Unable to view PDF in form following January 2026 MS Access Update

Question

Unable to view PDF in form following January 2026 MS Access Update

Avi 20

As of 1/26/2026, I was able to view a pdf on my MS Access form using the web browser control. After the January 2026 update (1/27/2026). It looks like the web browser control is working, but when it goes to display the pdf, it's just a gray page.

There isn't file corruption as this is occurring across databases and users. I suspect the issue is with the viewer, but I'm wondering how to check and resolve.

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Answer accepted by question author

Kha-N 8,265 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @avi,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A, and thank you very much for reaching out.

Based on your description, may I first verify whether you are loading the PDF from your local device into your Access form through VBA?

If so, from my research, your suspicion is correct. The WebBrowser control in Access still relies on the legacy Internet Explorer (IE) rendering engine, which Microsoft has deprecated and recently disabled as part of Windows and Microsoft 365 updates. Although the IE desktop application has been retired, several components continue to depend on the underlying IE runtime.

When this runtime is disabled or removed by an update, the WebBrowser control may show a blank or gray page instead of displaying the PDF, without returning any clear error. As a result, the legacy WebBrowser control is no longer reliable for rendering PDFs or web‑based content in Access. I also tested this on my side using PDF on my local device and was able to replicate the behavior you described.

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Microsoft now recommends using the new Microsoft Edge WebBrowser control, which is based on WebView2. However, this newer control is not a direct replacement for the IE‑based one. Existing databases that were originally built with the legacy WebBrowser control may require adjustments before the Edge control works correctly.

If the new Edge‑based WebBrowser control also appears blank, this is commonly related to how the local file path is passed through VBA. According to the Microsoft documentation, when navigating to a local PDF instead of a web address, you must include the https://msaccess/ prefix before the file path to ensure it loads properly.

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I also found a related community thread reporting the same issue, which you may find helpful. Feel free to check it here.

I hope this helps.

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Kha-N 8,265 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-29T23:29:31.8733333+00:00

Hi @avi,

I hope you are well.

I just wanted to check on your issue. Was my provided information help?

If you feel this discussion has been helpful, please consider marking this thread as accepted by clicking “Accept the answer.” This helps surface the information provided for others encountering similar issues and contributes to building a stronger, more informed community.

Warm thanks.
Avi 20 Reputation points

2026-01-30T02:40:30.22+00:00

This solution works perfectly.

For others:

Using VBA, I found it useful to set the control source in code rather than using the property sheet. Specifically, because I needed to draw files from a network source. My network path (generally speaking) looked like \MyJob.com\Folder\File.pdf. In order Edge-based web browser to work, the control source path needed to look like the following.

https://msaccess/MyJob.com\Folder\File.pdf

Thank you!

1 additional answer

Your answer

Kha-N 8,265 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-01-29T23:29:31.8733333+00:00

Hi @avi,

I hope you are well.

I just wanted to check on your issue. Was my provided information help?

If you feel this discussion has been helpful, please consider marking this thread as accepted by clicking “Accept the answer.” This helps surface the information provided for others encountering similar issues and contributes to building a stronger, more informed community.

Warm thanks.
Avi 20 Reputation points

2026-01-30T02:40:30.22+00:00

This solution works perfectly.

For others:

Using VBA, I found it useful to set the control source in code rather than using the property sheet. Specifically, because I needed to draw files from a network source. My network path (generally speaking) looked like \MyJob.com\Folder\File.pdf. In order Edge-based web browser to work, the control source path needed to look like the following.

https://msaccess/MyJob.com\Folder\File.pdf

Thank you!

Answer 1

It seems that after the January 2026 update, you are experiencing issues with viewing PDFs in the web browser control within MS Access. This could be related to changes in how the web browser control interacts with PDF files following the update. Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:

Check for Updates: Ensure that your MS Access and other Microsoft Office applications are fully updated. Sometimes, subsequent updates can fix issues introduced in earlier ones.
Test with Different PDFs: Try opening different PDF files to see if the issue persists across all files or is isolated to specific ones.
Browser Control Settings: Review the settings of the web browser control in your form. Ensure that it is configured correctly to handle PDF files.
Use Alternative Viewers: If the issue continues, consider using a different method to display PDFs, such as integrating a dedicated PDF viewer or using a different control that supports PDF rendering.
Community Forums: Since this is a user-to-user support issue, consider checking Microsoft community forums or support pages for similar reports and potential fixes from other users.

If the problem persists, it may be worth reporting the issue to Microsoft support for further assistance, as they can provide insights specific to the update you mentioned.

References: