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Winsoft International - Exclusive Claris Representative > FileMaker 2026: What’s new

Build more. Worry less.

Purpose-built continuity and disaster recovery. Sharper AI context.
Developer productivity updates. Meet FileMaker 2026.

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Discover what's new in Claris FileMaker 2026

Continuity & disaster recovery

AI-ready architecture

UX & accessibility

Developer productivity

Plaftform stability & support

Protected data. Uninterrupted business operations.

For teams hosting on FileMaker Server, Remote Backup and Standby Server deliver purpose-built disaster recovery and business continuity, so disruptions don't result in data loss or downtime.

Remote Backup

Your FileMaker Server files are encrypted and copied automatically every 20 minutes to secure cloud storage.

About
  • Claris Customer Console (CCC) shows storage usage, server associations, and backup state across all servers.
  • Expired backups and redo logs are auto-cleaned.
  • Restore workflow validates integrity before applying (not just a file copy).
Use when
  • Protecting against ransomware.
  • Hardware failure recovery.
  • Meeting compliance-driven backup requirements (HIPAA, SOC 2, ISO 27001).
  • Managing multiple servers and needing a single place to monitor backup health.

Standby Server

Keep a secondary server in constant sync with your primary. If disruption hits, switch over in minutes to keep operations moving.

About
  • Pairing triggers an initial full-backup sync from primary to standby.
  • Redo logs ship continuously at a defined interval (default: 5 minutes).
  • On failover: admin promotes standby, final logs applied, services come up.
  • Reverse transition back to the original primary is fully supported.
  • Supports Docker, Ubuntu, and hypervisor snapshot deployments.
Use when
  • Planned maintenance: failover to standby, patch primary, fail back cleanly.
  • Unplanned outage: promote standby while primary is being restored or replaced.
  • Geo-distributed Disaster Recovery (DR): on-prem primary with a cloud standby in a separate region.
  • Hosting providers building high-availability tiers into their offerings.

Security you expect.

Your FileMaker data stays private and firmly under your control. That’s not a feature. It’s the trusted FileMaker standard.

Context is everything.

FileMaker 2026 gives you richer schema context, more large language model (LLM) options, and smarter AI results.

Field annotation

Tell AI models what your fields mean, not just what they’re called.

About
  • In the Advanced Options for Field dialog, check “Add annotation in Data Definition Language (DDL)” and define a JSON calculation as the field’s annotation.
  • Works anywhere where a calculation runs.
  • Surfaces automatically in Export dialogs, Sort dialogs, and DDL (Data Definition Language) sent to AI models.
  • Per-field checkbox controls whether the field is included in AI DDL output at all.
  • Calculation can return locale-specific labels — one field, multiple language names.
Use when
  • Building AI prompts that need field meaning, not internal names like cust__firstName.
  • Exports must use specific regulatory or compliance column headers.
  • Your solution is multilingual and display names differ by locale.
  • Auto-generating data dictionaries or schema documentation from live files.

BaseTableComment ()

Tell AI models what your tables are for. Pulled straight from your schema, no hardcoding required.

About
  • Comments defined in Manage Database and no schema changes required.
  • Function returns a plain string — embed directly in JSON payloads, AI prompts, or export headers.
  • Works anywhere a calculation runs: scripts, custom functions, JSON generation.
Use when
  • Building an AI query assistant that needs to understand what each table represents.
  • Auto-generating a data dictionary or schema doc from the live file.
  • Injecting table purpose into large language model (LLM) system prompts without hardcoding them per table.
  • Running schema audits to surface tables that lack documentation.

Save as XML

Take your schema outside FileMaker into source control, text editors, and CI/CD pipelines.

About
  • New Save as XML dialog — selectively export catalogs (tables, fields, TOs, scripts, layouts…).
Use when
  • Bulk renaming fields across a large solution — edit XML in a text editor, reimport.
  • Version-controlling schema — diff XML output between releases in source control.

Google Gemini + RAG

Connect to Gemini and build stronger RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) pipelines, with multilingual support and scanned PDF processing built in.

