Problem using Microsoft Access

Question

Problem using Microsoft Access

J.G. van Leeuwen 5

I have databases in Microsoft Access 2021. Lately there is a problem with Access. Starting Access makes it a pending program with a everlasting circle.

Of course I did:

Ending the program with 'Taakbeheer'
revomal of laccdb file if any
Compress and repair the program without opening the database
Office repair. Two possibilities: fast just check and slow which resulted in a reinstall
Start via the root

I even made a new empty database, closed it and then on reopening the system failed with the same issues.

I asked Microsoft to help me, but they stopped at the fast check.

Does anyone know an answer

George Hepworth 22,855 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-05-05T11:19:57.6933333+00:00

Have you rebooted the computer?

I suspect that, if the steps suggested so far didn't clear the problem, that you could have a hanging instance of MS Access, which would be cleared by a reboot.

Look at Task Manager. If you see this, even when you do not have MS Access open and running, you could also just end that instance and try again to open another MS Access database.

There was a problem a couple of years ago with hanging instances, although that particular issue was fixed.

https://www.accessforever.org/post/hanging-instance-of-access-after-closing-a-database
Jan Van Leeuwen 0 Reputation points

2026-05-05T13:10:47.6733333+00:00

I usually forced closure of Access and did a complete restart of the computer. 70s solution. Then repair. Next time I will look at the task manager. Microsoft helped me with a refresh of the Registry. We'll see if it helps.
George Hepworth 22,855 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-05-05T14:08:20.58+00:00

Rebooting is an evergreen solution 😉 The task manager method is a quick and dirty way to confirm the existence of a hanging instance more than anything, although you can usually clear it up by ending it if necessary.

It sounds as if you have a more serious problem that might require more hands on assistance.
Jan Van Leeuwen 0 Reputation points

2026-05-05T16:29:24.8733333+00:00

Before last thursday I was able to use a shortcut to the database itself to get it running. That's impossible now. No MS Access now in the overview of the Taskmanager. My financial administration is rather simple. I think I will convert that to either Excel or its LibreOffice variant or LibreOffice Base. We'll see how things go in the coming days. The collection of comics and DVDs/Blurays won't work well in LibreOffice Base though. WorkAround to be sure things keep working: Start your computer, do your thing in MS Access, shutdown en restart and do other things.
Daniel Pineault 626 Reputation points

2026-05-05T20:18:49.7866667+00:00
If this is a new problem, then I try

Performing an Office Repair

If the problem persists, then I'd try rolling back my Office build to an earlier version.

Does your database use VBA code, the cause could be there because of the way objects are created and not terminated...
J.G. van Leeuwen 5 Reputation points

2026-05-05T20:41:02.1433333+00:00

I reinstalled, repaired which resulted in a reinstall but using the taskmanager i noticed the program office uses to more or less update office while running. So i would have to check how to make this stop. I need a couple of hours sleep. I will give the name of this program tomorrow. I am not at home now...
Daniel Pineault 626 Reputation points

2026-05-05T20:50:48.2066667+00:00

I will give the name of this program tomorrow

If this is a program you purchased, contact the company for support.
J.G. van Leeuwen 5 Reputation points

2026-05-06T07:48:12.4833333+00:00

I just restarted my computer. The program is called Microsoft Office Click-to-run (SxS). The internet says this about it:
"Click-to-Run is een Microsoft-streaming- en virtualisatietechnologie die de tijd die nodig is om Office te installeren verkort en u helpt meerdere versies van Office op dezelfde computer uit te voeren. De streamingtechnologie stelt u in staat om een Office-product te downloaden en te gebruiken voordat het hele product op uw computer is geïnstalleerd. De virtualisatietechnologie biedt een geïsoleerde omgeving voor Office om op uw computer te draaien. Deze geïsoleerde omgeving stelt u in staat om de nieuwste versie van Office naast een eerdere versie van Office uit te voeren die al op uw computer is geïnstalleerd."
J.G. van Leeuwen 5 Reputation points

