Looking at it, that seems like a good question, unfortunately.
It just occurred to me: the simplest fix is to just run FileMaker 16 on Windows! Such as, Windows 11 on ARM.
That will work for the next couple of decades.
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My old 15’’ macbook pro (2012) has been downed graded to Mojave and runs FM15 nicely. If I need to access FM on my 14” macbook pro (M1 set up as a desktop with a thunderbolt dock and 27” Dell monitor) screen sharing works perfectly for data transfers etc.
Btw checked out Simon’s link to Amazon for FM19, and Amazon said ‘Not available for delivery to Australia’ and didn’t even give a price. I could buy a Japanese version quite cheaply on the Australian Amazon site!! The price for upgrading FM in Australia is over A$500 (which I can’t and wouldn’t) and I would need to buy the full version which is nearly A$1000! In the past I would visit Singapore and buy the upgrades at US pricing.
Well, assuming you already have a legit Windows license and are OK having to administer Windows, yes. I’m afraid I’m a firm no on both accounts.
But just for the fun of it, how does the ~$150 for FMP 2019 compare to a legit Windows license these days?
I paid $25 for Windows 11 Professional a year ago. It was a pretty good deal compared to:
- $147 for Windows XP Professional upgrade in 2002*
- $129 for Windows 7 Professional upgrade in 2012
* but it ended up costing only $70 after a class action lawsuit settlement
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Adjusted for inflation:
$150 2019 = $189 2025
$147 2002 = $263 2025
$129 2012 = $181 2025
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I was able to install my version of FileMaker Pro – 16.0.6 – on Windows 11. The only problem was that it gets a HTTP 410 error when it tries to do the product registration.
This isn’t the licensing; the license key is entered during the installation. So, far as I can tell, it is working.
I said it will work for decades because a) Microsoft maintains backward compatibility for a long time, and b) Microsoft is likely to support their version of Rosetta for as long as Microsoft supports Windows on Intel. Which is to say: forever.
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It appears that you don’t actually have to activate Windows 11 with a license key these days. If you don’t, the system will nag you about activation and some cosmetic features (like wallpaper and color scheme) will fail to work, but the system as a whole will continue running.
See also Windows 11 doesn’t require a product key to install and use - Digital Citizen
Technically, this is only legal to evaluate windows, but the system doesn’t actually block you from doing anything significant (unlike older Windows releases, which really got in the way without a license).
That having been said, I’d still want to pay for a license. MSRP for Windows 11 Pro is $200, but there are discounts all over the place. A recent PCMag article has a link to a StackSocial deal of just $15.
The only catch is (as I understand it) that tech support always goes through the reseller. So if you buy from Microsoft (and pay $200), then you’ll be able to get support directly from Microsoft. If you buy it from Dell or HP or some other PC vendor, that vendor provides all support (and they probably won’t if you aren’t using one of their computers.) I assume that this $15 deal means all support would come from StackSocial, and I think it’s safe to assume that they won’t provide any support.
Note also that if your PC came with a license for Windows 10 or 11, a Windows 11 system should recognize this and use that license without making you type in the key. I’m not sure if this requires the system to have previously been activated or if there’s something in the ROM that makes it happen.