"Database you are trying to open requires a newer version of Microsoft Access" error in Access

• Applies to:

  Access 2016, Access 2013, Access 2010

Symptoms

When you try to open a Microsoft Access database, you receive the following error message:

"The database you are trying to open requires a newer version of Microsoft Access" when opening an Access database."

Cause

This issue occurs if you try to open a database that contains a table that uses the BigInt data type. BigInt support was added to Access 2016. BigInt appears within the table's data type as Large Number.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, determine whether the use of BigInt is required. If so, update users to Access 2016 version 16.0.7xxx.xxxx or later. Alternatively, change the data type from Large Number to just Number.

Note

Create a backup of your database before you change the data type. If there is Large Number data in a column when you change the data type to Number, you receive a "Microsoft Access encountered errors while converting the data" dialog box. If you click Yes to proceed, the records that contain large numbers are deleted.

More Information

The use of a Large Number data type sets the file format to version 16.7. You can determine a database's file format version by pressing Ctrl-G to open the Immediate window. Type ?Application.CurrentDB.Version in the window, and then press Enter.