Access on Share. Point will be shut down. 8 clever moves when you have $1,000 in the bank.
Microsoft continued to develop the desktop database software, releasing Access 2019 in September 2018 as part of Office 2019. Microsoft have a page where you can check which version of MS Access you are using.
How long does Microsoft support its products?
The company uses the same terminology for its Windows operating system. Mainstream support starts right after product release. It lasts five years, usually, and means that a product will receive security and non-security updates, and that product design and feature changes may be released.
Just a reminder: Instead of providing five years of mainstream and five years of extended support for Office 2019, Microsoft is going to provide five years of mainstream support and approximately two years of extended support so as to align with the extended-support end date for Office 2016 (which is Oct. 14, 2025).