Open MDB and ACCDB Online
An online viewer for Microsoft Access databases: an .mdb or .accdb file from an accounting department, a warehouse or an old record-keeping program opens as a table — without Access and without installing anything. Filters, grouping, pivot, export to Excel. The file stays on your computer.
Free for personal use. .mdb (Access 97, 2000–2003), .accdb (2007–2019) and .mde/.accde work — the database is recognized by its content. Windows version — 3.4 MB, no installation: details. Organizations: license.
Every Access version
Access 97 with old encodings, 2000–2003 and .accdb from Access 2007–2019. The app detects the version and the encoding itself.
Pick a table
The largest table opens; choose another in “File parsing” — or open them all at once, a tab for each.
A big database is no problem
A table is read straight from the file, page by page: a database of hundreds of megabytes opens in seconds, and rows are parsed as you scroll.
To Excel, CSV, DBF and SQLite
Export one table or all tables at once: a single Excel workbook with a sheet per table — or a SQLite database that any program can open.
What is supported
| What | How |
|---|---|
| Access 97 (.mdb) | text in a Windows code page; the encoding is detected from the text and can be changed |
| Access 2000–2003 (.mdb) | text in Unicode, including “compressed” Unicode |
| Access 2007–2019 (.accdb) | read the same way as .mdb |
| Field types | text, memo (long text), numbers of all sizes, currency — without losing cents, decimal (DECIMAL), date/time, yes/no, replication ID (GUID), binary and OLE — as a size |
| Dates before 1900 | shown correctly, with the time — the same as in Access itself |
| Deleted and changed rows | rows that were deleted but not yet purged by compaction are not shown; rows that moved after an edit are found at their new place |
| “Encoded” Access 97–2003 database | opens like an ordinary one: this is not a password |
| Password-protected .accdb | encrypted as a whole — it cannot be opened without Access; the app says so |
| Saved queries | visible as a list but not executed: they are text in the Access language |
| Linked tables | the data lies in another file or on a server — open that file |
| Attachments and multi-value fields of .accdb | an “[attachment]” marker is shown |
Editing
Access databases open for viewing only: writing the Access format without Access itself is a sure way to damage a database a program is running from. If a table needs fixing, export it to Excel, DBF or SQLite and edit it there — all of these formats have editing with saving.
What an MDB file is
MDB is the database format of Microsoft Access 97–2003, ACCDB of Access 2007 and later. Inside are several tables, and often the queries, forms and reports of the program that works with the database. More about versions, passwords and encodings in how to open an MDB or ACCDB file.
Need to move a database into Excel or CSV? There is a separate article on that.
Why this when there is Access
Not everyone has Access: it is not included in every Microsoft Office edition, and on a work computer you often cannot install it. The free Access Runtime shows only the forms of a finished application, not the tables. Here a browser is enough, and the database is not sent anywhere: you can see that in the developer tools.
For tasks like “see what is in the database, find a record, calculate totals and export the table to Excel” this is enough.
FAQ
How do I open an MDB file without Access?
Drag it into the app window: the database opens in the browser, the first table at once, the rest in “File parsing”. Nothing needs to be installed.
How do I convert MDB to Excel?
Open the database, choose a table and press Export → Excel. For the whole database use “Open all tables as tabs” in “File parsing”, then export all tabs into one workbook.
Can I open an ACCDB?
Yes, an .accdb from Access 2007–2019 opens the same way as an .mdb. Only a password-protected database will not open: in .accdb the password encrypts the whole file.
Why does non-English text look garbled?
That happens with Access 97 databases: the text in them is written in a Windows code page. The app detects it from the text; if it guessed wrong, change the encoding in the panel above the table.
Are Access queries executed?
No. A query in the database is text in the Access language and only Access can execute it. Tables open; selection and totals are done with filters, grouping and the pivot table.
Does the database file go to a server?
No. The database is parsed in the browser tab; the page technically cannot send its content to a third-party address.
In depth
- How to open an MDB or ACCDB fileWhat MDB and ACCDB files are and how to open them without Access: versions, viewing online, why Access Runtime doesn't help, passwords and garbled text.
- MDB and ACCDB to ExcelConvert an Access database (.mdb, .accdb) to Excel, CSV or SQLite in the browser: one table or the whole database in a workbook, dates as dates, currency without losses.