How to put a Microsoft Access database online: 4 ways, compared
Access has no web version. Compare 4 ways to put an Access database online or in the cloud, what each costs and who it suits, plus what Access Runtime does.
There’s no web version of Microsoft Access: it’s a Windows desktop app, and Microsoft shut down Access web apps in 2018. To put an Access database online, move the tables to SQL Server or Azure SQL, run Access on a hosted Windows desktop, switch to SharePoint lists or Power Apps, or export the tables to a web app.
This guide is for the office manager whose Access database lives on one PC or a shared drive, and whose team now needs it from home and on their phones, whether the company runs on Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace. For each option we cover what it takes, what it costs and who it suits, then explain Access Runtime and how to export your tables.
How we researched this: we checked every price, limit and date on Microsoft’s own pages, and on each other vendor’s own pages, in October 2026. Prices are US list prices and change often. We make GoodTaco, so its entry is labeled.
4 ways to put an Access database online, compared
| Option | Cost to start | Works on phones | Keeps your Access forms | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keep Access, move the tables to SQL Server or Azure SQL | SQL Server Express is free and Azure SQL has a free tier, plus Access or the free Runtime on each PC | No | Yes | Windows offices whose forms work well |
| Run Access on a hosted Windows desktop | Windows 365 from $36/user/month, plus Access | Through Windows App, on a small screen | Yes | Keeping the database exactly as it is, from home |
| Move to SharePoint lists or Power Apps | Lists come with Microsoft 365 from $7/user/month, paid yearly; Power Apps Premium $20/user/month, paid yearly | Yes, in a browser | Partly: browser and phone screens are rebuilt | Companies already on Microsoft 365 |
| Export the tables and rebuild as a web app | Free to start; GoodTaco (our product) paid from $9/month | Yes, in a browser | No: you rebuild the screens | Teams on phones and Macs, or on Google Workspace |
The first two keep the real Access, so nothing gets rebuilt, but every screen still needs Windows somewhere. The last two put your records in a browser and on phones, and you rebuild the screens people use.
Which way should you choose?
- Your forms work and everyone’s on Windows at the office: keep Access and move the tables to SQL Server.
- People need it from home next week, unchanged: a hosted Windows desktop.
- You already pay for Microsoft 365 and the tables are simple: SharePoint lists, with Power Apps if you need phone screens.
- People need it on their phones, or you’re tired of looking after Windows: export the tables and rebuild them as a web app.
- Your company runs on Google Workspace: the hosted desktop and SharePoint routes mean buying Microsoft licenses you don’t have yet. Exporting the tables to a web app, or into Google Sheets with a Google Sheets app builder on top, keeps you off Windows.
Whichever you pick, save a copy of the .accdb file first and keep it.
Is there a web version of Microsoft Access?
No, there’s no Access for the web. Microsoft stopped new Access web apps in June 2017 and shut down the rest by April 2018. Desktop databases (.accdb files) weren’t affected, and for web and phone apps Microsoft recommends Power Apps (Microsoft support). Microsoft 365 has web versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, but Access is a desktop app for PCs only (Microsoft 365 plans).
So “online” means one of two things: the tables move somewhere everyone can reach, or Access itself runs on a computer everyone can reach.
A shared drive suits a few people at once (Microsoft support). A split database keeps the tables in one shared file and the forms on each PC (Database Tools > Move Data > Access Database), and it works over the office network (Microsoft support). Both are built for the office, not for home or a phone.
Can you share an Access database on OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox?
Not safely. Microsoft recommends against opening an Access database from OneDrive or a SharePoint document library, because the file may be downloaded, changed and uploaded again. Google Drive and Dropbox also keep a copy of the file on each computer and sync the changes (Google Drive help, Dropbox help), so the same advice applies.
How do you move Access tables to SQL Server or Azure SQL?
This option keeps your Access forms, queries and reports, and moves only the tables to a database server. Microsoft’s free SQL Server Migration Assistant for Access copies the tables across and links them back, so your queries, forms and reports use the data on the server (Microsoft Learn).
Where the server lives decides who can reach it:
- SQL Server Express in your office. It’s free and holds up to 50 GB per database, against Access’s 2 GB per file (SQL Server 2025 editions, Access specifications). People at home still need a secure way into the office network, such as a VPN.
- Azure SQL in Microsoft’s cloud. The free tier gives each database a monthly allowance of computing time and 32 GB of data. Past that, it pauses until next month or you pay for the extra. Microsoft says the free tier has no service-level agreement, so no promised uptime, and is meant mainly for development and proof-of-concept use (Microsoft Learn).
What to expect: Microsoft lists slow queries among the problems you might hit, fixed by rewriting them on the server, and you can’t change a table’s design in Access anymore (Microsoft Learn). Everyone still needs a Windows PC with Access or the free Runtime, so Macs and phones are left out.
Who it suits: a Windows office whose forms work well, with an IT person or Access consultant to set it up.
Can your whole team run Access in the cloud?
