What is an MDB file and how do I open it? Step by step

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Have you got compatibility issues when open an MDB file? It is a database file that is no longer in use, but there are several applications you can use to open it. Read on to find out what it is.

What is an MDB file?

Un file MDB ( Microsoft DataBase ) is nothing more than an Access database file. Its .mbd extension belongs to MS Access 2003 and earlier versions.

The new Access databases have the ACCDB extension, which can sometimes be confusing. In a database, complete structures such as tables, records, database queries, XML files, Sharepoint, Excel and HTML can be contained.

Some MDB databases may be accompanied by LDB files , which are nothing more than a temporary lock file. However, it is not directly related to the BD and does not affect its operation.

How to open an MDB file?

Since this is a database file Native Microsoft , it can be opened with any version of Access. Although this is an older format, Access versions from 2007 onwards allow you to open file .

Open with Microsoft Access

To open the file, double-click it or right-click, select the Open with option and select Microsoft Access. Another way to do this is to directly open the application, select the File menu and choose the Open option.

Open with Microsoft Excel

Excel application allows you to access much of the information in an MDB file via tables or requests . The same is a way to import the data and change it in Excel format.

Open Excel
Click on the data tape
Select option Get data / From a database / From an Access database
In the new window, select the .mdb file and press the Open button
Now select the table you want to load in the worksheets
When you have the necessary data, import the information
Click on Download

MDB Plus Viewer

It is a free application that allows you to open MDB files. In addition to accessing the database, the user can carry out research , apply filters, sort data, view and import information.

Notepad

Another free application which is usually installed on computers with a Windows environment . It is used to open text files, but it is compatible with other formats such as PHP and even MDB. The only problem is that only part of the information will be readable.

Applications to convert MDB file to another format

MDB converter

To update your database to a current format, you can use an application called MDB-Converter . It allows you to transform a file MDB in TXT, CSV or XML. It is the best option to access the database if Access is not installed on your PC.

White city converter

An application that allows you to open and import data from one MDB file to another compatible with Excel. The available formats are XLSX and XLS .

Use Microsoft Access

This can be one of the more obvious choices because the file format is supported by Access. All you need to do is open the file in the app and edit it.

Open the Access application (version 2007 or higher)
Click on File / Open
Select the MDB file
Access the data and make any necessary modifications to change the file type. Please note that there are several types of data which are not supported by the new Access version
When done, click File / Save As
Put the name of the new file and the file type change it to ACCDB