Forum Discussion
How to convert Access 32 Bit Database to Access 64 Bit Database
First, let me make clear what I'm saying. Usually an ACCDE is created to protect the design of forms, reports, and VBA codein a database application. The ACCDE may or may not contain the actual data tables -- often, it contains only links to the tables in another database (generally referred to as the "back-end", whereas the ACCDE is the "front-end").
If she has only 64-bit Access and the ACCDE was built with 32-bit Access, then she won't be able to open and run the ACCDE as an *application* -- she won't be able to run the forms and reports, and won't be able to execute any code it contains.
All I'm talking about is a way to get to the tables (if any) and queries in the ACCDE.
To do that, she would open her copy of Access without selecting an existing database. She would then tell it to create a new, blank database (not a web database). She'd have to provide a name and folder path for that database, and then click the "Create" button. Access will create the database and open it, and will probably open an intial sample table, "Table1". She should just close that table.
She should then go to the "External Data" tab on the ribbon, and from the "Import & Link" tab group she should click "Access". She'll tehn be shown a dialog prompting her to specify the source of the data. She should enter or browse to & select the ACCDE that she's interested in. She should also choose the option, "Link to the data source by creating a linked table". The she should click the OK button.
She'll then be shown a Link Tables dialog where she can select the tables to be linked. It will only show the tables that actually reside in the database she's linking to -- if the ACCDE has linked tables to a back-end somewhere, those tables won't appear. She should then select the tables she wants to link, click the OK button, and Access will take it from there.
If it turns out that the ACCDE has only linked its tables, then she can import the table links instead of linking tables. She'd follow basically the the same process but instead of choosing the "Link ..." option, she'll choose "Import ..." instead. That will copy the table *links* from the ACCDE into her working database.
If the ACCDE contains stored queries that she wants to use, she can import them. To do that, she would use a similar procedure, except that she woluld choose the "Import" option, go to the Queries tab of the Import dialog, and select the queries she wants.
- Thanks mustafiz salam sajib for the excellent idea. I guess, this process can convert my Access 2007 32 Bit MS Access 2016 files into 64 bit files. I just tried one sample. I will work with actual files and give you feedback.
- Just wanted to note that there isn't much advantage to using the 64bit version of Access, and can actually limit things, as you can't install any 32bit Office apps along side it. There is a good discussion of 32bit vs 64bit here. https://support.office.com/en-us/article/Choose-between-the-64-bit-or-32-bit-version-of-Office-2dee7807-8f95-4d0c-b5fe-6c6f49b8d261?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US
It notes that only Project and Excell would really benefit from 64bit, allowing larger files. Access 64bit doesn't allow any bigger file as far as I can tell.
Certainly, if you are using 64bit Office for some other good reason, 64bit Access is a given.
Thanks for information but I still have the same problem
And which problem would that be? Are you trying to convert from a 32 bit to a 64 bit environment? If so, there are differences in the way you need to handle API calls. 32 bit ActiveX controls won't work in a 64 bit environment.
Or is the issue related to creating an accde from one or the other?
Thanks for clarifying.
- Still give me this message:-
"This database was created with 32-bit version of Microsoft Access. Please open it with the 32-bit version of Microsoft Access."
How to convert 32 Database created with 32 bit to Access 64 bit?
When I did it for experimentation, I just copied my 32bit .accdb onto a drive accessible from the system that had 64 bit Access on it and opened it with 64 bit Access. I had no issues. I imagine any library issues would have shown themselves. Can't say for certain what the .accdb became, or if it changed.
Another option if you want to be somewhat certain you are all 64 is to open a blank DB in the 64 bit version of Access and import everything, tables, queries, etc from the 32 bit .accdb. Tried that too and worked fine.
.accdb files are affected by 32/64 bit creation. However, .accde files are as they are essentially a 'compiled' verison of them and these do get locked to either 32 or 64 bit.
ManojK365 I'm not sure if you had a compile issue with VBA or not, but I used Here to solve my syntax issue. It turns out that the difference between my 32 bit and 64 bit database was PtrSafe after my Declare statements.
#If VBA7 Then
Declare PtrSafe Sub...
#Else
Declare Sub...
#EndIfI hope this helps out.
- You cannot convert an mde!
You need the original mdb that was used as source to create the mde. You can compile the mdb to either a 32-bit mde with a 32-bit Access or to 64-bit mde with a 64-bit Access. Irahawi No, sorry. I never have done this as a service. Was just a consumer with some experience, posting. It was at a time period when Office was predominantly 32 bit, and didn’t come with Access. People would go and get 64bit Access, which caused all sorts of issues when you mixed them. You could go get 64bit Office which had some compatibility issues with add ons and extensions, or stick with 32 bit Access. Should just be able to open a 32 bit Access file in 64 bit and fix a few errors. If it’s a pretty old DB, might have to hunt up a version of Access just a couple of versions newer, convert, and do it again, until it works in a current version. Surprised this thread is still alive.
That's not really how forums work. People ask and answer questions and can refer specific problems to resources, though. We've done that here. I posted links to videos illustrating the process, for example
If you need to hire someone to convert multiple existing mdbs or accdbs from 32 bit to 64 bit, you could search for consultants who do that.
Or, with a little bit of work, you should be able to do the conversion.
I should have included a few more details in my previous response.
Many developers and consultants would be competent to help you convert an existing accdb to work under both 32 bit and 64 bit Access. The skills and knowledge are commonly available. You can do it yourself, assuming you have some VBA experience. However, if you are an end user and have no idea how to work in VBA, hiring someone to do it does make sense. I have seen offers to do that in some forums. Most of the time I think the volunteer offering has the necessary skills and knowledge, but the fact of the matter is that everyone here is an independent developer who volunteers time to the forum community. They may be well-seasoned, or they may have no more experience than you do yourself.
That means it's up to you to choose wisely whether to accept such an offer or not.
If you decide to have someone help you, the very first step would be to establish the scope of the project. Make sure you understand what will and won't be forthcoming.
You'll need to have a non-disclosure agreement. If you turn your accdb over to someone for the purpose of converting the VBA to support 64 bit Access, you have to be sure that any data exposed will be completely confidential.
Good luck with the project.
