# Microsoft Access database hosting, on a server we look after.

> Yes, an Access database can be hosted. The back-end file, each user's copy of the front-end and Access itself (or Microsoft's free Access Runtime) sit on one Windows server in London, and your team works on it over Remote Desktop. Only screen updates cross the internet, not the database file. We build, patch, back up and monitor the server; you or your Access developer keep looking after the database itself.

Source: https://wharfcloud.co.uk/hosted-business-software/microsoft-access · Last updated 21 October 2026 · WharfCloud

## At a glance

- **Server location:** London, United Kingdom
- **Windows Server:** 2025 recommended, agreed before setup
- **Access on the server:** Microsoft 365 Apps or the free Access Runtime
- **Server price:** £119/month (list £149/month)
- **Migration:** Included, free of charge
- **Human support:** Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 18:00 UK time

## Why Access is slow or fragile away from the office

Microsoft describes several ways to share an Access desktop database. The three most businesses use each assume the people using it are close to the data (Microsoft also covers sharing data on a SharePoint site):

Table: Ways to share an Access database, as Microsoft describes them

| Method | What Microsoft says | What it means for remote work |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One shared file on a network drive | The simplest option, with the least functionality. Every user opens the same file, all database objects travel across the network, and it is less secure because each user has a full copy of the file. | Fine for a few people in one office. Over home broadband every form and report is pulled across the link. |
| Split database | Data tables in a back-end file, everything else in a front-end file, and each user works with a local copy of the front-end. Microsoft says it can be shared over a local area network, and that corruption is usually limited to the user's front-end copy. | The right design, but it is built for a local network. A VPN stretches that network over a slower, less reliable link. |
| Database server, such as SQL Server | Only the tables are shared, with user accounts, better availability and room for databases far larger than the 2GB limit of an Access file. | Works well remotely, but needs a server and someone to run it. |

A hosted Remote Desktop server puts every user back on the same local network as the data. The split design Microsoft recommends then works the way it was meant to, whether people sign in from the office, from home or from a client's site.

## How a hosted Access server works

1. **The back-end lives on the server.** Your data tables sit in a folder on a managed Windows server in London, with file permissions set so only your users can reach them.
2. **Each user gets their own front-end.** Following Microsoft's split-database advice, every person has their own copy of the front-end in their profile on the server, linked to the shared back-end.
3. **Your team connects with Remote Desktop.** Each person signs in with their own account. It works from Windows PCs with the built-in Remote Desktop Connection, and from Macs, iPads and Android tablets with Microsoft's Windows App.
4. **Access is locked down.** Every Remote Desktop sign-in needs a password and a code from an authenticator app, for your team and for our engineers. No one can start a Remote Desktop session with a password alone, and we can also limit access to your office IP addresses. See [is RDP safe over the internet](https://wharfcloud.co.uk/guides/is-remote-desktop-safe-over-the-internet) for why.
5. **We patch, monitor and back up.** Critical and high-risk Windows updates go on within 14 days of release, in an agreed maintenance window outside your working hours. The server is monitored, and backups run on a schedule, with help from us when you need a restore.

## Licences: Access, Windows and Remote Desktop

Table: Licences involved in hosting an Access database

| Licence | Who provides it | What to check |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Access through Microsoft 365 | You, through your Microsoft 365 plan | Running Microsoft 365 Apps on a shared Remote Desktop server needs shared computer activation. Microsoft includes it with enterprise plans such as Microsoft 365 E3 and with Business Premium, which is the only business plan that has it. Business Standard does not. |
| Microsoft 365 Access Runtime | Free from Microsoft | For people who only use a finished database. Microsoft removes or disables all design features in the Runtime, so whoever changes the database still needs full Access. |
| Windows Server | Included in our monthly price | Nothing, we handle it |
| Remote Desktop user access | Quoted with your server | One per person who connects; confirmed in the first conversation |
| SQL Server, if the tables move to it | Quoted with your server | Only needed if you outgrow the Access file format (see below) |

> **Why we recommend Windows Server 2025** Microsoft supports Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows Server 2025 while that release is in mainstream support. Mainstream support for Windows Server 2022 ended on 13 October 2026; Microsoft says Microsoft 365 Apps on Windows Server 2022 stay on Version 2608 and get security updates only until 10 October 2028. So for a new Access server we recommend Windows Server 2025. The version is agreed with you when we confirm licensing, before setup.

If you use a one-off purchase of Access rather than Microsoft 365, check its support date first. Microsoft's lifecycle pages show Access 2016 and Access 2019 support ended on 14 October 2025 and Access 2021 support ended on 13 October 2026; Access 2024 is supported until 9 October 2029.