About
  • Gemini available via new enums, flags, and script steps.
  • New multilingual embedding model supports 50+ languages for cross-language RAG.
  • GetTextFromPDF now processes OCR’d (scanned) PDFs, not just text-layer PDFs.
  • RAG cache key file moved to a location that survives FMS uninstall and reinstall.
Use when
  • Your organization is already on Google Cloud and Gemini is the preferred AI backend.
  • Building RAG over multilingual document collections — contracts, support docs, regulations.
  • Extracting and indexing text from scanned PDF archives that have no text layer.
  • Upgrading FMS and you can’t afford to rebuild your entire RAG index from scratch.

Built for every user.

FileMaker WebDirect accessibility

Improvements make great strides in accessibility standards to make solutions more accessible.

About
  • Updated semantic HTML — headings, landmarks, and form labels rendered correctly.
  • ARIA attributes applied automatically to fields, buttons, portals, and pop-ups.
  • Improved focus management for modal dialogs, popovers, and interactive elements.
  • Dynamic content changes (found set updates, value changes) are now detectable by screen readers.
Use when
  • ADA / Section 508 compliance is required for government or enterprise deployments.
  • Internal tools need to be usable by employees with visual or motor disabilities.
  • Educational environments with legally mandated accessibility requirements.
  • Any public-facing WebDirect solution where accessibility is a legal obligation.

FileMaker WebDirect platform updates

Compatibility, security, and navigation updates make everything better across the board.

About
  • WebDirect now runs on JDK 21: unblocking deployments in corporate environments that restrict or have deprecated older JDK versions.
  • Opening a database via an IPv6 address in WebDirect previously rendered a blank page. That’s resolved — IPv6 deployments work as expected.
  • WebDirect cookies now include the sameSite attribute, preventing cross-site request vulnerabilities from affecting session cookies.
  • The 1–1.5 second freeze when tabbing past a popover button is fixed. Keyboard navigation now moves through the layout without interruption.

Less friction. More building.

Improvements started with feedback from problem solvers. The result: development that feels faster, more organized, and more focused.

Adaptive Inspector

The redesigned Adaptive Inspector reduces from four tabs to two.

About
  • Reduced from 4 tabs to 2 tabs: Appearance and Data.
  • Controls dynamically adjust based on selected object type — field, button, portal, text, layout part.
  • Irrelevant options are hidden automatically.
  • Note: Legacy Inspector is still available in a separate window for developers who want full visibility.
Use when
  • Iterating quickly on layout design without tab-hunting for a single setting.
  • Onboarding new developers — reduced cognitive load entering Layout Mode for the first time.
  • Doing focused work (styling only, or data binding only) without visual cross-contamination.

Control field entry by calculation

Lock, restrict, or open any field dynamically—based on any value in your solution.

About
  • Set in Layout Inspector → Data → Can Enter When as a boolean calculation.
  • Returns 1 for full editing, 2 for selection and copy only, or any other value for view only with no entry.
  • When locked, users can still focus, scroll, and copy text.
  • Responds to user role, record state, or any field value.
  • Works in both Browse and Find mode.
Use when
  • Locking fields after an approval step: Status ≠ “Approved”.
  • Role-based editing: only allow changes when the user’s privilege set permits.
  • Protecting audit fields (created by, timestamp) from being modified after creation.
  • Wizard-style UIs where earlier step fields should lock as the user moves forward.

Sort custom functions with folders

Folders and flexible sorting bring order to your function library.

About
  • Sort by name, creation date, or custom order from the Manage Custom Functions dialog.
Use when
  • Auditing a large solution — sort by creation date to identify legacy functions for review.
  • Distributing a shared function library with a required display order.
  • Standardizing organization conventions across a multi-developer team.

Set layout zoom by calculation

Dial in the ideal zoom level for any device or deployment.

