Access Day 2026 Review
By Richard Rost
27 days ago
New Features & Community Insights Revealed
In this video, I share my recap of Access Day 2026, highlighting the new and upcoming features presented by the Microsoft Access team, including form zooming, improved large monitor support, built-in cascading combo boxes, a modern date picker, and ongoing UI modernization efforts. We also discuss sessions on AI integration in Access, automating Azure SQL IP address rules, taking over legacy Access applications, and new tools for modern authentication. I reflect on the future of Access, the value of the event for developers and consultants, and some personal experiences from attending the conference.
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Keywords
TechHelp Access, form zooming, beta channel features, large monitor support, cascading combo boxes, modern date picker, AI query generation, Query Describe, Graph Authenticator, Microsoft Graph, Azure SQL IP rules, consulting business, onboarding clients, Access Day 2026
Intro In this video, I share my recap of Access Day 2026, highlighting the new and upcoming features presented by the Microsoft Access team, including form zooming, improved large monitor support, built-in cascading combo boxes, a modern date picker, and ongoing UI modernization efforts. We also discuss sessions on AI integration in Access, automating Azure SQL IP address rules, taking over legacy Access applications, and new tools for modern authentication. I reflect on the future of Access, the value of the event for developers and consultants, and some personal experiences from attending the conference.Transcript Microsoft just showed off what's coming next for Access and there are a few things in there that are going to make your life a whole lot easier.
Welcome to another TechHelp video brought to you by accesslearningzone.com. I'm your instructor Richard Rost.
I just got back from Access Day in Redmond for 2026 and I wanted to get this video out while everything is still fresh in my mind, or at least the parts I can still remember, because let's be honest, it was a full day and there was a lot packed in.
So let's get to the presentations. Let's start with the big one, which was the Microsoft Access team presentation. This is always the highlight for me because it's where I get a real look at what's coming down the pipeline from the people who are actually working on and building Microsoft Access.
They demoed several new features, but before we get into them, I want to set expectations. Some of this stuff is already in the beta channel, so you can try it out right now. I've got a whole separate video coming out very soon about how you can switch to the Office beta channel to try out the new stuff that's being released - more on that later.
Other things are still in development or even in early concept stages, so they're working on them but they're not officially scheduled yet and could change. So this is a mix of what you can use today and what's likely coming down the pipe, but most importantly it shows that they're still working on adding new features to Access, which is exciting.
Form zooming is one of the big ones and that is currently in the beta channel, so you can play with it right now. This actually started as a side project that was talked about at last year's Access Day and it's taken a while to get it out, and I understand it. I'm guilty of that myself. Sometimes you build a quick proof of concept, you get it working, and then you realize just how much extra work is going to be involved to turn it into a polished feature. So I understand why this stuff takes a while.
The big benefit here is usability, especially for users on high resolution displays or anyone who needs better accessibility. They're getting really close - they demoed it and it looks very promising.
They also talked about improvements for large monitor support, and this is what I'm personally very excited about. Yes, sorry if some of the screenshots are a little blurry - they're pulled from presentation footage, so not ideal, but you get the idea.
Anyway, if you've ever tried designing forms on an ultra-wide display you know exactly what I'm talking about. I've got a 49 inch monitor on my desk and I'd love to be able to spread my forms out across that entire space, but right now Access just doesn't let you do that. It's not just the size of the form, it's also positioning. You can't move a form past a certain point in design view, or even with code, and have it stay there - it just snaps back.
So this is really part of a bigger effort to remove some of those longstanding design limitations in Access. It's on the schedule but there's no timeline yet and I'm definitely looking forward to this one.
They also showed several features that are still in the concept or early stages, so these are not scheduled yet and they might not even make it into the product, but they're definitely worth talking about because they're really cool.
One of my favorites is built-in cascading combo boxes without needing VBA code. If you've been following my channel, you know I've done multiple videos over the years on cascading combo boxes because they're incredibly useful.
The basic idea is simple: you pick a country in one box, for example, then the next box shows just the cities from that country, and then maybe a third box, or even a list box like he's got here, shows the streets from that city.
