Here’s a question. How can you run Access without paying for a license?

Answer: Use the Access runtime version!

Download and install Microsoft 365 Access Runtime – Microsoft Support

The Access Runtime version exists so that if YOU develop a database application using Access, you can give it to your Aunt Mildred who does not have a Microsoft 365 subscription, but does have a Windows computer and she can run it.

Access Runtime does not support doing any development, so there is no way to see VBA code behind forms or seeing the design views of forms or reports. There are lots of things it DOESN’T do and if you want Aunt Mildred to be able to use it, you have to create everything she will need to do so within the application itself.

Access Runtime does not support the standard menus and ribbons that the regular version of Access supports.

When encountering an error while running the code, Access Runtime will just shut down. It won’t continue to execute or give any options like the regular version of Access does.

There are 64 bit versions and 32 bit versions of the runtime and if you already have Office installed on your computer, but without Access, you can install the runtime version of Access but need to install the correct version.

If you have the full version of Microsoft Office with Access installed, you can simulate what will happen with your database by either using a command line switch /runtime OR just by renaming your database extension from accdb to accdr. Either method will trigger Access to launch in runtime mode.

In my next email / blog post I will look at some examples of code that will work and will break Access Runtime in terms of errors and the system shutting down. We will look at what the user will see in each case.

I look forward to our next article. Thanks for reading! Let me know about your experiences or questions concerning the Access Runtime version!