ACC2000: .MDB File Name Extension Automatically Added to Database Name

When you create a new database, Microsoft Access automatically adds the .mdb file name extension to the database name, even if you type your own extension in the File name box.

This applies to all dialog boxes in Microsoft Access in which you can specify a database name, for example, when you create a new database, compact a database, or create a replica database.

This behavior occurs in all programs that use the common dialog box in Microsoft Windows 95 and later or in Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0.

There are two methods that you can use to save a database with a file name extension other than .mdb. You can select a different file type in the Save as type list. Or, you can type quotation marks around the file name.

Selecting a Different File Type in the Save As Type List

If you want to save your database with a .mda, .mdw, or .mde file name extension, select one of those file types in the Save as type list. For example, if you click Workgroup Files in the Save as type list, and you type MyDB in the File name box, the database name becomes MyDB.mdw.

If you want to save your database with an extension other than .mdb, .mdw, or .mde, click All Files in the Save as type list. This causes Microsoft Access to save the database with the exact name that you type in the File name box. For example, if you click All Files in the Save as type list, and you type MyDB.xyz in the File name box, the database name remains MyDB.xyz when you save it.

NOTE: If you name a database with a file name extension other than .mdb, .mdw, or .mde, the database is not automatically associated with Microsoft Access. That means you cannot start Microsoft Access and open the database by double-clicking the database name in File Manager or in Windows Explorer. To be able to do so, you must first create a file association between Microsoft Access and your particular file name extension.

For more information about creating file associations in Windows 95 and later, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Typing Quotation Marks Around the File Name

If you type quotation marks around the file name in the File name box, Microsoft Access saves the file with the name that you type, regardless of what appears in the Save as type list. For example, if you click Microsoft Access Databases in the Save as type list, and you type MyDB.xxx in the File name box, the database name remains MyDB.xxx.

When you save a database file, Microsoft Access compares the name that you type in the File name box with the type of file that you select in the Save as type list. If your file name does not include an extension, or the extension that you type does not match the type of file that you select, Microsoft Access automatically appends an extension for you.

The following table shows examples of how Microsoft Access names a database file, depending on what you type in the File name box and what you select in the Save as type list:

For more information about .mdw files, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, type work with a workgroup information file in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

For more information about .mde files, click Microsoft Access Help on the Help menu, type work with mde files in the Office Assistant or the Answer Wizard, and then click Search to view the topic.

For more information about the common dialog box in Microsoft Windows 95 and later or Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
For more information about how this topic applies to other Microsoft Office products, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: