Can You Add Attachments To Microsoft Access

You use the Attachment feature in Access to add one or more than files — documents, presentations, images, and so on — to the records in your database. This article provides the background data and steps needed to configure a database to utilise attachments, and to adhere and manage data.

Note:The functionality explained in this commodity doesn't utilize to Access web apps.

In this commodity

Why should I apply attachments?
Add together an zipper field to a table
Attach files directly to tables
Use attachments with forms and reports
Salve attached files to other locations
Remove attached files
Use attachments without a mouse or other pointing device
Attachments reference

Why should I use attachments?

You tin use attachments to shop several files in a single field, and you can fifty-fifty store multiple types of files in that field. For case, let'due south say you own a job contacts database. You tin now attach one or more than resumes to the record for each contact, plus a photo of each contact.

Attachments also store data more efficiently. Earlier versions of Access used a technology chosen Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) to store images and documents. Past default, OLE created a bitmap equivalent of the epitome or document. Those bitmap files could become quite large — as much equally ten times larger than the original file. When yous viewed an image or a document from your database, OLE showed yous the bitmap prototype, non the original file. By using attachments, you open documents and other not-image files in their parent programs, so from within Access, you can search and edit those files.

In improver, OLE requires programs called OLE servers to role. For example, if y'all store JPEG image files in an Admission database, every computer that runs that database requires some other program that is registered every bit an OLE server for JPEG images. In dissimilarity, Admission stores the attached files in their native formats with no supporting images, and you lot do non demand to install additional software in club to view the images from within your database.

Attachments and database design rules

Past default, each field in a relational database contains only i slice of data. For example, if an accost field contained more than one address, finding addresses would exist difficult, if non impossible. So at outset glance, attachments seem to break the rules of database design because yous can attach more than than ane file — i slice of data — to a field. However, attachments do non break any pattern rules, because every bit you attach files to a record, Admission creates one or more system tables and uses those tables behind the scenes to normalize your data. You lot cannot view or work with those tables.

For data about viewing other system tables, run into the article Guide to the Navigation Pane. For data about database blueprint, meet the article Database design nuts.

Ways that yous tin can use attached files

Remember these guidelines as you piece of work with attached files:

You can attach files merely to databases that you lot create in Access and that use the .accdb file format. You cannot share attachments between a Admission (.accdb) database and a database in the earlier (.mdb) file format.
You must create a field in a table and set that field to the Attachments data blazon. Afterwards you set the data type to Attachments, you cannot alter it.
You can shop multiple files in a single record. For case, you tin shop images, and files created with give-and-take processing and spreadsheet programs.
Y'all can adhere a maximum of two gigabytes of information (the maximum size for an Admission database). Private files cannot exceed 256 megabytes in size.
You use the Attachments dialog box to add together, edit, and manage attachments. You lot can open up the dialog box direct from the zipper field in a table by double-clicking the field. If you want to manage attachments from a course or view attachments from a report, you add together the attachment control to the form or report and then bind the control to the underlying attachment table field.
By default, the attachment control renders images and displays the program icon that corresponds to other file types. For case, let's say y'all have a photo, a resume, and a Visio cartoon attached to a record. When yous coil through the attachments, the control renders the image and displays the programme icons for the certificate and the drawing.
When you lot open up the Attachments dialog box from a table or a form, you tin add together, remove, edit, and save attached files. When you open the Attachments dialog box from a study, you can relieve the attached files only to another location.
Access will shrink your fastened files unless those files are compressed natively. For case, JPEG files are compressed by the graphics programme that created them, so Admission does not shrink them.
If the program that was used to create the attached file is installed on your estimator, you tin can open and edit the attached files in that program.
Y'all can salve the fastened files to locations on your hard disk drive or on the network. Then y'all can edit the attachments and make sure that you like your changes before you save those changes dorsum to your database.
Yous can manipulate attachments programmatically.

The steps in the following sections explicate how to add and manage attachments.

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Add an attachment field to a table

To employ attachments in Admission, you must first add an attachment field to at to the lowest degree 1 of the tables in your database. Access provides ii ways to add an attachment field to a table. Y'all can add the field in Datasheet view, or you tin add it in Pattern view. The steps in this section explain how to use both techniques.

Add an attachment field in Datasheet view

With the table open in Datasheet view, click the first available blank column. To find a blank column, look for the words Add New Field in the column header.
On the Datasheet tab, in the Information Type & Formatting grouping, click the down arrow adjacent to Data Type, and then click Zipper.

Access sets the data type for the field to Attachment, and places an icon in the header row of the field. The post-obit figure shows a new Attachment field. Note the paperclip icon in the header row of the field. Past default, you cannot enter text in the header row of Attachment fields.
Salvage your changes.