Right now, getting that to work properly can be tricky and usually requires a bit of code. What they're working on is essentially bringing that same concept into Access as a built-in feature, similar to how forms and subforms are linked with master and child fields. You'll just make that setting and then it'll just work - no code required. The downside means I have to retire a few of my videos - just kidding, just kidding. I'm looking forward to this feature and the exciting part is that this will also work with continuous forms, which is something that's very difficult to do cleanly right now. You have to do all kinds of tricks with text boxes or hidden combos - it's a mess, but this will be really cool once it's finished. This one feature alone could save developers a ton of time.
They also demonstrated a brand new modern date picker, and this is what I'm really happy to see as well. The current date picker in Access is actually a shared component across all of Microsoft Office, so the Access team doesn't have full control over how it behaves and that's one of the reasons it has some quirks.
For example, one of my pet peeves, and I've done videos on this, is if you change the date or type a new one, and then open the picker, it jumps back to the original value that was stored in the field instead of what's currently in the text box, and that can be really frustrating.
The new picker fixes that by actually reading the value in the control itself, which is a big improvement. It also includes built-in time selection and more modern behavior overall. Since this one is being built specifically for Access, they'll have full control over it moving forward, which should make it much more flexible and reliable. I'd love it if they could position where the little pop-up thing goes, so it's either inside or maybe above the text box there. I have to add that to my list. I have a big long list of suggestions for them that I keep forgetting to give them. My good friend Sammy's been helping me put it together over the past year or two, and I just keep forgetting to send it to him. I want to make sure it's cleaned up first because there's a lot of old stuff on that anyway.
There are also some visual user interface updates being considered, like rounded corners on text boxes. That might sound minor, but it's part of a broader conversation around modernizing the Access User Interface. Lots of people complain that Access looks like it's from the 90s, so they're doing little things to make it modern, and defining exactly what modern means and how to implement it is still an ongoing discussion, but they're giving more features like this.
Artificial intelligence was, of course, one of the big themes this year. While there's no official Microsoft Copilot integration in Access right now, there are still plenty of ways to bring AI into your applications today.
One presentation focused on using Access as a front end while pushing more of the processing and logic into external services and cloud-based systems, including AI. It's more of an enterprise approach where you break your applications into pieces instead of doing everything inside of Access. It leaned a little more toward enterprise architecture than what I typically do, but it was still interesting to see how Access fits into larger, modern systems.
They also briefly showed how you can use AI to generate queries from plain English. If you've been following my channel, you know I've been working on this for a while now myself. I've done a few TechHelp videos on what you can do with AI in Access, everything from writing SQL to generating basic VBA. They also showed a feature called Query Describe, where you can take a complicated query and have the AI describe in English for you what that query does - that was kind of neat.
One thing they emphasized, and I think this is really important for everyone to understand, is why some of these features take time. Access has to run in a wide range of environments all over the world with different compliance requirements and security standards, especially in places like Europe, and all kinds of enterprise constraints. It's not just about building a feature and shipping it - it has to work reliably everywhere across a lot of different setups.
Honestly, I get that. I deal with the same thing myself, just on a much smaller scale. You can build a proof of concept pretty quickly, but then all the little details start piling up. I've been working on a project to convert Access forms into web pages for a few years now. I got text boxes working pretty easily, but then you have combo boxes, list boxes, buttons, labels, all the edge cases - it adds up fast.
So when they say they've been working on something like form zooming for a couple of years, I completely understand why it takes so much time. It's got to be right before you ship it and break people's databases. People rely on Access every day to run their business, so it's got to be right.
Another thing - and we go through this all the time - they made it very clear that Access is not going anywhere. It's fully funded by Microsoft, actively being developed, and still being used by millions of people worldwide. Yes, compared to Excel or SQL Server, the Access team is relatively small, and a lot of their time goes into maintenance, security, and compliance, but development is ongoing.
Even in the worst case scenario, where Microsoft said okay, we're stopping development tomorrow - which they haven't done - support for Access is still guaranteed through at least 2029 based on the current Office release cycle, which is roughly five years, and the last major release was 2024. So realistically, it will likely go beyond that, but that's the minimum you can count on. But again, it's not going anywhere - they're still working on it, and it's got a bright future as far as I'm concerned.
