Microsoft Access for Mac: how to run it, or what to use instead
No Microsoft Access for Mac? Run it with Parallels or a cloud PC, or move your data to a Mac-friendly tool. What each way costs and who it suits.
There’s no Microsoft Access for Mac: Access only runs on Windows, and Microsoft 365 for Mac leaves it out. To use an Access database on a Mac, run Windows on it with Parallels Desktop, connect to a Windows PC in the cloud or at the office, or move the data to a Mac or browser tool.
This guide is for small business owners and office managers on a Mac who were handed an .accdb file, or who inherited a database from an old Windows PC. For each route we cover what it costs, what it takes and who it suits, then show how to get your data out of Access.
How we researched this: we checked every price and product detail on each vendor’s own pages in October 2026. Prices are US list prices and change often; Parallels had a sale on when we checked, so we quote its regular prices. We make GoodTaco, so its entry is labeled.
Is there a Microsoft Access for Mac?
No. Microsoft makes Access for Windows only: it says Access is available for PC only. Microsoft 365 plans that include Access let you install the apps on Macs too, but the Mac installs are Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote and Teams. Access, Publisher and InfoPath are left out (Microsoft Learn).
There’s no browser version either. Microsoft stopped new Access web apps in June 2017 and shut down the rest by April 2018. Desktop .accdb files weren’t affected (Microsoft support).
Two workarounds you’ll see in older guides don’t help on a new Mac:
- Boot Camp installs Windows alongside macOS, but only on Macs with an Intel processor, and Apple’s instructions cover Windows 10 (Apple support). Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025 (Microsoft support).
- CrossOver runs some Windows apps on a Mac without Windows. CodeWeavers, its maker, rates Access 365 “Installs, Will Not Run” on a Mac (CodeWeavers).
If the file turns out to be one or two simple lists, Excel for Mac may be all you need. Our guide to Microsoft Access vs Excel explains where the line is.
How do you run Microsoft Access on a Mac?
You have three routes: run Windows on your Mac, use a Windows PC remotely, or move the data to something that runs on a Mac or in a browser. The first two keep the real Access, with its forms, reports, macros and VBA. The third means rebuilding the screens.
| Option | What you need | Price to start | Keeps Access forms and VBA | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parallels Desktop (Windows on your Mac) | Windows 11 Pro and Access | $99.99/year, plus $199.99 for Windows 11 Pro | Yes; test older VBA first | One person who has to keep an existing database working |
| VMware Fusion (Windows on your Mac) | Windows 11 Pro and Access; not on Microsoft’s authorized list | Free, plus $199.99 for Windows 11 Pro | Yes; test older VBA first | Trying the Windows route without paying for the app |
| Windows 365 (a Windows PC in the cloud) | Access and a work account | $36/user/month | Yes | Businesses already on Microsoft 365 |
| Remote Desktop to a PC you own | A Windows Pro PC with Access | Free Windows App | Yes | Reaching an office PC now and then |
| Claris FileMaker | Rebuild the database, starting from an Excel export | $22/user/month, billed yearly, 5 to 10 users | No | Mac-first teams that want a desktop database |
| Ninox | Rebuild the database, starting from CSV exports | Free plan; $31/user/month billed yearly | No | A Mac app and a browser version of the same database |
| Zoho Creator | A browser | Free plan; $8/user/month billed yearly | No, tables only | Importing the Access file itself into a web app |
| LibreOffice Base | Java and a free driver | Free | No | Looking at the tables at no cost |
| GoodTaco (our product) | An Excel or CSV export of your tables | Free plan; paid from $9/month | No | A web app for Macs, PCs and phones, built from a description |
Every Windows route also needs Access in Windows. Microsoft 365 Apps for business includes it for $10 per user per month, paid yearly, or $12 month to month (Microsoft). Access on its own is $179.99 for one PC (Microsoft Store). If you only need to use a database someone else built, not change it, Microsoft’s free Access Runtime runs it in Windows instead. It has no design tools and hides the list of tables, so it suits databases that open to their own forms (Microsoft support).
If you only need to open the file once to get the data out, skip to getting your data out.
How do you set up Access in Parallels Desktop?
A virtual machine runs Windows 11 in a window on your Mac, and Access runs inside it. It’s the real Windows version of Access, so your forms, reports, macros and VBA come with it.
Macs with Apple chips run the Arm version of Windows 11. Microsoft names Parallels Desktop (versions 18 to 20 in its current guidance) as an authorized way to run it on Macs with M1, M2 and M3 chips (Microsoft support). You need a separate Windows 11 Pro license. Parallels says current versions also support M4 and M5 chips (Parallels).
What it costs: Parallels Desktop Standard Edition is $99.99 a year, or $219.99 as a one-time purchase (Parallels pricing). Add Windows 11 Pro at $199.99, and Access or the free Runtime.
