Solved Access behaving badly. (2 Viewers)

[John Sh]

I am running Access 2016 on Windows 11 and am experiencing some odd behaviour over the last week or so.
Firstly some, not all, of my popup/modal forms are going behind the calling form.
To get them to sit on top I have to make them modal but not popup.
Secondly when I open some forms in accdb they close the navigation pane.
Also I have noticed some of my major forms, not popup or modal, have been changed to popup/modal.

Is W11 messing with my version of Access?

 

[DHookom]

Does this happen in all databases, on all computers?

 

[John Sh]

Does this happen in all databases, on all computers?

I only have one computer to try it on, so not knowing, cannot say.

 

[isladogs]

Can you upload a simple repro database that exhibits these problems?

 

[GPGeorge]

I am running Access 2016 on Windows 11 and am experiencing some odd behaviour over the last week or so.
Firstly some, not all, of my popup/modal forms are going behind the calling form.
To get them to sit on top I have to make them modal but not popup.
Secondly when I open some forms in accdb they close the navigation pane.
Also I have noticed some of my major forms, not popup or modal, have been changed to popup/modal.

Is W11 messing with my version of Access?

Clarifying questions.

Does this happen in all accdbs? Does it happen in only one accdb?

Who uses these databases, besides yourself?

 

[MajP]

to get them to sit on top I have to make them modal but not popup.

That is opposite of what you should be doing. Pop up brings it in front, and modal restricts leaving it.

A Popup form floats above all other Access windows.
What Popup does
The form becomes a top‑level window, not embedded inside the Access application window.
• It stays in front of other Access forms.
• You can still click other forms, tables, or the navigation pane unless the form is also modal.

A Modal form forces the user to deal with it before returning to anything else in Access.
What Modal does
• Prevents clicking other forms, tables, or the Access UI.
• Forces the user to close or complete the modal form first.
• Does not make the form float; it can still be inside the main Access window unless Popup is also set.

Modal + Popup = true dialog box behavior
When you set both:
• The form floats above everything (Popup)
• The user cannot interact with anything else until they close it (Modal)
• It behaves like a custom message box or dialog window

 

[John Sh]

I'll try to answer you all.
I have tried this on another computer and the popup behaviour is normal. I.e popup yes and modal yes, the form is on top and must be closed.
Colin. The forms in question are part of a large system. Separating the form is easy. Separating the underlying functionality is not so easy.
George. I only have the one database that is split for use by a number of people at the local university.
The problem does not happen with the accdb file at the uni.
Majp. That is my problem. I can only get the form to sit on top if I set modal to no.
Not sure if it's relevant but I am getting .mdb files generated in the development environment and at the uni running accde files.

I normally compact and repair on close., there seems to be mixed feelings on this.
I just did a compact and repair, not on close, and the problem seems to have corrected itself.

Watch this space.

Thank you all for your interest.
John

 

[The_Doc_Man]

Not sure if it's relevant but I am getting .mdb files generated in the development environment and at the uni running accde files.

The "generated" files are significant if you weren't creating them yourself as an intended function of the program. When Access creates a .MDB file unexpectedly, that is a form of error recovery. You need to open the generated file AND the original file because one of them will have a table with some kind of error message in it. It has been so long since I dealt with one of these that I can NEVER remember which file (original or new) has the error in it. But that generated file is indicative of an Access "ugly" shutdown. The question to ask is, when that file gets created, do the users thereof report a crash or crash/restart? (That's an inclusive OR, not an exclusive OR.)

 

[John Sh]

I think I might have an underlying problem.
My Email just started doing odd things which were corrected with a reboot.
The compact and repair in my previous post fixed the problem on the fist pass bur subsequent tries have reverted to the second form going behind the first.
I will do a bit of sleuthing in Windows and see if something there is causing this.
John

 

[John Sh]

An update.
I had turned off a couple of windows functions before the odd behaviour and a couple of days ago I deleted MS Edge.
The computer, generally, started doing odd things so, today, I reinstalled Edge and all seems to be working as expected.
Popup/modal forms are again on top and some of the other odd things appear to have been corrected.
Lesson, Don't mess with Windows 11. The results could be totally unexpected.
I will go with the current setup for a while and see what transpires.
John

 

[DickyP]

I must admit I have abandoned using Edge because every time it upgrades silly thing happen. Gone back to using Chrome.

 

[AccessBlaster]

Brave is a good alternative to Edge.

 

[John Sh]

I must admit I have abandoned using Edge because every time it upgrades silly thing happen. Gone back to using Chrome.

I think Chrome is a licence for Google to steal your data.
Never tried Brave. I've been using Firefox since it came out and never had a complaint.

I'm marking this as solved.
Thanks to all that contributed.
John

 

[KitaYama]

a couple of days ago I deleted MS Edge.

Edge is treated as a core system component. Never uninstall Edge from windows OS.
Here's a list of side effects of uninstalling edge from Windows 11 given by Copilot..

Uninstalling Microsoft Edge from Windows 11 can break certain system features because Edge is tightly integrated into the OS. Most users who remove it experience issues with system components that rely on Edge’s rendering engine, and Microsoft does not officially support full removal.

What Actually Happens If You Remove Edge​

Microsoft Edge provides the underlying WebView2 engine used by many Windows 11 components. Removing Edge can cause:

• Widgets panel malfunction
• Settings pages failing to load
• Help & Support pages breaking
• Some apps that rely on WebView2 to crash or display blank contentGeekChamp

Even if you remove it using command-line methods, Windows Update may reinstall Edge during:

• Feature updates
• Cumulative updates
• Security patchesThe Droid Guy

Windows 11 uses Edge for:

• Opening certain system URLs
• Microsoft account login flows
• Some internal documentation pages

Removing Edge can cause these links to fail or open incorrectly.

• Unexpected crashes
• Reduced system stability
• Errors when launching apps that expect Edge to exist

If your goal is simply to avoid using Edge, these options are safer:

Change your default browser​

You can set Chrome, Firefox, Brave, etc., as the default for all protocols.

Disable Edge from auto-launching​

You can prevent it from opening automatically without uninstalling it.

Should You Uninstall Edge?​

If you're a typical Windows user: No — it’s not recommended. If you're an advanced user and understand the risks: You can remove it, but expect breakage and possible reinstalls.

 

[GPGeorge]

I'm not sure, but I'd consider also the possibility that removing the Edge browser might impact the SQL Monaco Editor in Access.