They also talked about the public roadmap and why it's not always perfectly up to date. They don't want to over-promise and under-deliver, and I completely get that approach. I used to be guilty of doing that myself. I used to publish my own production schedule for my courses years ago and I was terrible at sticking to it because things come up. You've got customer service, you've got emails, unexpected issues, my website might die, that kind of stuff.
So now I only put things on my calendar that's publicly visible that are either already in production, like in the next couple days, or guaranteed to happen, like my Quick Queries on Friday. I think they're taking a very similar approach to that, and honestly, it makes a lot of sense and I agree with it 100 percent.
It's important that people know that Access is still being worked on, but it's also important not to put stuff on there and then have people be like, well you said back in September or last year that this would be ready and it's not ready yet. So I get it. They're doing it just the way I would do it.
So overall, the Access team session was very informative, with lots of practical improvements. Some long-requested features are coming to fruition and a clear message that Access is alive and well.
Alright, let's talk about the rest of the sessions. These were all great presentations. A lot of them were geared more toward consulting scenarios than actual Access development. That said, there was still a lot of good information shared, especially if you're still working with clients or running your own development business or consulting.
Armin Stein from J Street Technology, who hosts Access Day, gave a talk on starting and growing a consulting business. Armin is always a great speaker. He's just one of those natural presenters. I love listening to him talk. He covered both the technical and the business sides of running a development company - things like marketing, working with clients, managing growth, hiring, building a team.
Even though I'm not consulting anymore, I still enjoyed every minute of it. It brought back a lot of memories from my consulting days. Like I said, he's just very easy to listen to.
Michelle Long, also from J Street, presented on managing IP address rules for Azure SQL Server from within Access. This one takes a little setup to understand why it matters.
If you're connecting to SQL Server over the internet, especially something like Azure SQL, one of the ways you keep it secure is by locking it down so only specific IP addresses are allowed to connect. That's great for security, but it can become a real headache if you or your users are traveling, working from home, or connecting from different locations because your IP address keeps changing. So every time it changes you have to go in and manually update the firewall rules to allow Access.
What Michelle showed was a way to automate that entire process from within Access. Her solution uses Azure and automation tools to detect your current IP address and update the allowed list behind the scenes. So users can connect securely without having to manually manage those rules every time they move. For larger teams or distributed environments, this can be a huge time saver.
In my case personally, I handle it a little bit differently. I use NordVPN and a dedicated IP address so I can connect to my server from anywhere in the world and it looks like I'm still in my office. That works great if it's just you or maybe a couple of users. But if you've got a larger team or lots of users connecting from different places, that approach doesn't scale very well. This is where something like what Michelle demonstrated really shines, because it automates the whole process and keeps everything secure without a lot of manual work. Really cool stuff.
Next up, Mike Wolf from noongerset.com talked about taking over existing Access applications, which is becoming more common as developers retire, move, or do other things. It happens. Taking over an existing Access application is a very different challenge compared to building something new.
Back in my consulting days, I would often go into a business and it would take me half the time to rebuild something from scratch than to try to update what they had. But a lot of people have systems that they've been using for 20 years, and they're not going to replace it. They've got too much time and money invested, so we've got to work with their system.
Mike talked about a lot of topics including onboarding clients, understanding existing code bases, avoiding common pitfalls, and it brought back a lot of memories from my consulting days. This reminds me of what happened in the COBOL world over the past couple of decades. You have these massive, mission-critical systems that have been running for years and the original developers have long since retired or moved on, and now companies are left with these huge code bases that nobody fully understands.
Bob knew what was going on, but Bob's been living in Costa Rica for the past five years. The same thing is starting to happen now with Access. There are lots of businesses running databases that might be 20 or 30 years old, and when their Access guy disappears, someone has to step in and figure it all out. That's exactly the kind of work that Mike specializes in.
On a side note, it was great to finally meet Mike in person after knowing him online for years. I didn't get to talk with him anywhere near as much as I would have liked. Hopefully next year at Access Day. He's also the one that re-nominated me for the MVP award after I stepped away for a while, so I definitely appreciate that. And, of course, Mike's the guy behind the Access Week in Review that I share on my website every Sunday. So really cool guy.
