Password-protected Access database on Android: what opens
“This database has a password” can mean three quite different things, depending on which version of Access set it. On Android, one kind opens free, one opens once you type the password, and one doesn’t open yet. Here is how to tell which you have.
Short answer
An .mdb (Access 97–2003) database password opens free in Keyfield, without asking. An Access 2007 password opens with Keyfield Pro once you type the password. A password set in Access 2010 or later uses a newer encryption that Keyfield can’t open yet, even with the password: ask for an unencrypted copy, or decrypt it in Access on a PC.
Get Keyfield Opens .accdb and .mdb files. Viewing is free, with no account.
Three kinds of password
| Set by | What it does | In Keyfield |
|---|---|---|
Access 97–2003 (.mdb) | Access checks the password when it opens the file; the data isn’t encrypted with it | Opens free, no prompt |
Access 2007 (.accdb) | Encrypts the file with the password | Opens with Keyfield Pro and the password |
Access 2010 and later (.accdb) | Encrypts the file with a newer, stronger method | Not supported yet |
You don’t need to know in advance: open the file and Keyfield tells you which case it is. It either opens, asks for the password (“Access password · Keyfield Pro”), or explains that it is “locked with Access 2010+ encryption”.
Access 2007 passwords
With Keyfield Pro, type the password and the database opens like any other. A wrong password says so and lets you try again. Without Pro, the file stays closed and every file without a password still opens free. Keyfield Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription.
Access 2010 and later
From Access 2010, “Encrypt with Password” uses a stronger method that Keyfield can’t read on Android yet. The right password doesn’t help. Two ways round it:
- Ask the sender for a copy without the password. If the data is sensitive, agree how to send it safely first.
- Decrypt it yourself in Access on a PC: open the file with File › Open, choosing Open Exclusive from the Open button’s menu, enter the password, then File › Info › Decrypt Database. Save that copy somewhere private.
A word on old passwords
An Access 97–2003 database password was a door Access itself kept, not encryption of the data, which is why a reader that doesn’t go through Access can open the file without it. If you are protecting real data today, use the newer encryption, keep the file somewhere private, and don’t rely on an .mdb password. Open only files you are entitled to read.
Not a password at all
Sometimes a file that “needs a password” is really something else: a zip with a password, a half-finished download, or a table that is only a link to a server that asks for a login. Those are covered in why an Access database won’t open on your phone and what a linked table is. Old .mdb files have their own guide: opening an Access 97 file today.
Find out which kind of lock you have
Keyfield opens .mdb password files free, Access 2007 password files with Keyfield Pro, and tells you plainly when a file uses encryption it can’t read yet.