Remember that you cannot convert the new field to another data type, just you can delete the field if you recollect y'all made an error.

Add together an attachment field in Design view

In the Navigation Pane, right-click the table that you want to alter and click Design View on the shortcut menu.
In the Field Name column, select a bare row and enter a name for your Attachment field.
In the same row, under Data Type, click Attachment.
Save your changes.

Recall that you cannot convert the new field to another data type, but yous can delete the field if y'all think you fabricated an error.
On the Design tab, in the Views grouping, click the arrow below the View button, and and so click Datasheet View to open the table for use.

-or-

Right-click the document tab for the table and click Datasheet View on the shortcut menu.

-or-

In the Navigation Pane, correct-click the table and click Open up on the shortcut menu.
Keep to the next steps.

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Attach files direct to tables

Later on y'all add an attachment field to a table, you can attach the files to the records in that table without having to create a data-entry form. You tin also view attachments without using a form, but recollect that when you view attachments directly from tables, y'all must practice so in the programs that were used to create the files, or in a plan that supports that blazon of file. For example, if y'all open a Word document that is attached to a table, Give-and-take too starts and y'all view the document from within Give-and-take, non Access. If Word is not installed on your reckoner, a dialog box appears and asks y'all to select a program for viewing the file.

Add an attachment to a tabular array

With the table that contains your attachment field open up in Datasheet view, double-click the attachment field.

The Attachments dialog box appears. The following figure shows the dialog box.
Click Add together. The Choose File dialog box appears.
Use the Look in list to navigate to the file or files that you want to attach to the record, select the file or files, and then click Open.

Y'all tin select multiple files of whatsoever supported data type. For a listing of supported data types, run across Attachments reference later in this article.
In the Attachments dialog box, click OK to add the files to your tabular array.

Access adds the files to the field and increments the number that indicates attachments accordingly. The following effigy shows a field with two images fastened:
Repeat these steps as needed to add files to the current field or other fields in your table.

Open up the attached files from a table

With the tabular array open in Datasheet view, double-click the cell in the attachment field.
In the Attachments dialog box, double-click the file that yous want to open.

–or–

Select the file and click Open.

The program associated with the file starts and opens the attached file — Excel files open in Excel, so on.

Some image files may open in Microsoft Windows Picture. If you want to do more than than view the image, you can right-click the image and and so click Edit. This starts the program that was used to create the file, if y'all take that program installed on your reckoner.

Salve changes to an attached file

As needed, utilise the parent plan to edit your file.
Save any changes to the file and close the parent program. Keep in listen that whenever you modify an attached file, your changes are saved to the temporary Internet folder on your hd drive. See the notes at the end of this section for more information about that binder.
To save your changes permanently, return to Access and, in the Attachments dialog box, click OK.

A message similar to the following appears:
Click Yes to salve your changes.
Notes:
- When you open an attached file in its parent program for viewing or editing, Access places a temporary copy of the file in a temporary folder. If you modify the file and salvage your changes from inside the parent program, Admission saves your changes to the temporary copy. When you return to Access and click OK to close the Attachments dialog box, Access prompts you lot to save the attached file again. Click Yes to write the changed file to your database, or click No to leave the file untouched in your database.
- To find the location of your temporary file folder, follow these steps:
  1. Start Windows Internet Explorer.
  2. On the Tools menu, click Net Options.
  3. On the Full general tab, click Settings.
    
    The Settings dialog box appears. The folder path appears in the Temporary Internet Files binder section.

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Use attachments with forms and reports

When you lot need to use attachments with a class or report, yous use the attachment control. The control renders image files automatically equally you motion among the records in a database. If you attach other types of files, such as documents or drawings, the attachment command displays the icon that corresponds to the file type. For example, you come across the PowerPoint icon when yous attach a presentation, and so on. The command also allows you to scan whatsoever attached files and open the Attachments dialog box. If y'all open the dialog box from a form, you tin can add together, remove, edit, and save attachments. If y'all open up the dialog box from a report, yous tin but save attachments to your hard deejay drive or a network location, considering reports are read-only by blueprint.

The steps in the following sections explicate how to add together an epitome control to a form or report, and how to scroll through records, attach files, and view your attachments. Retrieve that you tin can scroll through attachments only when a given record contains more than one attachment.

Add together the attachment control to a form or study

The steps in this department explicate how to add the attachment control to a form or study, and and then bind the control to an Zipper field in an underlying table. Yous follow the same steps when adding the attachment control to a form or a report. Before y'all start, call back that at least i of the tables in your database must have an attachment field. For information on adding an attachment field, see Add together an attachment field to a table earlier in this commodity.