## When Access is not the right home any more

- **Size.** Microsoft's specification caps an Access database file at 2GB, minus the space needed for system objects. Linking to tables in several back-end files is Microsoft's workaround.
- **Users.** The specification lists 255 concurrent users as the maximum. How many work comfortably in practice depends on the database design.
- **The next step.** Microsoft documents moving the tables to SQL Server while keeping Access as the front end. On a hosted server that can happen on the same machine, without changing how your team opens the database.

We will tell you if your database looks close to these limits when we test it on a copy. Rebuilding or redesigning the database is work for your Access developer; we host and run the server it lives on.

## What it costs and how the move works

Our Managed Windows Server starts at £119/month (list £149/month). No VAT is added. Remote Desktop user licences, and SQL Server if you need it, are quoted in writing after a short conversation, before you pay anything. Moving the database from your current server is included.

1. We agree a date away from your busiest days.
2. We build and secure the server and copy your back-end and front-end files across.
3. The front-end is pointed at the back-end's new location, which Microsoft's Linked Table Manager does, and one or two of your users try it on the copy for a few days.
4. On the agreed evening, everyone closes the database, we copy the live back-end across and check it with you.
5. Your old copy stays untouched until you are happy, so you can always go back.

## Price of the underlying server: Managed Windows Server

- **Standard:** £119/month intro price (first 50 customers), £149/month list price. Windows Server with licence, managed by us. Includes: Free migration from your current host; Critical and high-risk security updates within 14 days; Remote Desktop with multi-factor sign-in; Automated monitoring and recovery; Backups with restore help; Support in UK business hours.

Licensing is confirmed with you before setup.

Prices in GBP. No VAT is added: we are not VAT registered. Talk to us first: https://wharfcloud.co.uk/contact?topic=managed-windows-server

## Questions we get asked

### Can a Microsoft Access database be hosted in the cloud?

Yes. The usual way is to run the database and Access on a Windows server in a data centre and connect to it with Remote Desktop. The database stays an Access database; only where it runs changes.

### Why is our Access database slow over the VPN?

Because Access moves data, and with an unsplit file whole database objects, across the network every time someone opens a form or runs a report. Microsoft describes a split database as something to share over a local area network. A VPN stretches that network over home broadband; Remote Desktop keeps Access next to the data instead.

### Do we need Microsoft 365 Business Premium?

Only if you want to run Access from Microsoft 365 on the shared server. Among Microsoft's business plans, Business Premium is the only one that includes shared computer activation; Business Standard does not. People who only use a finished database can use the free Microsoft 365 Access Runtime instead.

### Is the Access Runtime free?

Yes. Microsoft offers the Microsoft 365 Access Runtime as a free download in 32-bit and 64-bit versions. It runs finished databases; design features are removed or disabled.

### How many people can use an Access database at once?

Microsoft's specification gives 255 concurrent users as the maximum and 2GB as the largest database file. If you are near either limit, moving the tables to SQL Server is Microsoft's documented next step.

### Will you fix or develop our database?

No. We host and manage the server, Remote Desktop, backups and monitoring. Changes to the database itself stay with you or your Access developer, who gets the access they need.

### How much does Access hosting cost?

The managed Windows server is £119/month (list £149/month). No VAT is added. Remote Desktop user licences, and SQL Server where needed, are quoted in writing before you pay.

### Where is the data stored?

On a managed server in London, United Kingdom. When a service ends we keep the data for 14 days so you can collect it, then delete it.

## Sources

- [Microsoft Support: Ways to share an Access desktop database](https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/access/ways-to-share-an-access-desktop-database)
- [Microsoft Support: Split an Access database](https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/access/split-an-access-database)
- [Microsoft Support: Access specifications](https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/office/access-specifications-0cf3c66f-9cf2-4e32-9568-98c1025bb47c)
- [Microsoft Support: Download and install Microsoft 365 Access Runtime](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/download-and-install-microsoft-365-access-runtime-185c5a32-8ba9-491e-ac76-91cbe3ea09c9)
- [Microsoft Learn: Overview of shared computer activation for Microsoft 365 Apps](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/licensing-activation/overview-shared-computer-activation)
- [Microsoft Learn: Windows Server end of support and Microsoft 365 Apps](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365-apps/end-of-support/windows-server-support)
- [Microsoft Lifecycle: Windows Server 2022](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2022)
- [Microsoft Lifecycle: Access 2016](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/access-2016)
- [Microsoft Lifecycle: Access 2019](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/access-2019)
- [Microsoft Lifecycle: Access 2021](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/access-2021)
- [Microsoft Lifecycle: Access 2024](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/access-2024)

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