HOWTO: Change an Access Database Password

Last reviewed: July 3, 1997
Article ID: Q170961

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Visual Basic Learning, Professional, and Enterprise Editions for Windows, version 5.0
Microsoft Visual Basic Standard, Professional, and Enterprise Editions, 32-bit only, for Windows, version 4.0
Microsoft Access versions 7.0, 97

SUMMARY

Microsoft Access 7.0 and 97 MDB files can be password protected. This article demonstrates how to change the password associated with a Microsoft Access 7.0 or 97 MDB file.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Access 7.0 and 97 use Jet 3.0 and Jet 3.5 MDB files, respectively. For the code below to work correctly, you must have a reference to an appropriate Microsoft DAO Object Library.

The database password can be changed by using the NewPassword method. The following example changes the password of the MyDB.mdb database from "MyPassword1" to "MyPassword2":

   Sub ChangeDBPassword ()
      Dim Db As Database

      Set Db = OpenDatabase("C:\My Documents\MyDB.mdb",True, _
         False,";pwd=MyPassword1")
      Db.NewPassword "MyPassword1","MyPassword2"
      Db.Close
   End Sub

The code above does not handle the possibility of trying to open the database with the wrong password, which would generate an error. Every application that tries to open password protected databases should be able to handle this scenario.

To remove password protection from a database, use an empty string for the second parameter of the NewPassword method. For example:

   Db.NewPassword "MyPassword2", ""

To assign a database password to a MDB that is currently without a password, use an empty string for the first parameter of the NewPassword method. For example:

   Db.NewPassword "", "MyPassword1"

You can also change, assign or remove a database password using the CompactDatabase method. When using this method on a database with a password, the Optional arguments must be provided:

   Sub CompactDB ()
      ' Compact the database, supplying the password
      DBEngine.CompactDatabase "C:\My Documents\MyDB.mdb", _
         "C:\My Documents\Test.MDB", dbLangGeneral, dbVersion30, _
         ";pwd=MyPassword1"
   End Sub

The new database has the same password as the old. Here you compact a MDB with a password of "MyPassword1" and give the new database a password of "MyNewPWD":

   DBEngine.CompactDatabase "C:\My Documents\Test.mdb", _
      "C:\My Documents\TestII.MDB", dbLangGeneral & ";pwd=MyNewPWD", _
      dbVersion30, ";pwd=MyPassword1"

With this line, you can remove the database password:

   DBEngine.CompactDatabase "C:\My Documents\TestII.mdb", _
      "C:\My Documents\TestIII.MDB", dbLangGeneral & ";pwd=", _
      dbVersion30, ";pwd=MyNewPWD"

This line compacts a database without a password and assigns a password of "NewPassword" to the new database:

   DBEngine.CompactDatabase "C:\My Documents\TestIII.mdb", _
     "C:\My Documents\TestIV.mdb", dbLangGeneral & _
     ";pwd=NewPassword", dbVersion30

Keywords : vb432 vb4win vb5all vb5howto VBKBVBA kbhowto
Version : 4.0 5.0 7.0 97
Platform : WINDOWS

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Last reviewed: July 3, 1997
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