2026-05-06T08:01:07.96+00:00

I did several repairs since thursday. It does not help. I can now only start the database within MS Access. Rolling back won't help due to the always present program Microsoft Office Click-To-Run (sxs).
Yes, I use a lot of VBA code. But it should never happen if a database has nothing in it, no code, no tables, no forms, no queries, no reports, no add-ins, nothing. And it happens since last thursday. Removing Access as a task does not help either. Changing the shortcut (which worked perfectly up until last thursday) does not work either. I am now convinced this is a Microsoft Access or Windows problem. It is as if I am obliged to do all my work within MS Access and after that should do a restart of the computer.
Daniel Pineault 626 Reputation points

2026-05-10T19:59:18.27+00:00
Rolling back won't help due to the always present program Microsoft Office Click-To-Run (sxs).

You rollback the build, and then you disable update for a period of time. Test things out. If the problem persists, then rollback another build. ... until you find stability.

https://www.devhut.net/microsoft-office-uninstall-an-update/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JROodrU7CEQ

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-2021

Answer recommended by moderator

4 additional answers

Your answer

George Hepworth 22,855 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-05-05T11:19:57.6933333+00:00

Have you rebooted the computer?

I suspect that, if the steps suggested so far didn't clear the problem, that you could have a hanging instance of MS Access, which would be cleared by a reboot.

Look at Task Manager. If you see this, even when you do not have MS Access open and running, you could also just end that instance and try again to open another MS Access database.

There was a problem a couple of years ago with hanging instances, although that particular issue was fixed.

https://www.accessforever.org/post/hanging-instance-of-access-after-closing-a-database
Jan Van Leeuwen 0 Reputation points

2026-05-05T13:10:47.6733333+00:00

I usually forced closure of Access and did a complete restart of the computer. 70s solution. Then repair. Next time I will look at the task manager. Microsoft helped me with a refresh of the Registry. We'll see if it helps.
George Hepworth 22,855 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-05-05T14:08:20.58+00:00

Rebooting is an evergreen solution 😉 The task manager method is a quick and dirty way to confirm the existence of a hanging instance more than anything, although you can usually clear it up by ending it if necessary.

It sounds as if you have a more serious problem that might require more hands on assistance.
Jan Van Leeuwen 0 Reputation points

2026-05-05T16:29:24.8733333+00:00

Before last thursday I was able to use a shortcut to the database itself to get it running. That's impossible now. No MS Access now in the overview of the Taskmanager. My financial administration is rather simple. I think I will convert that to either Excel or its LibreOffice variant or LibreOffice Base. We'll see how things go in the coming days. The collection of comics and DVDs/Blurays won't work well in LibreOffice Base though. WorkAround to be sure things keep working: Start your computer, do your thing in MS Access, shutdown en restart and do other things.
Daniel Pineault 626 Reputation points

2026-05-05T20:18:49.7866667+00:00

If this is a new problem, then I try

Performing an Office Repair

If the problem persists, then I'd try rolling back my Office build to an earlier version.

Does your database use VBA code, the cause could be there because of the way objects are created and not terminated...
J.G. van Leeuwen 5 Reputation points

2026-05-05T20:41:02.1433333+00:00

I reinstalled, repaired which resulted in a reinstall but using the taskmanager i noticed the program office uses to more or less update office while running. So i would have to check how to make this stop. I need a couple of hours sleep. I will give the name of this program tomorrow. I am not at home now...
Daniel Pineault 626 Reputation points

2026-05-05T20:50:48.2066667+00:00

I will give the name of this program tomorrow

If this is a program you purchased, contact the company for support.
J.G. van Leeuwen 5 Reputation points

2026-05-06T07:48:12.4833333+00:00

I just restarted my computer. The program is called Microsoft Office Click-to-run (SxS). The internet says this about it:
"Click-to-Run is een Microsoft-streaming- en virtualisatietechnologie die de tijd die nodig is om Office te installeren verkort en u helpt meerdere versies van Office op dezelfde computer uit te voeren. De streamingtechnologie stelt u in staat om een Office-product te downloaden en te gebruiken voordat het hele product op uw computer is geïnstalleerd. De virtualisatietechnologie biedt een geïsoleerde omgeving voor Office om op uw computer te draaien. Deze geïsoleerde omgeving stelt u in staat om de nieuwste versie van Office naast een eerdere versie van Office uit te voeren die al op uw computer is geïnstalleerd."
J.G. van Leeuwen 5 Reputation points

