idatabase
History of FileMaker

From Mac utility to modern platform

FileMaker is one of the longest-lived desktop database products still in active development — four decades of steady evolution across Mac, Windows, mobile, web and cloud.

  1. 1985

    FileMaker is born

    Forethought Inc. releases FileMaker for the Apple Macintosh. It grew out of an earlier database product called Nutshell, created by Nashoba Systems.

  2. 1988

    Claris takes over

    Apple's software subsidiary Claris acquires the product, placing FileMaker alongside titles such as MacWrite and MacPaint.

  3. 1990

    FileMaker Pro

    Claris launches FileMaker Pro, the name the product carries for the next three decades.

  4. 1992

    Windows arrives

    FileMaker Pro 2.0 ships for Microsoft Windows, making it a genuinely cross-platform database.

  5. 1995

    Relational FileMaker

    FileMaker Pro 3.0 introduces relationships between files, along with built-in networking over TCP/IP.

  6. 1998

    FileMaker Inc.

    Claris narrows its focus to FileMaker and renames itself FileMaker Inc., remaining a wholly owned Apple subsidiary.

  7. 2004

    A new file format

    FileMaker 7 allows many tables in a single file and introduces the relationships graph and calculation variables — the architecture still used today.

  8. 2010

    FileMaker Go

    FileMaker Go brings FileMaker solutions to iPhone and iPad, opening the door to mobile data collection.

  9. 2013

    FileMaker WebDirect

    FileMaker 13 introduces WebDirect, running the same layouts in a web browser without separate web development.

  10. 2016

    Into the cloud

    FileMaker Cloud offers hosted FileMaker Server, reducing the need for organisations to run their own hardware.

  11. 2019

    Claris International

    The company returns to the Claris name and adds Claris Connect for workflow automation between cloud apps.

  12. 2020

    FileMaker 19

    Deeper JavaScript integration in web viewers and drop-in add-ons broaden what developers can build.

  13. 2023 – today

    Year-named releases and AI

    Releases move to year-based names such as Claris FileMaker 2023, and recent versions add AI capabilities including script steps that connect to large language models.

Why it has lasted

Forty years of staying useful

  • Approachable by design — people who are not professional programmers can build working systems.
  • Backward compatibility — solutions built many versions ago can usually be opened and upgraded.
  • Platform reach — the same app follows users from desktop to mobile to browser.
  • A loyal community — developers, trainers and partners who share knowledge freely.

A personal note

idatabase's Michael Richards started building with FileMaker Pro version 1 in 1991 and has followed almost every release since.

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