Microsoft Access Alternatives for Mac in 2026: 5 Ways

If you want to keep an existing Access file working on a Mac, run Windows in a virtual machine; Microsoft never made a Mac version. If you can move the data, LibreOffice Base is the free desktop route, Baserow or NocoDB put the tables in a browser, and Claris FileMaker is the paid platform that runs on Mac. The deciding question is whether your forms, reports and VBA must survive unchanged.

What matters when you leave Access on a Mac

Access is a Windows application. In a Microsoft Q&A answer dated May 2026, a Microsoft MVP says Access has never had a native Mac version and that a Microsoft 365 subscription does not add it on a Mac. A 2024 thread on Microsoft Q&A adds that Microsoft's web versions of Access from 2010 and 2013 were dropped, and that Power Apps is the nearest Microsoft option.

Five criteria decide which alternative fits:

1. Runs on macOS or in a browser without a Windows install.
2. What happens to your data, forms, reports and VBA. Every option below moves tables; none converts VBA.
3. How many people edit the data. Access lists 255 concurrent users and a 2 GB limit per file, minus system objects.
4. Cost and free limits.
5. Rebuild effort. Desktop forms and web apps are different jobs.

A Windows virtual machine: keep Access as it is

Running Windows on the Mac is the only route that keeps an existing Access application unchanged. The Microsoft MVP in the May 2026 thread says to run Windows in Parallels on the Mac and use the Windows version of Access there.

According to Parallels' own guide, the other routes are a remote Windows PC, a managed cloud PC, or Boot Camp on an Intel Mac. It warns that ActiveX controls, COM add-ins and ODBC drivers need testing, and that you should not open the same database from macOS and Windows at the same time. It also advises against synced cloud folders as the home of a production database.

You also need a Windows license, VM software and a licensed copy of Access; prices depend on the vendors, so check their pages. Who should not pick it: anyone who wants to stop paying for Windows licensing, or whose colleagues are all on Macs and need a shared tool.

LibreOffice Base: the free desktop route

LibreOffice Base is the database module in LibreOffice, which is licensed under MPL-2.0 and has macOS builds for Apple Silicon and Intel. The Base guide describes forms to enter and edit data, queries, and reports.

Base uses an embedded HSQLDB engine (version 1.8.0 in the guide), and it can connect to MariaDB, MySQL and PostgreSQL through built-in JDBC and ODBC support. Creating a Firebird database inside Base is still marked experimental. One macOS detail matters: without a Java runtime, the embedded engine, the wizards, the Report Builder and JDBC are unavailable, and on macOS the guide asks for Oracle's JDK.

To move over: export your tables to CSV (see the MDB Tools section below), create a Base database, and rebuild queries, forms and reports. Who should not pick it: teams that need many people editing at once from different machines (unless you connect Base to a MySQL or PostgreSQL server), or anyone expecting a polished report designer.

Baserow: Access tables in a browser

Baserow is an open-source database that works like a spreadsheet grid in the browser, so Mac, Windows and Linux users share the same tables. Per its pricing page, the Free plan has 3,000 rows and 2 GB of storage per workspace; Premium is $10 per user per month billed yearly ($12 monthly) with 50,000 rows and 20 GB; Advanced is $18 billed yearly with 250,000 rows. A self-host option exists.

Baserow's import guide accepts CSV, JSON, XML and Excel files (.xlsx, .xls, .ods) to create a table, with a limit of 5,000 rows per import. A table with more rows than that has to be split into batches. Its core is MIT licensed per the project's repository.

Who should not pick it: anyone whose Access file depends on VBA, complex multi-table queries or printed reports. Baserow replaces tables and forms, not the Access report designer.

NocoDB: a front end for an existing SQL database

NocoDB puts a spreadsheet-style interface on a database. Its pricing page lists a Free cloud plan with 3 editor seats, 1,000 records and 1 GB of storage, Plus at $12 per seat per month billed yearly with 50,000 records, and a self-hosted Community edition with unlimited records, storage and seats but only 2 workflows per base. The licence is source-available.

It fits best when your data already lives in MySQL or PostgreSQL, for example after you move an Access file into one of them. Who should not pick it: people who want to start from a CSV and build forms quickly; Baserow's import path is more direct, and the free cloud limit of 1,000 records is small for a typical Access file.

Claris FileMaker: the paid platform

Claris FileMaker is a paid database platform. On Claris' pricing page, Starter is US$22 per user per month billed annually, for 5 to 10 users, with 3 apps and 2 GB of storage per user per year. Max is US$45 per user per month, for 5 to 99 users, with 256 apps and 6 GB per user per year. The FileMaker product page says it runs natively on Mac and Windows, with iPhone and iPad access through FileMaker Go.

The five-user minimum makes it a poor fit for one person with one database. Plan to rebuild forms and reports rather than import them. Who should not pick it: solo users and small teams under 5 people, who would pay for seats they do not use.

Getting your data out of an .accdb on a Mac

Without Windows, MDB Tools is a way to read Access files on Unix-like systems. Its project page lists brew install mdbtools for macOS, and its mdb-export command writes a table to CSV or SQL. Its write support is described as experimental, so use it to read from a copy of your file, not to edit the original.

Export one CSV per table, keep a note of the relationships between them, and import the CSVs into Base, Baserow or another tool. Relationships, queries, forms and macros do not travel with CSV files.

How the options compare

How to choose

You inherited a working Access file with VBA and just need it to run. Use a Windows virtual machine, or ask whether a colleague with a Windows PC can host it. Rebuilding working VBA is the most expensive option.

You are one person on a Mac with a small file. Export with MDB Tools and try LibreOffice Base; it costs nothing, though forms and reports are manual work. Compare it with other free office suites if you also need a word processor and spreadsheet.

Several people, some on Windows, need to edit the same tables. Import into Baserow and share a link. If your tables are mostly spreadsheet-like, Excel alternatives may cover it, and Airtable alternatives lists more hosted options. For a general database browser rather than an app builder, see free database management tools.