2026-05-06T08:01:07.96+00:00

I did several repairs since thursday. It does not help. I can now only start the database within MS Access. Rolling back won't help due to the always present program Microsoft Office Click-To-Run (sxs).
Yes, I use a lot of VBA code. But it should never happen if a database has nothing in it, no code, no tables, no forms, no queries, no reports, no add-ins, nothing. And it happens since last thursday. Removing Access as a task does not help either. Changing the shortcut (which worked perfectly up until last thursday) does not work either. I am now convinced this is a Microsoft Access or Windows problem. It is as if I am obliged to do all my work within MS Access and after that should do a restart of the computer.
Daniel Pineault 626 Reputation points

2026-05-10T19:59:18.27+00:00

Rolling back won't help due to the always present program Microsoft Office Click-To-Run (sxs).

You rollback the build, and then you disable update for a period of time. Test things out. If the problem persists, then rollback another build. ... until you find stability.

https://www.devhut.net/microsoft-office-uninstall-an-update/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JROodrU7CEQ

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-2021

Answer 1

J.G. van Leeuwen 5

Ok. It has been a while. But a lotvof work has been done. I did the following:

A full reinstall of Windows 11
I reinstalled Panda Dome that i use for security
I decided to buy Office 2024. My previous version was Office 2021 of the same supplier.
I installed the new version of Office.

AFter that everything worked as it should do. No idea what the problem was, but i can live with that.

Gabriel-N 16,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-11T07:33:35.94+00:00

Hello J.G. van Leeuwen

Thank you for your effort, it's truly a relief that this issue has been resolved. I’ve recommended your answer as it will be very helpful for other users who may experience the same problem.

I’d also like to thank everyone who contributed to the troubleshooting process. It’s always encouraging to see how community support and thoughtful collaboration can make a real difference.

Answer 2

Ramon Olanrewaju 0

check the task manager.

0 comments

Answer 3

I've run into this issue off and on for years across different versions (and builds) of Microsoft Access, and one thing that has helped me a lot is avoiding multiple databases in the same Access session. In fact I made a video a while back on Killing Access (the MSACCESS.EXE process) when it locks.

In the future, don’t just double-click your ACCDB files or create shortcuts directly to them. Instead, create your shortcuts to MSACCESS.EXE and pass the database file as a command-line parameter. Something like:

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\root\Office16\MSACCESS.EXE" "Z:\Path\DatabaseFile.ACCDB"

That forces each database to open in its own separate Access process, instead of sharing one. In my experience, that dramatically reduces weird hangs, loading issues, and those “spinning forever” situations.

If Access does get stuck, just kill all MSACCESS.EXE processes in Task Manager and start fresh. Not elegant, but it works, and you shouldn't have to reboot the whole computer.

Hope that helps.

LLAP
RR

J.G. van Leeuwen 5 Reputation points

2026-05-05T20:36:52.0233333+00:00

I will try this tomorrow.
J.G. van Leeuwen 5 Reputation points

2026-05-06T08:01:47.4966667+00:00

I am sorry. This does not work either.

Answer 4

Gabriel-N 16,925 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hello J.G. van Leeuwen

May I know which Access version you are currently using? Please go to Access > File > Account > About Access and share a screenshot if possible. For example:

User's image

If this issue started after a recent Office update and your Office version is 2604, you may consider rolling back to version 2603, as several users have reported unexpected issues with version 2604. You can refer to this article for more details: How to Deal with Update Bugs

Note: This information is provided as a convenience to you. These sites are not controlled by Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot make any representations regarding the quality, safety, or suitability of any software or information found there. Please ensure that you fully understand the risks before using any suggestions from the above link.

Additionally, you may try starting Access in Safe Mode to check whether there is any add‑in conflict. This is a basic troubleshooting step to help isolate the cause.

Looking forward to your reply.

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Gabriel-N 16,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-05T07:32:45.1666667+00:00

Hello J.G. van Leeuwen

Just checking in to see if the above information was helpful.