About
  • Script step accepts any decimal value (e.g. 87.5, 133).
  • Value can be dynamically calculated from window size, device type, or stored user preference.
  • Applied instantly to the current layout.
  • Existing preset zoom behaviors unchanged — fully additive enhancement.
Use when
  • Kiosk or iPad deployments — fit the layout to the exact screen dimensions on load.
  • Accessibility profiles — restore a user’s preferred zoom setting at login.
  • WebDirect — adjust layout zoom based on detected viewport width.
  • Embedded FileMaker views constrained inside a specific window geometry.

Persistent data storage

Keep solution-level settings and flags right where you left them.

About
  • New script step: Configure Persistent Data.
  • Calculation functions to read values — no layout or record context required.
  • Scoped per file — metadata doesn’t bleed across solution files.
  • Survives Data Migration Tool (DMT) migration — safe for tracking upgrade and deployment state across versions.
Use when
  • Storing add-on or JavaScript module configuration (the primary intended use case).
  • Persisting solution-level settings: app version, feature flags, environmental identifiers.
  • Tracking upgrade state: "has migration v3 already run on this file?"
  • Storing runtime flags that need to survive user sessions and server restarts.

PDF script workspace

Assemble multi-page PDFs incrementally with dedicated script steps.

About
  • New dedicated script steps for each operation: Create PDF, Open PDF, Append PDF, Print to PDF, Close PDF, Cancel PDF.
  • Supports incremental document assembly — add pages across multiple script steps in a single workflow.
  • Works client-side and server-side in Perform Script on Server (PSOS) and scheduled scripts.
  • GetLiveText() and GetLiveTextAsJSON() can extract OCR’d text from existing PDFs as part of the same workflow.
Use when
  • Generating multi-page reports assembled from different layouts or data sources in one pass.
  • Building document packets that combine multiple source PDFs into a single output file.
  • Creating PDFs server-side in PSOS — automated generation without any client involvement.
  • Batch-exporting records as individual PDF files on a schedule.

Other quality-of-life updates

Real impact on your daily workflow from a lot of improvements.

Updates
  • Get(AccountPasswordDaysRemaining) returns days until password expires — trigger custom reminder logic instead of relying on the default system dialog. Allows you to build your own expiry UX.
  • Custom Dialog scrollbar — dialogs with long content now scroll natively.
  • WebP container support — WebP images are ~50% smaller than PNG/JPEG with no visible quality loss. Cross-platform compatible on macOS, iOS, and WebDirect.
  • ODBC credentials by calculation in Import Records / Execute SQL — build dynamic connection strings at runtime. No more hardcoded credentials baked into script steps.
  • Show Custom Dialog — height, width, and position from top and left are now settable by calculation in points. Place dialogs precisely based on window or device type.
  • GetRecordIDsFromFoundSet() second argument now accepts a related table occurrence name or portal object name — get record IDs through a relationship without navigating to the related table.
  • Insert From URL (and Execute REST) automatically caches JSON results when the response MIME type is application/json and the target is a variable — no manual JSONParse() needed.
  • Sort blank records last — the Sort Records dialog now includes an option to push empty field values to the bottom when sorting ascending.
  • Flush Web Viewer Cookies — new script step that immediately clears all cookies for the web viewer in the current window. Useful for resetting web viewer session state on demand.
  • Change default layout view for other users — new option in Settings › Schema › Layout Options. Includes an auto-save checkbox so view changes persist without prompting the user.
  • --proxy-negotiate curl option — support for --proxy-negotiate in Insert from cURL, enabling Kerberos/SPNEGO authentication through corporate proxies.
  • Schema File Options — new application setting to enable/disable default field functionality; options consolidated into Settings and File Options.

A platform that works hard for you.

Higher script throughput, auto-recovering services, and platform updates keep your FileMaker infrastructure running at its best.

Multiple SASE processes

Handle more work without slowing down.