Yes. Access runs on a Windows computer in a data center. Your team sees its screen through Microsoft’s free Windows App, on a PC, a Mac, an iPhone, an Android phone or in a web browser (Microsoft Learn). Only the screen travels over the internet, and the database stays next to Access. It works on a phone, but you’re looking at a whole Windows desktop on a small screen.
Each person needs an Access license. It comes with Microsoft 365 Apps for business at $10 per user per month, paid yearly, and with Business Standard and Business Premium (Microsoft). People who only enter records can use the free Runtime instead.
- Windows 365 gives each person their own Cloud PC, from $36 per user per month, billed monthly (Windows 365 pricing), with Access licensed separately (Microsoft Learn). Because each PC is separate, a team still needs the shared tables somewhere every Cloud PC can reach, such as Azure SQL.
- Azure Virtual Desktop lets several people sign in to one Windows machine at once, so they share one database (Microsoft Learn). You pay Azure for the machines. Microsoft 365 Business Premium, at $22 per user per month paid yearly (Microsoft), includes the right to use it (Azure Virtual Desktop pricing) and is the only business plan that lets several people share Access on one machine (Microsoft Learn). It’s built for IT teams.
- Hosting companies rent ready-made Windows desktops with Access, priced per user per month. Ask whether the Access license is included, how backups work and how you get your file back if you leave.
Who it suits: a team that needs the database from home soon, exactly as it is, and doesn’t mind paying for Windows in the cloud. For one person on a Mac who needs the office PC now and then, Remote Desktop works too; our guide to Microsoft Access for Mac explains how.
Should you move Access to SharePoint lists or Power Apps?
If your company already pays for Microsoft 365, Access can send your tables there.
SharePoint lists. In Access, Database Tools > Move Data > SharePoint turns each table into a list. It keeps the relationships it can and links the lists back, so your Access forms keep working on PCs. It only works with .accdb files, and some data doesn’t move, such as dates before 1900 (Microsoft support). The lists open in a browser too. Microsoft retired the Lists phone apps in November 2025, so phones use the mobile browser (Microsoft support). Lists come with Microsoft 365 plans that include SharePoint, from Business Basic at $7 per user per month, paid yearly.
Power Apps is Microsoft’s recommended replacement for Access web apps, and builds screens for browsers and phones:
- Apps on SharePoint lists: included with Business Basic, Standard and Premium, as Power Apps for Microsoft 365 (Microsoft 365 plans, Microsoft Learn).
- Apps on Dataverse, Microsoft’s app database, or on SQL Server, a premium connection: Power Apps Premium, $20 per user per month, paid yearly (Power Apps pricing).
- To move tables to Dataverse: in Access for Microsoft 365 or Access 2024, right-click a table and choose Export > Dataverse. A Dataverse database holds up to 10 GB (Microsoft support).
Who it suits: Microsoft 365 companies with simple tables, or with someone who has time to learn Power Apps. Moving the data is quick; rebuilding the screens is the real work.
How do you convert an Access database to a web app?
Export the tables, then build the screens again in a tool that runs in any browser. Access forms, reports, macros and VBA don’t convert anywhere, so you rebuild the ones people actually use.
- GoodTaco (our product) doesn’t open .accdb files: you export each table to Excel or CSV and upload it. GoodTaco imports the records into a built-in database and builds the app from a description of what you need.
- Zoho Creator imports .accdb and .mdb files directly, up to 100 MB on US accounts, and turns each table into a form (Zoho help). Its free plan covers one app, for you alone: sharing an app needs a paid plan (Zoho Creator plans).
Our guide to Microsoft Access alternatives compares nine tools for this, including Airtable and Caspio, and our list of free database software covers the free ones.
Who it suits: teams with people on phones, Macs or out in the field, and no one who wants to look after Windows.
What does it cost to put Access online for a team of five?
Here’s each way at list price for five people, from the prices above. Microsoft’s plans are billed yearly except Windows 365, which is monthly.
| Way | Per month for 5 people | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| SQL Server Express | $0 to $50 | Free server and Runtime; $10 a person for Access for anyone who changes the design |
| Windows 365 | $230 | A $36 Cloud PC and $10 of Access each; the tables still need a shared home |
| Azure Virtual Desktop | $110, plus Azure | Business Premium at $22 each, plus the machines you run in Azure |
| SharePoint lists | $35 | Business Basic at $7 each, which doesn’t include Access; Power Apps Premium adds $100 |
| GoodTaco (our product) | $49, free to start | Pro at $49 a month includes 10 users |
What is Microsoft Access Runtime, and is it free?
Access Runtime is a free download from Microsoft that runs an Access database without the full Access program (Microsoft support). People can enter records and use the forms and reports the database opens for them. There’s no Design view, no Layout view and no Navigation Pane, the list of tables and queries, so the database needs a start form that leads everywhere. No purchase is needed to download, use or share it, with no limit on the number of people (Microsoft support).
It doesn’t put a database online. Like Access, it runs on Windows PCs only. What it does is save licenses: in the first two options above, people who only use the database can run Runtime instead of paid Access.