Andrew Richards and Peter Bryant, both independent consultants and very entertaining to watch, introduced their Graph Authenticator tool. This solves a big problem with modern authentication. As Microsoft continues moving toward newer authentication models with things like multi-factor authentication and the newer Outlook experience, a lot of the old simple ways of sending email from Access and VBA just don't work anymore.
It used to be very straightforward to automate Outlook and now it's gotten a lot more complicated. Part of the problem was it was very simple to send email from Outlook using VBA and hackers took advantage of that. So Microsoft started locking stuff down.
Their solution uses Microsoft Graph, which is essentially Microsoft's API for interacting with their entire ecosystem. Think of it like a single gateway that lets your Access application talk to things like email, calendar, contacts, OneDrive, SharePoint, and more.
What their tool does is handle the authentication step for you, so your Access application can securely connect to all those services without having to jump through all those hoops yourself.
Personally, I'm more of a Google guy. I'm a Microsoft MVP, but I've been using Gmail and Google Calendar for years, and I'm pretty set in my ways. For email, I typically just talk directly to SMTP and POP3 servers. But if your company uses the Microsoft ecosystem, especially with Outlook and Exchange and all that, this tool looked really solid. They demoed it and it looked really neat, so check them out if that's something you're interested in.
Next up, Juan Soto from accessexperts.com gave a talk on using AI as an Access development assistant. This is one of the sessions I really enjoyed. Juan's a really cool guy and it was great finally getting to meet him in person, even though I didn't get to spend as much time talking with him as I would have liked.
Honestly, I was fighting a cold most of this week, so I missed some of the social stuff like the dinner they had after Access Day and a couple of the MVP social events. I did get to briefly chat with a few people, but not nearly as much as I wanted to, so I owe a few folks a rain check for next year.
As for Juan's presentation, it tied in perfectly with the overall AI theme. What I really liked about his approach is that it's very structured and controlled. He showed how to export your database objects - tables, queries, forms, reports, all that stuff - and feed it into an AI system, then use carefully designed prompts to work with your database.
The key thing he emphasized was validation - making sure the AI actually understands your application, verifying what it's doing each step, and keeping it from going off the rails, which we all know it can do. He also demonstrated how you can use that process to identify issues, improve performance, and even add new features in a controlled way.
This is something I've been experimenting with myself, but I really liked how he formalized the workflow and kept everything on track. Very good presentation. If you're interested in using AI with Access, definitely check out Juan's work. He's got a lot of great material and it's clear that he put a lot of thought into making AI actually useful in real world Access development.
This is my third time going to Access Day. I went to it last year and I went to it a while back - I think in 2014 in Denver. One thing I'll say overall is that Access Day really does a nice job of covering a wide range of topics. You've got some stuff on core Access development, consulting and business topics, cloud integration, security, and now AI. So even if every session doesn't directly apply to what you're doing, there's always something valuable to take away.
Overall, Access Day 2026 was a great event. Whether it's new features, new tools, or just connecting with other developers, there's lots of value here. Armin has announced the next Access Day, which is tentatively (with asterisks around tentatively) scheduled for March 19, 2027. That's just to save the date for now. Don't make travel plans yet - the official announcement with details usually comes about six months ahead of time. I'll be sure to announce it when it's set in stone.
If you're an Access developer, especially if you're working independently or running your own business, I highly recommend attending if you get the chance. It's not just about the sessions, it's about being around people who do what you do.
Speaking of people, on a personal note, between Access Day and the MVP Summit, I got to reconnect with some people I've known for years and also meet quite a few new folks too.
I heard some great stories from people about how my videos have helped them in their jobs and their careers. Honestly, that's one of the best parts of these trips for me. I love hearing about the real world impact of what I do and actually meeting with people face to face, and that's part of what makes all of this worth it. I have to give a quick shout out to one guy I met, Dave Clark, one of my members, who showed up wearing a bright yellow Access Learning Zone t-shirt from my merch store, and that absolutely made my day. Dave, it was great to meet you in person.
Alright, so that's my recap of Access Day 2026, and that's going to be your TechHelp video for today. I hope you learned something. Live long and prosper, my friends. I'll see you next time.Quiz Q1. What is form zooming in Microsoft Access?
