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How to Encrypt and Decrypt Access Database

Before encrypting or decrypting access database, please pay attention to something about encryption/decryption:

1. Access database encryption is done on Access page level, not at the data level.
2. Everything in a Microsoft Access database file is encrypted, including tables, queries, forms and indexes etc.
3. Microsoft Access uses the RSA company algorithm for database encryption.
4. Database encryption can prevent someone from using a file or reading and writing data in Access MDB or ACCDB file. But it has nothing to do with security.

Therefore, if it meets your requirements, let's go on to follow Access database encryption and decryption.

Part 1: How to Encrypt Access Database File

This is a process of setting a password to encrypt access database, restricting access to Access database.

Step 1: When access database file is open in Microsoft Access 2010, tab FileInfo.

choose encrypt with password for access database

Step 2: Click Encrypt with Password under information about database.

Sometimes, maybe you will receive a message to ask you to open access database with Open Exclusive mode at first, otherwise you cannot encrypt database. When this happens, click OK and follow the prompting message to do.

access database open prompting message

Step 3: In Set Database Password dialog, enter a powerful password in Password box and type it again in Verify box. Click OK to finish access database encryption.

encrypt access database file with password

Part 2: How to Decrypt Access Database File

Before decrypting encrypted access database, it is necessary to realize the importance of access database password. When you know, decrypting access database is surely easy. But if access database password forgot or lost, it would become a little difficult for someone, when they cannot find an effective password recovery tool. For example, Access Password Genius could decrypt Access 97-2016 mdb/accdb database file password.

The following steps will show how to decrypt access database by removing database password when you know it. If not, get Access Password Genius to recover access database password at first.

Step 1: Open Microsoft Access, and select access database directly in the Access database list.

Or click Open button to open a dialog, to browse to location of encrypted access database in computer. Select the database file and choose Open Exclusive in Open mode.

open encrypted access database file exclusively

Step 2: Once you select the encrypted access database and are ready to open it in Microsoft Access. A dialog would pop up to ask for database open password.

Step 3: Type database password in Enter database password box. Click OK.

enter password to open encrypted access database

Now you have just open encrypted access database but not decrypted. If you close Microsoft Access and open access database next time, Microsoft Access will also ask for the database password. If you don't want this happening again, decrypt access database please.

Step 4: Turn to FileInfo, click Decrypt Database.

Unset Database Password dialog appears. Enter database password in Password box and click OK.

decrypt access database file

Tips: If you are trying to open Access database in database list not from its location, maybe you will see a prompting message instead of Unset Database Password dialog after you click "Decrypt Database". At this time, just click OK and tab FileOpen to browse database you want to decrypt at first. Open it successfully with password in Microsoft Access and then decrypt encrypted access database.

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