Is Microsoft Access being dropped?

I believe there are two major reasons people continue to spread this rumor about the end of Access.

• No doubt, some detractors actually WANT it to be true. Why they would think that saying it can make it true, I don't know. But that's what it seems like when one of these rumors starts to spread. They are eager to spread the story because it suits their purposes. Don't be fooled.
• A more likely reason, though, is that people sometimes misunderstand the meaning of "End of Support" for a particular version of Access. It's true that each version of a software application is only supported for a certain period of time following its release. You can get details here.

However, End of Support means only that a particular version, such as Access 2019, will not receive updates and bug fixes past the end of support date. For Access 2019, that is October, 2025. No additional updates or bug fixes.

It's important to understand that End of Support doesn't mean Access 2019 will stop working, only that it will no longer receive updates!

As Daniel pointed out, no version of Access is ever truly "ended" or "retired". As long as you have the hardware and a compatible Operating System, every version of Access ever released can still be used today and in the future.

Now, if and when Microsoft publishes something definitive over the signature of a Microsoft Executive, you can take it seriously. Until then, do not be misled by the rumors.

Here are a couple of useful references, although we are not official Microsoft sources either. We do feel like we have a finger on the pulse of the situation situation.

https://www.accessforever.org/post/how-to-counter-rumours-of-access-demise https://www.accessforever.org/post/microsoft-s-lifecycle-policy-for-office-access

No, at least nothing official has EVER been stated to that effect. People have been saying that for over 30 years, and not once could they provide an official Microsoft statement to that effect!

Where did you read this (please share some links)? Is it a Microsoft site? No, then don't buy into the hear say and inventions of some people.

Even if it did happen to be true, which it isn't, Access would continue to work for years/decades to come. I still have clients running Access 2003 just fine and that's 22 years old!

I wouldn't be concerned and would move on.

Also "Office Commercial products and cloud services" are estimated to have brought in over 40Billion $$$ last year. I doubt they'll dump that type of a cash cow any time soon.

I'm sure Office will change over time as we are seeing with Outlook.

Also, keep in mind Microsoft Access is included in Office 2024, which was released in late 2023, with full support through 2029 (then we get a new version that gets support for 4-5 years, so on and so forth it goes). We've also seen recent new feature releases (Monaco SQL Editor, Modern Chart improvements, Modern Web Browser, ...) would they be investing in a product they plan on dropping?

Don't get me wrong, anything could happen and only the Microsoft Access Dev Team truly knows what the future holds, but it is very doubtful.

There's also the whole Office vs MS365 aspect. Microsoft could stop releasing perpetual Office licenses, but MS365 would continue. That's a rumor I've heard for a number of years. Since Access is part of many MS365 subscriptions, it would continue to live on just fine (as would the other Office apps).