A free option: VMware Fusion has been free for business and personal use since November 2024 (VMware), and it runs the Arm version of Windows 11 on Apple silicon Macs (VMware FAQ). Microsoft’s guidance names only Parallels as authorized, not Fusion. Free Fusion users don’t get support from Broadcom, VMware’s owner, only its forums and help articles. You still need Windows 11 Pro and Access.
How to set it up:
- Install Parallels Desktop. There’s a 14-day free trial.
- Let Parallels download and install Windows 11.
- In Windows, sign in with the Microsoft account that has your Access license and install Access.
- Put the .accdb file in a folder that both macOS and Windows can see, and open it.
Test your own file during the trial. On Arm-based Windows, which is what a Mac with an Apple chip runs, Microsoft 365 is moving to the 64-bit edition of Office only (Microsoft support). Databases built in older 32-bit Office can break there if their VBA calls Windows directly or uses old add-on controls, such as date pickers (Microsoft Learn). Access also isn’t on Microsoft’s list of Office apps built for Arm (Microsoft support). Parallels says VBA, macros and linked tables should keep working (Parallels). Open the forms and reports your team uses before you pay.
Who it suits: one person who must keep an existing Access database running as it is. You’re also taking on a second computer to look after, with Windows updates and licenses. The database is still a file, not something your team can open from any device.
Can you use Microsoft Access through a cloud PC or remote desktop?
Yes. Access runs on a Windows PC somewhere else, and your Mac shows its screen through Microsoft’s free Windows App. Nothing else is installed on the Mac.
A Windows PC in the cloud: Windows 365
Windows 365 gives each person a Windows 11 PC that lives in Microsoft’s cloud. You open it from your Mac, iPhone or iPad with Windows App, or in a web browser (Windows App).
- Price: from $36 per user per month, billed monthly, plus Access. The 30-day free trial needs a credit card (Windows 365 pricing).
- What you need: an Access license, because Microsoft lists Access as a supported app but Microsoft 365 apps need their own license (Microsoft Learn). You also sign in with a work or school account, not a personal Microsoft account.
- Suits: businesses already on Microsoft 365 that want Access for a few people, without setting up Windows on each Mac. It costs more each year than Parallels.
A Windows PC you already own: Remote Desktop
If there’s a Windows PC with Access at the office, you can reach it from your Mac.
- Price: Windows App is free from Microsoft on the Mac App Store, for macOS 14 or later.
- What you need: a PC running the Pro edition of Windows. On the PC, open Settings > System > Remote Desktop and turn it on, then add the PC’s name in Windows App on your Mac (Microsoft support).
- Suits: someone who needs the office database now and then. The PC has to stay on, and from outside the office your Mac needs a network route to it, which may mean asking whoever runs your network.
What is the Mac equivalent of Microsoft Access?
The closest Mac equivalent of Microsoft Access is Claris FileMaker, a desktop database that runs natively on macOS. LibreOffice Base is a free Microsoft Access alternative for Mac, Ninox has a Mac app that’s free to download, and Zoho Creator and GoodTaco run in any Mac browser. None runs Access forms, reports, macros or VBA: you keep the records and rebuild the screens. Our guide to Microsoft Access alternatives compares nine tools, and every browser-based one, such as Airtable, works on a Mac too.
Claris FileMaker
FileMaker is a desktop database like Access that runs natively on macOS, on both Intel and Apple silicon, as well as on Windows 11. FileMaker Go runs your apps on iPhone and iPad, and WebDirect runs them in a web browser when they’re hosted on FileMaker Cloud or FileMaker Server (Claris specifications).
- Price: FileMaker Cloud Starter is $22 per user per month, billed yearly, for 5 to 10 users. Max is $45 per user per month, billed yearly (Claris pricing). There’s a 45-day free trial (Claris).
- Access data: FileMaker doesn’t import Access files. Claris suggests exporting the data to Excel and importing that (Claris help).
- Suits: Mac-first teams that want a desktop database and have time to build it.
Ninox
Ninox is a no-code database with an app that’s free to download from the Mac App Store, apps for iPhone and iPad, and a version that runs in the browser (Ninox).
- Price: a Free plan covers up to 5 users and 5,000 records. Team is $31 per user per month, billed yearly (Ninox pricing).
- Access data: Ninox creates a table from a CSV file, so you export each Access table to CSV first (Ninox docs).
- Suits: small teams that want one database as a Mac app and in the browser.
LibreOffice Base
Base is the free database in LibreOffice, which runs on macOS 11 or newer on Intel or Apple silicon (system requirements).
- Price: free.
- Access data: LibreOffice’s own guide says its built-in Access connection works on Windows only. On a Mac, you install Java and a free driver called UCanAccess. Then you can see the data, but changes give errors, and Access forms and reports don’t come across (LibreOffice wiki).