A. A feature that allows users to scale forms for better usability and accessibility
B. A tool for increasing form loading speed
C. A method to automatically resize images in forms
D. A script that exports forms to PDF documents
Q2. What major benefit does form zooming provide to Access users?
A. Reduced database file size
B. Improved accessibility and usability on high resolution displays
C. Automatic sorting of form records
D. Enhanced security for form data
Q3. What limitation with designing forms does Microsoft aim to address for users with large or ultra-wide monitors?
A. Lack of support for high DPI scaling
B. Inability to move or size forms beyond certain design limits
C. Not enough built-in color themes
D. Limited form template options
Q4. The upcoming cascading combo boxes feature in Access aims to:
A. Allow built-in linked data filtering between combo boxes without requiring VBA code
B. Automatically export combo box values to Excel
C. Enable form-level password protection using combos
D. Integrate combo boxes with external APIs
Q5. What is significant about the new modern date picker being developed for Access?
A. It is a shared feature across all Office applications
B. It allows Access full control and incorporates time selection and user-friendly behaviors
C. It only supports manual date entry
D. It has fewer features than the current date picker
Q6. Why do some new features in Access take a long time to be released?
A. Developers are working only part-time
B. Features need to function reliably across diverse environments with varying compliance, security, and enterprise requirements
C. Microsoft has stopped funding Access
D. Most features are built by volunteers
Q7. What is the main purpose of the Microsoft Graph Authenticator tool presented by Andrew Richards and Peter Bryant?
A. To simplify connecting Access to Microsoft services while handling modern authentication
B. To generate bar charts in Access
C. To encrypt Access backend databases
D. To synchronize Access data to Google Drive
Q8. Why is automating IP address rule management important for Access applications connecting to Azure SQL Server?
A. IP addresses are static and rarely change
B. Manual updates are quick and easy for large teams
C. User IP addresses can frequently change due to remote work, making manual updates tedious
D. Firewalls are not used with Azure SQL Server
Q9. What was emphasized regarding Microsoft Access's future?
A. Microsoft is discontinuing Access after 2027
B. Development is ongoing, Access is fully funded, and millions still use it worldwide
C. Access will be merged into SQL Server
D. Access does not receive any security updates
Q10. What was one of the key themes of Access Day 2026 presentations in addition to new features?
A. Mobile app development in Access
B. Consulting and business practices, including client onboarding and automation
C. Building video games in Access
D. Removing cloud integration features
Q11. When using AI as an Access development assistant, what crucial practice did Juan Soto strongly emphasize?
A. Allowing AI to work unsupervised
B. Relying solely on AI suggestions without review
C. Validation and verification of AI outputs at every step
D. Only using AI for form design
Q12. What is the primary benefit of Access's built-in cascading combo box feature when implemented for continuous forms?
A. Enables easy lookup in split forms
B. Eliminates complicated workarounds and code previously needed for data-dependent combos in continuous forms
C. Allows combo box values to sync with Outlook
D. Hides unrelated form controls automatically
Q13. Why is the public roadmap for Access updates sometimes not perfectly up to date?
A. To avoid over-promising and under-delivering on new features
B. Microsoft no longer cares about Access
C. The roadmap is only updated once a decade
D. They have stopped accepting user suggestions
Q14. What did Michelle Long's session at Access Day demonstrate?
A. Automating emails from Access to Gmail
B. Automating IP address rule updates for Azure SQL Server connections from inside Access
C. Using Access macros to secure local tables
D. Exporting Access reports to PowerPoint automatically
Q15. What is Microsoft Graph as described in the video?
A. A visual charting tool for Access
B. Microsoft's API gateway to allow Access apps to interact with services like Outlook, OneDrive, and SharePoint
C. A replacement for VBA in Access
D. A new SQL query engine
Answers: 1-A; 2-B; 3-B; 4-A; 5-B; 6-B; 7-A; 8-C; 9-B; 10-B; 11-C; 12-B; 13-A; 14-B; 15-B
DISCLAIMER: Quiz questions are AI generated. If you find any that are wrong, don't make sense, or aren't related to the video topic at hand, then please post a comment and let me know. Thanks.Summary Today's video from Access Learning Zone is all about the future of Microsoft Access, fresh from Access Day 2026 in Redmond. I wanted to share my thoughts while everything is still clear in my mind, since a lot happened and there were plenty of exciting announcements to cover.
