Discussion Platforms for Access
- AFo Team
- Jul 22
- 3 min read
Even with the increased use of AI, forums continue to serve an important purpose, as AI responses are often insufficient or not up to date, e.g., regarding the latest bugs. Composing this article was initiated in part because Microsoft discontinued its Answers forums on July 16, 2025, and is offering their Q&A website as a replacement.
Here is information about current discussion platforms. Since they are still many, we limit ourselves to those in which AFo team members are active and can assess quality.
Q&A Forums
Microsoft's Q&A forums are (chaotically) organized by tags that indicate the areas and products. Of the far too many tags/forums for Access, we suggest using these two:
Many people confuse the product name "Access" with access to their M365 account, etc. which results in a lot of off-topic posts. Q&A moderators like George and Peter clean this up regularly, and we have also suggested fewer and clearer tags to Microsoft.
Another forum operated by Microsoft:
TechCommunity
This forum has been around for several years. In spring 2025, there was a major design change to the entire platform, which unfortunately made the forums less user-friendly. Nevertheless, it remains a useful forum with many experienced people providing answers. Several AFo team members are active there.
Third-party forums:
Access Talk Channel on Discord
Here is the invite link for the free discord server: Access Talk
Discord was originally developed as a gamer-centric platform for text and video chat but has long been used by other technical communities. Access Talk was started in 2024 by members of the community as a place devoted to chatting about Access. It is divided into channels by category. There are also weekly chat events scheduled where you can speak live with other members. Current and former MVPs are active there including AFo's Maria and George.
Access World Forums
AWF is UK based and is probably the most active English speaking Access forum with current and former MVPs as regular participants including AFo members Philipp (@sonic8), George (@GPGeorge) and Colin (@isladogs). As well as Access related topics, the forums also host non-technical sections, but these can be blocked if not of interest.
AccessForums.net
Another long-established English-speaking forum for Access related topics only. No adverts. Regular responders with high level knowledge including two former MVPs who act as moderators. AFo member Colin (@isladogs) is active here.
Experts Exchange
A long-established, broad-topic, paid subscription forum. The "Microsoft Access" section is monitored by several current and former MVPs including AFo member Maria. These contributors provide regular high level knowledge answers.
Of course, there are also Access forums in languages other than English. Here again just a few where we are active.
Microsoft Q&A Forums in Various Languages
The non-English Q&A forums currently have even more problems with tags and OT posts than mentioned above for the English forums. However, since the Q&A forums are the only ones Microsoft offers for Access in these languages, it would be good if they became more usable and widely used. AFo's Karl and Peter will continue to look into these:
Access-o-Mania (German)
The Access-o-Mania forum (AoM) was established in 2002 and was taken over by AFo member Philipp (@PhilS) in 2016. AoM is one of the few remaining German language forums dedicated mainly to Access. Adverts on the site are deliberately limited and non-invasive. Besides Philipp, whose job is primarily administration and moderation, there are two former Access MVPs and a number of other skilled experts among the forum members.
As a brand new addition, the forum now also has an English language board.
DonKarl Forum (German)
AFo's Karl runs a small German-language forum on his website, which was originally intended for questions that were not answered in his Access FAQ. Today, it covers all Access topics, including bug reports. Since AFo member Peter is also active there, both current German-speaking Access MVPs are present. A special feature is the retro design, which is inspired by the beloved old NNTP newsgroups.
Feel free to name and link your favorites here in the comments or share your opinions on the forums we listed.