The current version is the Microsoft 365 Access Runtime, in 32-bit or 64-bit; on a PC that already has Office, it installs to match that Office version. Support for the Access 2016 Runtime ended on October 14, 2025 (Microsoft Download Center). To see what Runtime users will see, rename a copy of your file from .accdb to .accdr and open it.
How do you export Access tables to Excel or CSV?
Every web app route starts here. Access exports one table at a time (Microsoft support).
To Excel:
- Close the workbook if it’s open, then select a table in the Navigation Pane.
- On the External Data tab, in the Export group, choose Excel.
- Pick a file name and the .xlsx format, and leave “Export data with formatting and layout” unticked.
- Repeat for each table, choosing the same workbook. Each table lands on its own sheet.
To CSV:
- Select a table, then choose External Data > Text File, and leave formatting unticked.
- In the Export Text Wizard, choose Delimited, then Comma.
- Tick “Include Field Names on First Row” and finish (Microsoft support).
- Access names the file .txt. Type .csv as the ending instead, or rename the file afterwards.
Check the files before you move on. Lookup columns come out as ID numbers rather than names, calculated columns as their results only, and attachments and pictures stay behind. In a CSV file, Yes/No columns come out as 1 and 0. Keep every ID column: it’s what links a booking to its customer in the new app.
Put your Access tables online with GoodTaco
Your own Access file is the best place to start. Put your exported tables in one workbook, one sheet per table, and upload it at spreadsheet to app, with no account needed. GoodTaco brings the records into a built-in database and builds a web app around them in minutes, one your team opens from the office, from home or on a phone.
Then ask for what your team used Access for, in plain words: “service contracts up for renewal in the next 60 days”, “a job log I can filter by technician” or “a booking form that picks the customer from a dropdown”. For the report the bookkeeper prints every month, describe what’s on it and how it’s sorted, and GoodTaco rebuilds it as a screen. Tell it how your tables link, for example that each contract belongs to one customer. Every version is saved, so a change you don’t like is one click from undone.
Share the app with a link, or make it private so people sign in with Google or an emailed link before they see any data. There’s no Windows to keep running, no VPN, and nothing to install on anyone’s phone.
Prefer to start from a working example? The rental database template has customers, rental items, bookings with out and back dates, and payments. Its sample is an event-rental business; for service contracts, you’d rename the items to equipment and the bookings to contracts. GoodTaco is free to start, paid plans start at $9 a month, and Pro at $49 a month includes 10 users; bigger teams talk to us about Enterprise. For more on what a database app does for a small team, see database software for small business.
Your Access data, online for your whole team, on any device. Start free, no credit card needed.
Frequently asked questions
Can I put my Access database online?
Yes, but not by uploading the file somewhere. Access is a Windows desktop app with no web version. You can move its tables to SQL Server or Azure SQL and keep Access on each PC, run Access on a hosted Windows desktop, move to SharePoint lists or Power Apps, or export the tables and rebuild them as a web app that opens in any browser.
Is there a web version of Microsoft Access?
No. Microsoft stopped new Access web apps in June 2017 and shut down the rest by April 2018, and Access isn't one of the Microsoft 365 apps that run in a browser. Microsoft points people to Power Apps for web and phone apps. Desktop databases (.accdb) still work in Access on Windows.
Is there a free way to put an Access database online?
Partly. Access Runtime is free, but it runs only on Windows and doesn't put a database online. SQL Server Express, or Azure SQL's free tier within its monthly allowance, holds your tables at no cost, but everyone still needs Access or the Runtime on a Windows PC. For browsers and phones, export your tables and rebuild the screens in a web app builder: GoodTaco is free to start, and Zoho Creator's free plan lets one person try one app.
What is Microsoft Access Runtime?
Access Runtime is a free download from Microsoft that runs an existing Access database without the full Access program. People can use the forms and reports the database opens for them, but there's no Design view and no Navigation Pane, so they can't change anything. It runs on Windows, so it doesn't put a database online by itself.
Can I keep an Access database on OneDrive, Google Drive or Dropbox?
You can save the file there, but Microsoft recommends against opening an Access database from OneDrive or a SharePoint document library, because the file may be downloaded, edited and uploaded again. Google Drive and Dropbox also keep a copy of the file on each computer and sync the changes, so the same advice applies. On Microsoft 365, move the tables into SharePoint lists instead.
Can several people use an Access database over the internet?
Not well as a shared file. Microsoft describes sharing a split database over a local network, and one file in a network folder only suits a few people at once. Over the internet, move the tables to SQL Server or Azure SQL, or have people work on a hosted Windows desktop that sits next to the data.
How do I convert an Access database to a web app?
Export each table to Excel or CSV, or use a tool that imports .accdb files, such as Zoho Creator. Then build the screens in a web app builder. Access forms, reports, macros and VBA don't convert, so rebuild the ones people use. GoodTaco builds the app from your uploaded tables and a description of the screens you need.
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