The centerpiece of the event for me was the presentation from the Microsoft Access team. This is always my favorite because it gives a direct look at what the developers are currently working on and what we might expect soon. Some features are already available in the beta channel, meaning you can try them out today if you switch to that build. I also have a video coming soon that will walk you through how to get onto the Office beta channel. Other features are still in early development, so they're subject to change. The important point is that the Access team continues to make real progress, and new features are being rolled out.
One of the main improvements is form zooming, which is already in the beta channel. This feature significantly boosts usability, especially for users with high-resolution screens or accessibility needs. It's something the team has been refining over the past year, and after seeing it in action, I'm impressed with how close it is to being ready for general use.
Another important update is about improving large monitor support. As someone with a massive 49 inch display, I've been frustrated that Access doesn't let you fully use all that real estate. It's not just about form sizing, but also where you can position forms in design view. The current limitations force forms to snap back if you try to move them past a certain boundary. This update will help remove those restrictions, which has been a long-awaited request from many Access users. It's on the roadmap, but there isn't a set release date yet.
They also previewed several features still in early stages, but worth discussing. My highlight is the new cascading combo boxes functionality that won't require VBA code. If you've followed my work, you know how much time I've spent showing ways to make cascading combos work in Access. The concept is simple: select a country, filter cities based on that, then further filter down to streets in that city, for example. Currently this involves custom code and some complex workarounds, especially if you want the feature on a continuous form. What the Access team is working towards is making cascading combos as easy to configure as forms and subforms, just by setting master and child fields. This will eliminate the need for extra coding and should work seamlessly, even with continuous forms. That one addition alone will save developers a huge amount of time.
They also showed a new, modern date picker created just for Access. Traditionally, Access uses a shared date picker component with the rest of Office, which results in quirks and frustrating behaviors. For example, if you type a new date and then open the date picker, it often reverts back to the original stored field value rather than what you currently typed. The new picker solves this by properly reading the value from the control and also includes built-in time support and updated, modern behavior. Since it's being built specifically for Access, the team will be able to keep improving it based on user feedback. Small UI changes like supporting rounded corners on textboxes are also being discussed as part of wider efforts to modernize Access's appearance.
Artificial intelligence was another key topic at this year's event. Although there isn't an official Copilot integration yet, there are many ways to use AI with Access right now. One presentation focused on using Access as a front-end while connecting to external, cloud-based services and AI platforms for more advanced processing. This sort of architecture is becoming more common, and while it leans more towards enterprise needs, it's good to see Access fitting into more modern system designs.
There's also progress in using AI to write queries from plain English. I've already shown on my channel that you can use AI to generate SQL or create basic VBA for Access. Another new feature is called Query Describe, where AI can take a complex query and explain what it does in straightforward language.
A very important point that was highlighted is how much time new feature development can take. Access has to work reliably in a wide variety of environments worldwide, with all kinds of compliance and security constraints. It's not just a matter of building something and shipping it. There are a lot of details to cover so that features work for everyone without causing problems. I completely relate to this from my own experience, especially on projects where turning a quick proof of concept into a real, reliable solution is much harder than you might think.
Importantly, the Access team emphasized that the product is not going anywhere. It's fully funded, supported, and actively developed by Microsoft. Even if Microsoft stopped new feature development tomorrow - which they haven't announced - support would still last at least through 2029, which lines up with their five-year support cycles for Office. Most likely, that support will stretch even further. Development still continues, even though the team is small compared to Excel or SQL Server, and a lot of time is spent maintaining, securing, and keeping Access compliant with modern standards.
On the subject of the public roadmap for Access, the team explained why it isn't always as detailed or up to date as some would like. They want to avoid setting unrealistic expectations or promising features that aren't guaranteed. I've found the same thing in my business: it's better to only announce what is truly ready to avoid disappointing people down the road.
Beyond the Access team's updates, the rest of Access Day featured a series of presentations covering a variety of topics. Many talks focused on consulting and business growth for Access professionals. Armin Stein from J Street Technology gave a session about starting and growing a consulting practice, covering both technical strategies and business management skills like working with clients and building teams. Even if, like me, you're not consulting right now, the session was excellent.