If you have any further updates on this issue, please feel free to post back.
Jan Van Leeuwen 0 Reputation points

2026-05-05T13:13:29.2666667+00:00

I use Microsoft Office 2021 Professional Plus but the strange thing is that this also happens to completely empty databases. Microsofty helped me adjust the registry. But I am not sure yet. We'll see.
Gabriel-N 16,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-05T14:20:41.0166667+00:00

Hi Jan Van Leeuwen

Thank you for your feedback and for sharing this update. Please feel free to continue updating this thread if there are any changes or if you find out more about the issue, your experience could also be helpful for others who may encounter the same situation.
Daniel Pineault 626 Reputation points

2026-05-05T20:52:07.03+00:00

Microsofty helped me adjust the registry. But I am not sure yet. We'll see.

What did they change and why? This is not standard, so I'm very curious as to what they've done.
J.G. van Leeuwen 5 Reputation points

2026-05-06T07:44:05.73+00:00

They let me remove the map with the registrykeys and then had me restart. It was not a 1005 repair. I got stuck once again.
Gabriel-N 16,925 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-07T08:19:17.01+00:00
Hello J.G. van Leeuwen

This case is getting a bit more unusual than expected, and I understand this has likely been quite a tiring process for you. However, I’d still like to check a couple of additional points:

I noticed you’ve tried many troubleshooting steps, but could you confirm whether you have tested launching Access in Safe Mode (msaccess.exe /safe)?

Could you also try creating a new Windows user profile, reinstalling Access there, and opening the database again? This would help determine whether the issue is related to user-level configuration or profile corruption.

If the above doesn’t help, one last thing to consider would be testing in a completely fresh Windows environment, and possibly reapplying the registry-related fix provided by Microsoft support to see if it makes any difference.

Please feel free to share any updates

Answer 5

The behavior described (Access hanging with a spinning circle, even on a brand‑new empty database) is consistent with a damaged or corrupted Access installation or database engine, rather than a single corrupted database file.

From the provided information, the following supported actions apply:

Compact and Repair
- For any database that can still be opened or that Access prompts to repair, allow Access to run Compact and Repair.
- If Access prompts that a database is corrupted and offers to compact and repair it, choose Yes. If the repair is successful, verify the contents. If only partially successful, review the MSysCompactErrors table to see which objects were not repaired and, if available, import them from a backup.
Set Compact on Close for performance and stability
- Open a database that still works (or once Access is stable again) and enable automatic compact and repair to reduce future corruption and performance issues:
  1. Open the database.
  2. Select File > Options.
  3. In Access Options, select Current Database.
  4. Under Application Options, select Compact on Close.
Optimize Access performance settings
- If the database design is stable (objects are not being renamed frequently), disable Name AutoCorrect to reduce overhead and potential performance issues:
  1. Open the database.
  2. Select File > Options.
  3. Select Current Database.
  4. Under Name AutoCorrect Options, clear all check boxes.
Open the database in exclusive mode
- To rule out locking or multi‑user issues, open the database in exclusive mode:
  1. Start Access without opening a database.
  2. Select Open > Browse.
  3. Select the database file.
  4. Use the drop‑down on the Open button and choose Open Exclusive.
Check for known Access issues and fixes
- Recent Access issues and fixes are tracked in the “Fixes or workarounds for recent issues in Access” article. Review the listed issues (for example, crashes, problems opening databases on network shares, DAO issues, etc.) and follow any specific guidance or fixes that match the symptoms.
- As of June 2022, new fixes are announced via the Access Developer Blog linked from that article.
If the database is already corrupted beyond repair
- If Access or DAO reports errors such as “Unrecognized database format” or indicates that the database is in an inconsistent state and cannot be recovered, the database file is likely corrupted beyond repair.
- In that case, restore the most recent known‑good backup and test each backup in turn if necessary to find the latest usable copy.

If the issue persists after following these steps, and especially if it affects all databases including new empty ones, the next step is to ensure that the latest Access/Office updates (including any fixes for known issues opening databases or using the Access Database Engine) are installed, and then re‑test opening a simple local database in exclusive mode.

References:

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Problem using Microsoft Access

4 additional answers

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