Microsoft Access is now included as part of Microsoft 365 Family or Personal, Microsoft 365 Apps for business and Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscriptions.
For personal and business users, Access is included as part of the following Microsoft 365 subscriptions:
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Microsoft 365 Family
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Microsoft 365 Personal
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Microsoft 365 Business Standard
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Microsoft 365 Business Premium
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Microsoft 365 Apps for business
See these two pages for full details on each of those subscription plan benefits:
Tip: Not sure what subscription or product you have? See What Microsoft 365 business product or license do I have? These products are usually associated with a work or school account.
Understanding the updates
Prior to December 2016, you or your admin may have installed Access as a standalone application on your computer or device with an Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscription. When Microsoft 365 Business Standard subscriptions update to include Access, the existing version of Access on your computer or device may remain depending upon how you or your admin purchased Access.
The following table outlines the various installation states your computer or device may be in prior to the update if you already have Access installed. Retail versions of Access can be purchased from the Microsoft Store or any retail store that sells computer software. Volume licensed versions of Microsoft Access are purchased directly from Microsoft through the Volume Licensing Program and downloaded from the Volume Licensing Service Center.
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Prior to update |
After update |
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Microsoft 365 Business Standard + Access 2016 Retail (C2R) |
Both licenses remain on your computer or device. Only one Access 2016 product is shown to you through the user interface. You receive the benefits of automatic upgrades through the subscription for Access 2016. |
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Microsoft 365 Business Standard + Access 2013 Retail (C2R) |
Access 2016 is installed and Access 2013 is removed from your computer or device. You receive the benefits of automatic upgrades through the subscription for Access 2016. |
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Microsoft 365 Business Standard + Access 2013 Volume License (MSI) |
Both licenses remain on your computer or device. Access 2013 and Access 2016 are both available to you through the user interface. You receive the benefits of automatic upgrades through the subscription for Access 2016. |
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Microsoft 365 Business Standard + Access 2016 Volume License (MSI) |
This configuration isn't supported. Microsoft 365 click-to-run and volume license (MSI) of the same major version can't co-exist on the same computer or device. |
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Microsoft 365 Business Standard + Access 2013 Runtime (MSI) |
Both licenses remain on the computer or device. Both are shown to you through the user interface. |
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Microsoft 365 Business Standard + Access 2016 Runtime (MSI) |
This configuration isn't supported. Microsoft 365 click-to-run and volume license (MSI) of the same major version can't co-exist on the same computer or device. |