Michelle Long from J Street gave a presentation about managing firewall rules for Azure SQL Server connections from within Access. When connecting to databases over the internet, security requires that only approved IP addresses can access the server. This creates headaches for users who travel or work from different locations, as they have to constantly update firewall settings. Michelle demonstrated a way to completely automate this using Azure tools so that current IP addresses are automatically allowed, saving a lot of manual work for distributed teams. Personally, I use a dedicated VPN for my own access, but for larger teams, Michelle's method is a much better solution.
Mike Wolf from noongerset.com discussed the challenges of taking over legacy Access applications, a situation that's becoming more common as original developers move on. Updating and managing older systems is often more difficult than starting from scratch, but businesses rely on applications that have been in use for decades. He covered everything from understanding existing codebases to onboarding clients and handling unexpected issues, which brought back plenty of memories from my own consulting days.
I also want to mention Andrew Richards and Peter Bryant, who demonstrated their Graph Authenticator tool. As Microsoft strengthens security with new authentication procedures, the old methods of sending emails or interacting with Outlook via VBA no longer work as easily. Their tool uses Microsoft Graph, a sort of universal API for the Microsoft ecosystem, and handles modern authentication so your Access apps can still connect securely to email, calendars, OneDrive, and more. This is becoming essential for companies that rely on the Microsoft stack and need to automate communication and calendar access from within Access.
Juan Soto from accessexperts.com showed how AI can serve as an Access development assistant. He shared structured approaches to exporting objects from your database, feeding them into AI systems with controlled prompts, and then validating all the results. His focus was on accuracy and keeping the AI on track - something I think is critical - and he demonstrated ways to use AI to improve performance and add new features safely and efficiently.
Overall, this was my third Access Day and, as always, the event delivered an excellent mix of technical and business content. Whether you're developing, consulting, or just interested in the future of Access, there was plenty to learn. I also enjoyed meeting both old friends and new faces, and hearing stories about how my videos have helped people in their work. Special thanks go to everyone who came up to say hello, including a shout out to Dave Clark for sporting a bright yellow Access Learning Zone t-shirt.
The next Access Day is tentatively set for March 19, 2027, but keep an eye out for official details as we get closer to that date. If you're a developer, especially if you work solo or run your own business, I highly recommend attending. The value goes far beyond just the technical sessions; it's about being part of the Access community.
That wraps up my recap for Access Day 2026 and today's TechHelp video. If you want step-by-step video tutorials covering all the features and concepts discussed here, you can find them on my website at the link below. Live long and prosper, my friends.Topic List Form zooming feature in Access beta channel
Improvements for large monitor support in Access
Built-in cascading combo boxes without VBA
Modern date picker with built-in time selection
User interface updates like rounded text box corners
Using AI to generate queries from plain English
AI-based Query Describe for explaining queries
Access as a front end for cloud and AI services
Automating Azure SQL IP address rules from Access
Handling takeover of legacy Access applications
Microsoft Graph Authenticator tool for Access VBA
Using AI as a development assistant in Access
Exporting Access objects for AI interaction
Validating and controlling AI-generated changesArticle Microsoft has recently shared their roadmap and upcoming features for Microsoft Access, and there is plenty of exciting news to cover that will make your workflow more efficient and productive. I just returned from Access Day 2026 in Redmond, where the Access team presented several improvements and new features, and I want to walk you through them in detail to help you stay current and make the most of these advancements.
One of the highlights is the confirmation that Microsoft remains fully committed to Access. The team actively develops new features, invests in maintenance, and ensures compliance with security and global enterprise requirements. While Access is a smaller product team compared to enterprise staples like Excel or SQL Server, it still serves millions of users, and official support is guaranteed at least through 2029, likely well beyond that.
Turning to the new features, let's start with Form Zooming, which is currently available in the Office beta channel. This long-requested feature allows users to zoom into forms, making them far more accessible for those using high-resolution monitors or with accessibility needs. This is a massive improvement, especially if you work with detailed forms or dashboards. Form zooming has been in the works for some time, and what started as a proof-of-concept grew into a fully polished feature. It increases usability by letting you adjust views to better fit your needs as you work or share your system with others.