About
  • Configure the number of active SASE processes in Admin Console.
  • Maximum count is hardware-determined — Admin Console reports what your server supports.
  • Incoming PSOS sessions distributed across available processes automatically.
  • Each process is isolated — one stalled script doesn’t block others.
  • Can reduce back to one process if a plug-in requires single-process mode.
Use when
  • High-volume API integrations where PSOS calls were visibly queuing up.
  • Scheduled automation farms running many concurrent scripts.
  • Multi-tenant SaaS solutions with simultaneous per-tenant server-side processing.
  • Bulk data jobs — imports, syncs, nightly transforms — that need real throughput.

Auto-restart after crash

If a service goes down, it comes back up on its own.

About
  • Server process monitor detects abnormal termination and triggers an automatic restart.
  • Crash logs are preserved through the restart cycle.
  • Applies only to these three non-database services and the database engine itself is untouched.
  • These services are stateless relative to the DB engine so restarting them is safe.
Use when
  • API-heavy integrations where a Web Publishing Engine (WPE) crash previously brought down all Data API clients.
  • Customer-facing WebDirect portals with uptime SLAs.
  • OData feeds powering BI tools (Power BI, Tableau) that expect continuous availability.
  • Hosted multi-tenant environments where manual restart overhead is unsustainable.

Export field contents on server

Run field content exports on the server-side and free others from the process entirely.

About
  • Container field contents written directly to the server’s Documents or Temp folder.
  • Works in Perform Script on Server (PSOS) and Scheduled Script contexts.
  • Identical script step syntax to the client-side version — no logic changes needed.
  • No third-party export utility or plug-in required.
Use when
  • Automated document generation where files need to land on the server for downstream pickup.
  • Email attachment workflows — export to Temp, attach, send, all server-side.
  • Archival pipelines writing container contents to organized server folder structures.
  • Integrations with external systems that poll a server folder for new incoming files.

FileMaker Go enhancements

More capable in the field. More precise in scripts.

About
  • Flash/Torch in Insert from Device — new option in the barcode and camera script step to toggle the device torch, enabling scanning and capture in low-light environments.
  • Japanese calendar — era-based (gengō) date support added to drop-down calendar pickers in FileMaker Go.
  • WindowUUID in Select Window — script step now accepts a UUID to target a specific window, enabling more precise multi-window control.
  • Get(WindowUUID) — new calculation that returns the UUID of the currently active window, usable as a reference to pass between scripts.
Use when
  • Scanning barcodes or capturing images in warehouses, kitchens, or any low-light field environment.
  • Deploying solutions in Japan where era-based date entry or display is legally or culturally required.
  • Building multi-window Go workflows where scripts need to reliably target a specific window by identity.
  • Passing window references as parameters between called scripts to control UI state precisely.

Platform and security updates

Keep deployment compliant and enterprise-ready.

Updates
  • OpenSSL 3.5 LTS upgraded across FileMaker Server and FileMaker Cloud. Released April 2025, supported through April 2030. Replaces the previous version and closes the gap with current enterprise security standards.
  • Apache Tomcat upgraded to 10.1.44+ addresses an improper resource shutdown vulnerability that made Tomcat susceptible to a reset attack. Security-critical update for any internet-facing FMS deployment.
  • Windows Server 2025 certified — FileMaker Server is now certified for Microsoft’s latest enterprise OS, ensuring long-term compatibility and access to current Windows security infrastructure.
  • IPv6 Support — FMS endpoints now support both IPv4 and IPv6, required for Failover Server and AI Server deployments. Ensures all internal and external endpoints are reachable in dual-stack network environments.
  • Specify OS user for FMS on Ubuntu — FMS installation on Ubuntu now supports specifying a custom OS user rather than defaulting to fmserver. Useful for environments with strict service account policies.
  • Assisted Install — Developer Tools only — Assisted Install.txt now supports Deployment Options=4 to install Command Line Tools only, matching the option available in the interactive installer since 22.1.

Go deeper into FileMaker 2026.

Explore release notes.

Deep dive into FileMaker details.

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Hear from our experts.

See a recorded overview of what’s new.

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Prepare for business continuity.

Learn about Remote Backup and Standby Server.

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