FileMaker 21 end of life: keep, upgrade or rebuild

Is FileMaker 21 still supported?

No. Claris supports each version for two years from release. Its end-of-life table, with the number each version shows inside FileMaker:

Version	Shows as	Claris end of life
FileMaker 2026	26.x	June 2028
FileMaker 2025	22.x	July 2027
FileMaker 2024	21.x	June 2026
FileMaker 2023	20.x	December 2025
FileMaker 19.6	19.6	December 2024

The numbers jump from 22.x to 26.x.

To check your version: the About FileMaker Pro window shows the number on each computer, and FileMaker Server Admin Console shows it for the server.

What changes now that support has ended?

• No more security patches. Claris patches published vulnerabilities in supported versions only.
• New computers may fall outside the list. The FileMaker 2024 specifications list macOS Sequoia 15 and Sonoma 14, Windows 11 23H2 and Windows 10 22H2. macOS Tahoe 26 isn’t on it.
• Updates need a current license. Claris gives product releases only to customers with a current annual subscription, or a perpetual license with active Maintenance.
• You can’t mix in the newest server. FileMaker Server 2026 accepts only FileMaker Pro and Go 26.x and 22.x, so a FileMaker 21 computer can’t connect to it.

If you keep FileMaker 21 for now, set an end date and hold off operating system updates until you’ve checked the specifications.

How do you upgrade from FileMaker 21 to 2026?

Your files don’t need converting: every version since FileMaker 12 uses the same .fmp12 format.

1. Check every machine against the 2026 specifications. FileMaker Pro 2026 needs macOS Tahoe 26 or Sequoia 15, or Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise (24H2 or 25H2, 64-bit). FileMaker Server 2026 needs macOS Tahoe 26 or Sequoia 15, Windows Server 2025 or 2022, or Ubuntu 24.04 or 22.04. Windows 10, Windows Server 2019 and macOS Sonoma are off the list.
2. Write down the current setup. Claris’s checklist:
   • Admin Console username and password
   • Encryption passwords, if your files are encrypted
   • Plug-ins in FileMaker Pro and on the server; ask each vendor for a version that supports 2026
   • How container files (photos, PDFs) are stored, and the folder path if they’re stored externally
   • Connections to SQL databases, ODBC or JDBC, and files that link to files on another server
   • Web pages built on the FileMaker API for PHP, which Claris calls deprecated and says to rewrite before upgrading
   • Server schedules that run operating system scripts
   • Screenshots of every Admin Console screen, for settings that can’t be exported
3. Test on a second server. Claris says an on-premise license lets you run up to three servers, for development, testing and production. Copy your files over and have the people who use the app check layouts, scripts, printing, PDFs in container fields, web viewers, plug-ins, WebDirect and scheduled scripts.
4. Upgrade the server and every client together. If you can’t, use Claris’s step path: put FileMaker Pro 22.x on every computer first (it connects to both Server 21 and Server 26), upgrade the server, then move everyone to 26.
5. Uninstall before a major operating system upgrade. Claris says to uninstall FileMaker Server, upgrade the operating system, reinstall, then restore your schedules and administrator roles and import your SSL certificate.
6. Check it worked. Every client connects, every hosted file opens, schedules and plug-ins run, and the FileMaker Server Event.log shows no new warnings. Then run the jobs your team does every day.

How do you get everything out of FileMaker for a rebuild?

An export carries your records. The rules (calculations, relationships and scripts) live in the design, so capture both.

1. Turn on advanced tools. Choose Edit > Settings on Windows (Edit > Preferences in some versions) or FileMaker Pro > Settings on a Mac, select Use advanced tools on the General tab, then restart FileMaker Pro.
2. Create a design report. Open every file with a full-access account, choose Tools > Database Design Report, leave every element selected, pick HTML to read or XML for whoever rebuilds it, then click Create and Save. Claris’s page on documenting database schemas covers the options.
3. Export each table. Show all records on a layout for that table and choose File > Export Records. Pick Microsoft Excel (.xlsx) or Comma-separated values (.csv) as the type and click Save. In Specify Field Order for Export, switch the list to Current Table to see every field, not only those on the layout, then click Export.
4. Export container files. Edit > Export Field Contents saves one field from one record. For thousands of photos or PDFs, the Export Field Contents script step’s help page shows a loop that exports them for every record in the found set.
5. Check the counts. Each table’s row count in the export should match its record count in FileMaker, and the number of exported files should match the records that have a file.
6. List every script that runs on a schedule or a button. Each one is a job the new system has to do.

For the jobs nobody wrote down, map how the work really runs with the people who use the app. If one person built it and is about to leave, start with capturing how it works before they go.

What are your options?

Option	Good for	Watch for
Keep FileMaker 21 for now	A bridge of a few months, with an end date	No Claris patches; new computers and operating system updates fall outside its list
Upgrade to FileMaker 2026	An app that works and that your team likes	Server and clients move together; a current license; plug-ins and PHP web pages
Move the server to FileMaker Cloud or a Claris partner host	Getting rid of the server box	Still FileMaker, so every computer needs a version the host accepts
Rebuild on other software	An app nobody can maintain, or that people need on the web	Every script, layout and report has to be rebuilt and tested
Bring in an outside team (Custom software)	Taking over the app as it is, or rebuilding it on your data	Who owns the new system, and written notes on how it works

FAQ

Is FileMaker 21 the same as FileMaker 2024? Yes. Claris names versions by year and shows the number, 21.x, in the About FileMaker Pro window and the Admin Console.

Will my FileMaker 21 files stop opening? Claris describes end of support as no more security patches or updates. The files use the same .fmp12 format that FileMaker 2026 opens.

Can I upgrade from FileMaker 21 to 2025 instead of 2026? FileMaker 2025 reaches end of life in July 2027, a year before 2026. If you’re paying for an upgrade, 2026 lasts longer.

Can FileMaker Pro 21 connect to FileMaker Server 2026? No. Claris lists only 26.x and 22.x clients for FileMaker Server 2026.

Do I need a new license to upgrade? Claris provides new releases to customers with a current annual subscription or a perpetual license with active Maintenance.