Large monitor support is also being improved. If you have an ultra-wide or very large display, you probably know that Access can be limiting when designing or editing forms. Currently, you cannot freely position forms across the full usable space of your monitor, and in design view, forms snap back if you move them too far. Microsoft is working to eliminate these legacy design restrictions, which will make form design much more flexible. While there is no exact release date yet, this update is in the pipeline, and once rolled out, it will allow developers to make the most of modern monitors.
Among the most impressive concepts in development is built-in support for cascading combo boxes, which will not require any VBA code. If you are familiar with cascading combos, you know how useful they are: select a country in one combo box and the next shows just that country's cities, then maybe another shows the streets for a selected city. Currently these setups require custom coding and workarounds, especially on continuous forms, which can be quite tricky. Microsoft is introducing a master-child linking system for combos and list boxes, much like what exists for linking forms and subforms. You will be able to set these relationships natively, letting Access automatically filter the controls as selections change. When finished, this feature could save developers considerable time and headaches.
Another big quality-of-life improvement in the works is a modernized date picker specifically for Access. The date picker currently used is a shared Office component, and the Access team cannot control or update it directly. This has led to inconsistent behavior, such as not reflecting the text box's current value when opened after typing a new date. The new Access-specific picker resolves this by always reading the current value, includes integrated time selection, and generally looks and feels more modern. Since the Access team now owns this control, they will be able to tweak it and improve its reliability and adjust its appearance as needed.
There are also discussions about user interface modernization - one specific example is giving text boxes rounded corners. While minor in isolation, changes like these are steps toward updating Access's look, making it feel less dated and bringing it closer in line with other modern apps.
Artificial intelligence is also beginning to influence Access usage. While there is not yet an official Copilot integration within Access, Microsoft and presenters at Access Day demonstrated how you can use AI today. For example, developers are using cloud-based AI services alongside Access, which shifts some workload out of the desktop app and makes the Access front end leaner and more responsive. AI can assist in generating SQL queries from plain-English descriptions, and new features in the pipeline will let AI summarize and describe complex queries for you. If you want to integrate AI, you can do so today by exporting your database structure and using carefully crafted prompts to interact with various language models. But, as emphasized at the event, it is important to validate AI output and carefully manage your workflow to keep things efficient and correct.
Presentations also covered business and consulting practices relevant to Access professionals. One focused on automating IP address rules when using Azure SQL Server with Access. Because remote SQL servers are typically protected so that only specific allowed IP addresses can connect, working from multiple locations traditionally requires manual firewall updates every time your IP changes. The demonstrated solution lets Access detect the current IP address and update Azure's allowed list automatically, greatly simplifying remote connections for distributed teams.
A session covered the challenges of taking over legacy Access applications. Many businesses run systems built decades ago by developers who may have long since moved on. Taking over these complex systems is different from building new ones: you need to understand and maintain code you did not originally write, often without any documentation. Focus was given to onboarding, understanding code bases, and client communication, which are vital skills if you work in consulting or inherit older database systems.
The event also introduced a tool to help with modern authentication for Microsoft Graph, which is Microsoft's API for working with email, calendars, files, and other Office services. As authentication requirements tighten, especially with multi-factor authentication and newer Outlook security, old VBA automation code for sending email often fails. The tool handles authentication to Microsoft Graph, making it much simpler to connect Access securely to these services.
Access Day also covered real-world techniques for leveraging AI as a development assistant in Access. For example, you can export the structure of your database - tables, queries, forms, and reports - and use structured prompts to have an AI help generate code, propose performance improvements, or even explain complex logic. The important step, as always, is validating and controlling AI input and output, making sure the AI understands your application before you rely on its suggestions.
In summary, Access Day 2026 showed that Microsoft Access is not only alive but evolving. There are practical improvements arriving soon and more on the way: zooming and large-form support, easy cascading combo boxes, a new date picker, UI enhancements, and growing integration with AI and cloud services. The event was also a great opportunity for networking and sharing ideas with peers. If you work with Access, keep an eye out for the next Access Day and stay involved - it is the best way to hear about new developments, connect with other professionals, and keep your skills sharp. |