- Suits: looking through an Access file’s tables at no cost.
Zoho Creator
Zoho Creator is a low-code app builder that runs in the browser.
- Price: a free plan covers one app. Standard is $8 per user per month billed yearly, or $12 monthly, with a 15-day trial (Zoho Creator pricing).
- Access data: it imports .accdb and .mdb files directly, up to 100 MB on US accounts (Zoho help). Apps also run in Zoho’s iOS and Android apps (Zoho Creator).
- Suits: getting an Access file into a browser app when nobody can export it for you.
How do you get your data out of an Access file without Windows?
You may not need Windows at all. Pick whichever is easiest:
- Export it on your Mac. MDB ACCDB Viewer, $18.99 on the Mac App Store, opens .accdb and .mdb files and exports every table to Excel or CSV. It can’t change the data or show forms (Egger Apps).
- Import the file into Zoho Creator, which reads .accdb and .mdb files directly.
- Ask whoever sent the file. They have Access, so they can export each table to Excel.
- Use a Windows PC with Access for half an hour, at the office or a colleague’s.
- Use free trials. A Windows 365 Cloud PC for 30 days and Microsoft 365 Business Standard, which includes Access, for one month cover a one-time export. Both need a credit card, so cancel when you’re done.
If you use Access, select a table, choose External Data > Export > Excel, and export each table into the same workbook without formatting, so each one lands on its own sheet. Lookup columns come out as ID numbers, attachments stay behind and calculated columns keep only their results, so keep every ID column: it’s what links an order to its customer (Microsoft support).
Once your tables are in Excel, you can open them in Excel for Mac, where our guide on how to use Excel as a database helps, or turn them into an app.
Turn your Access tables into an app that works on a Mac
GoodTaco turns your exported Access tables into a web app that opens on a Mac, a PC or a phone, in minutes. Upload the workbook at spreadsheet to app, with no account needed. GoodTaco imports your records into a built-in database, turns columns of repeated choices into dropdowns, and builds the screens, forms, search and dashboards. Then it emails you the link.
Next, describe the screens your team used in Access, such as “a job sheet technicians can fill in on their phones” or “unpaid invoices by customer”, and GoodTaco builds them. Tell it how your tables relate, for example that each job belongs to one customer. You change the app the same way, by asking, and every version is saved, so you can roll back in one click.
The app opens in any browser, on the Mac you have, the Windows PCs in the shop and everyone’s phones. Share it 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 file to pass around and no Windows to keep up. For more on what a database app can do for a small team, see database software for small business.
Your Access data, in an app every Mac, PC and phone on your team can open. Start free, no credit card needed.
Frequently asked questions
Can you run Microsoft Access on a Mac?
Not as a Mac app, because Access only runs on Windows. You can run it inside Windows 11 on your Mac with Parallels Desktop, or connect from your Mac to a Windows PC in the cloud or at the office with Microsoft's free Windows App. Each route needs Access in Windows: a paid license, or the free Access Runtime to use a database without changing it.
Can I download Microsoft Access for Mac?
No. Microsoft says Access is available for PC only. Microsoft 365 for Mac installs Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote but not Access, even on plans that include Access for Windows.
What is the Mac equivalent of Microsoft Access?
Claris FileMaker is the closest: a desktop database that runs natively on a Mac, from $22 per user per month billed yearly for 5 to 10 users. LibreOffice Base is free, Ninox has a Mac app that's free to download, and Zoho Creator and GoodTaco run in a browser on a Mac, a PC or a phone. None of them runs your Access forms, reports or VBA, so you rebuild those.
How do I open an .accdb file on a Mac?
To get the data out, MDB ACCDB Viewer, an $18.99 Mac app, exports the tables to Excel or CSV, and Zoho Creator imports the file directly. To use the database as it is, with its forms and reports, run Access in Windows on your Mac or on a remote PC. LibreOffice Base on a Mac can show the tables with Java and a free driver, but it can't save changes to them.
Is there a free version of Microsoft Access for Mac?
No. There's no Mac version, free or paid. Microsoft's free Access Runtime runs existing Access apps but only on Windows, and it can't change their design. On a Mac, LibreOffice Base is free, and Ninox, Zoho Creator and GoodTaco have free plans.
Why doesn't Microsoft Access work on a Mac?
Microsoft makes Access for Windows only, so it isn't part of Microsoft 365 for Mac. A database needs Access itself to run its forms, reports, macros and VBA, so on a Mac you need Windows, either on the Mac or on a remote PC.
Can I turn an Access database into an app that works on a Mac?
Yes. Export each Access table to Excel or CSV, then upload the file to GoodTaco. It imports the records into a built-in database and builds a web app that works on Macs, PCs and phones. Access forms, reports, macros and VBA don't carry over; you describe the screens you need instead.
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