Access 365: Control stacking order changes when using Tab key in form Design View (2309 and later)

Question

Issue

In Microsoft Access for Microsoft 365, in form Design View, when overlapping controls are selected, the stacking order (front/back display order) changes unexpectedly when using the Tab key to move the selection.

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Example

Initial state (design time):

TextBoxA Top = 1, Left = 1, Width = 100, Height = 100 Z order: Front

TextBoxB Top = 2, Left = 1, Width = 100, Height = 100 Z order: Back

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Operation

Move selection using the Tab key from TextBoxA to TextBoxB.

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Result

TextBoxB appears in front, and TextBoxA moves to the back.

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Another case

TextBoxA Top = 1, Left = 1, Width = 100, Height = 100

TextBoxB Top = 1, Left = 2, Width = 100, Height = 100

Result: TextBoxB appears in front.

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Observed behavior

The stacking order appears to be determined by:

Higher Top value appears in front. If Top values are equal, higher Left value appears in front.

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Reproducibility

This behavior is reproducible with both:

Text boxes Labels

It does not appear to depend on the control type.

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Environment

Microsoft Access for Microsoft 365

Version 2308: Not reproducible Version 2309 and later: Reproducible (confirmed in 2312, 2320, 2403, 2404, 2407)

Note: Not all builds within each version were tested.

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Additional note

The Version 2309 release notes mention fixes related to Tab key behavior in Design View, which may be related to this issue.

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Summary

This appears to be a behavior change introduced between Version 2308 and 2309 affecting control selection behavior in Design View.

Answer 1

I would like to first clarify that this is a user-to-user support forum, and we are not Microsoft support. Moderators here do not have backend access and cannot directly intervene in Microsoft products or perform escalations. We can only provide technical guidance and best-practice recommendations based on reported issues.

Hi @tsuji

Based on the information you provided, I understand that starting from Microsoft Access 365 Version 2309, there is an unexpected change in how the stacking order (Z-order) of overlapping controls behaves in Form Design View. Specifically, when navigating between overlapping controls using the Tab key, Access dynamically alters the front/back display order based on the control's geometric position (where a higher Top value, or a higher Left value if Top is equal, forces the control to the front). You've also verified that this regression bug did not exist in Version 2308 and affects multiple control types like text boxes and labels.

After doing some research and testing on my end, I am experiencing the exact same behavior. Since this is a regression bug introduced by a specific architectural update to the Tab key behavior in Version 2309, the best way to get this on the Access engineering team's radar is to submit this directly to them.

I highly recommend posting these detailed reproduction steps and results on the Microsoft Feedback Portal. This portal is actively monitored by Microsoft developers and product managers who prioritize fixes based on community impact. Sharing your precise findings there will give the technical experts the exact data they need to investigate and hopefully release a hotfix in an upcoming build.

In the meantime, while we wait for a formal update or fix from Microsoft, here are a few best practices and workarounds to manage this behavior during your design process:

• Avoid using the Tab key when working with overlapping controls
• Prioritize Mouse Clicks or the Selection Pane
• Explicitly set Z-order dynamically

Thank you again for your valuable contribution and for documenting this so thoroughly. It helps the entire Access community stay ahead of these unexpected update behaviors!

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