Bug Alert: Version 2408 Causes msaccess.exe to Hang on Exit

Mike Wolfe -

This issue is already being covered extensively by my fellow Access MVPs, so I'll simply point you to their coverage to help get as many eyeballs on the issue as possible.

DevHut.net

The most extensive collection of incident reports appears to be at Daniel Pineault's website, devhut.net:

Another msaccess.exe process not closing properly bug
The latest update to Microsoft Access is seeing that the msaccess.exe process remains running in the background after closing applications.
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AccessForever.org

Over at AccessForever, the entire AFo team is sharing the byline on their article:

3 comments
Access 365 Current Channel version 2408 build 17928.20114, 64 and 32 bit, released Aug 26, has had many reports of instabilities. Before…
AccessForeverAFo Team

Here's an excerpt from the AFo article describing the issue:

The symptoms are:
• MSACCESS.EXE background process remains after exiting Access. After that, databases can no longer be opened by clicking on the file in Windows Explorer or on a shortcut.
• Error 3048 "Cannot open any more databases" when executing queries or opening recordsets.

The AccessForever site does an especially good job of posting workarounds, bug fixes, and official responses from the Microsoft Access development team (often long before Microsoft itself publishes anything official on Microsoft.com).

Be sure to check back often at https://www.accessforever.org/post/error-3048-and-hanging-access-task-in-version-2408 for status updates and bug fixes.

UPDATE [2024-09-03]: Fixed typo in header image and excerpt (error number is 3048, not 3408). h/t Karl Donaubauer