Clarification on Microsoft 365 Access Runtime as Replacement for Access Database Engine 2016

Question

Clarification on Microsoft 365 Access Runtime as Replacement for Access Database Engine 2016

Chakravarthula, M (Murthy) 0

This is regarding the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2016, which has reached its End of Support. Qualys has identified that some of our applications are using this engine to generate Excel templates.

Microsoft recommends replacing the Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable with the Microsoft 365 Access Runtime (ACE Engine), which is currently the latest supported version of the Access Database Engine following the retirement of Access Database Engine 2016 on 14 Oct 2025.

From an application perspective, there are no functional changes required, as the application continues to use the same ACE OLEDB 16.0 provider and existing connection strings. The remediation activity involves uninstalling the unsupported Access Database Engine 2016 package and installing the supported Microsoft 365 Access Runtime.

However, we have a question regarding Microsoft's recommendation. While Microsoft advises migrating to the Microsoft 365 Access Runtime, the runtime internally continues to use the same ACE OLEDB 16.0 provider, which raises concerns about the long-term supportability of this component after the end-of-support date for Access Database Engine 2016.

To validate the recommendation, we tested the change on one of the database servers by uninstalling the MS Access Database Engine 2016 and installing the Microsoft 365 Access Runtime. After the change, a Qualys scan was executed and the latest scan results confirmed that the vulnerability is no longer being flagged.

While the issue appears to be resolved from a compliance perspective, we would like to understand Microsoft's support and lifecycle strategy for the Microsoft 365 Access Runtime. Currently, Microsoft has not published a specific end-of-life date for Microsoft 365 Access Runtime, and we want to ensure that the server will not be flagged again in future vulnerability scans due to the underlying ACE provider.

Below is the information currently available regarding Microsoft 365 Access Runtime:

Microsoft 365 Access Runtime Support Status

Microsoft has not announced an End-of-Life date for Microsoft 365 Access Runtime. It remains the recommended and supported runtime platform for Access applications and continues to be supported as part of Microsoft 365.

Products That Have Reached End of Support

Microsoft explicitly states that the recommended replacement is Microsoft 365 Access Runtime.

Is Microsoft Access Being Discontinued?

No. Microsoft Access continues to be:

Included with Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
Included in Access LTSC 2024 and Office LTSC 2024.
Supported under Microsoft's lifecycle policies, with Access 2024 supported until 9 October 2029.

Microsoft's Recommendation

For applications currently using:

Access 2016 Runtime → Migrate to Microsoft 365 Access Runtime.
Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable → Microsoft also recommends migration to Microsoft 365 Access Runtime.

Given the above, could you please review and confirm whether the implementation of Microsoft 365 Access Runtime can be considered the long-term supported solution for these applications? Additionally, please let us know if there are any risks, or future support considerations that we should be aware of.

Looking forward to your inputs.

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Answer 1

Hi Chakravarthula, M (Murthy)

Thank you for providing the detailed background and for sharing the results of your testing.

Based on the available Microsoft documentation, migrating from the unsupported Microsoft Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable to Microsoft 365 Access Runtime is Microsoft's recommended approach. The runtime includes the Access Database Engine components used for OLEDB, ODBC, and DAO connectivity, allowing applications to continue using existing ACE technology and connection strings while remaining on a supported solution.

Regarding your question about long-term support, I could not find any official documentation that defines a separate lifecycle for the underlying ACE OLEDB provider or provides a specific end-of-support date for Microsoft 365 Access Runtime. Likewise, I could not find any official statement guaranteeing that future vulnerability scanners will not flag the underlying ACE components.

Based on the information currently available, replacing Access Database Engine 2016 with Microsoft 365 Access Runtime aligns with Microsoft's recommended migration path. Your validation results, where Qualys no longer reports the vulnerability after the migration, are also consistent with this guidance.

Please note that this is a user-to-user community forum. As moderators, we can only provide guidance based on publicly available information and community experience. We do not have access to Microsoft's internal product roadmap and therefore cannot provide official confirmation regarding future lifecycle plans or long-term support commitments. For the latest information, I recommend continuing to monitor Microsoft's lifecycle announcements and product documentation for any future updates related to Access Runtime or ACE connectivity components.

I hope this provides some clarity.

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