Considering form and report design can be complex processes, the steps in these sections presume that you already have a database with at to the lowest degree one table and i form or study. For data on creating tables, forms, or reports, see the post-obit articles:

Create tables in a database
Create a class past using the Grade tool
Create a simple study

Add the attachment control

In the Navigation Pane, correct-click the course or written report that you desire to change and click Design View on the shortcut menu.
On the Pattern tab, in the Tools group, click Add Existing Fields.

The Field List pane appears and lists the fields in the table that provide the data for the form or report. The list denotes an attachment field by making information technology expandable (that is, you can click the plus or minus sign next to the field).

The following figure shows a typical attachment field in the Field List pane.
Drag the entire attachment field from the list to your form — the parent and child items — and drop it in the location that y'all desire on your grade.

Access places an attachment control on your form and binds the control to the table field for you.
As needed, right-click the control and click Properties to display the property sail for the control. Set or change the control properties to lucifer the remainder of your class or study.
Save your changes, and and then right-click the document tab and click either Class View or Report View to open the form or report for viewing.

If the underlying field contains image files, the command renders those files. If the field contains some other type of file, such as a Word document or PowerPoint presentation, the control displays the appropriate icon for that file type.

Manage attachments past using a form

After y'all add together an attachment command to a form, you can add, edit, remove, and save attached files directly from that form. When a record contains multiple attachments, you can also scroll through the attached files, which you cannot do when working with a table.

Note:The person who designed the class may have made the course read-only. If that is the case, you tin use the Attachments dialog box merely to save attached files to your hard disk or a location on your network.

Attach a file

Open the form that displays your attachments, and locate the tape to which you lot desire to attach a file.
Select the zipper control — the control that is bound to the Attachment field.

The Mini toolbar appears:

Annotation:If you lot added the attachment control to the datasheet section of a split course, the Mini toolbar does not announced. For more than information about split forms, see the article Create a divide course.
Click the View Attachments button (the paperclip icon) to open up the Attachments dialog box.
In the dialog box, click Add.

The Choose File dialog box appears.
Utilise the Look in list to navigate to the file that yous want to attach, and and then click Open.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 equally needed to attach more than files.

Scroll through the attached files

Note:The steps in this section apply to forms and reports.

Open the form or report that displays your attachments.
Navigate to the record that contains the attached files.
Click the prototype command that displays the fastened files.

The Mini toolbar appears.
Click the Back (left) or Forwards (right) arrows to scroll through the attached files. If y'all want to know the names of the files, click the View Attachments button to open the Attachments dialog box. The names of attached files announced in the Attachments listing.

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Save attached files to other locations

The steps in this section use to tables, forms, and reports. Yous can salvage either one or all of the files that are attached to a given record to locations on your hd or network. Remember that when you choose to save all files, you cannot choose to relieve some of the files — you must save them all. To selectively save files, you need to do so one at a fourth dimension.

Open up the table, course, or report that contains your attachments, so open the Attachments dialog box.

Open the Attachments dialog box from a table

Open the table in Datasheet view, and then double-click the attachment field that contains the attachment you want to save.

Open the Attachments dialog box from a form or report

Open up the course or study that displays your attachments.
Navigate to the record that contains the attached files.
Click the epitome control that displays the attached files.

The Mini toolbar appears.
Click the View Zipper button.

Relieve a single attachment

In the Attachments dialog box, click Save As.

The Save Attachment dialog box appears.
Employ the Save in listing to navigate to the new location for your file, and then click Save.

Save all attachments

In the Attachments dialog box, click Salvage All.

The Save Attachments dialog box appears.
Use the Look in listing to navigate to the new location for your files, and and so click Relieve.

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Remove fastened files

The steps in this section apply to tables and forms.

Remove an zipper

Double-click the attachment field in your table to open the Attachments dialog box.

–or–

In your form (in either Layout view or Form view), navigate to the tape that contains the attachment y'all want to remove, and click the View Attachment push button on the Mini toolbar to open the dialog box.
In the Attachments dialog box, select the file that you desire to delete and click Remove.

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Use attachments without a mouse or other pointing device

The following department explains how to use your keyboard to place focus in the Navigation Pane and open the table, form, or report that contains fastened files. The steps likewise explain how to browse fastened files and open the Attachments dialog box.

Open a tabular array, form, or study from the Navigation Pane

Press F11.

Note:If the Navigation Pane is closed, pressing F11 opens it and places the focus in the pane. If the pane is open, pressing F11 closes it. You must press F11 again to open up the pane and shift focus to it.
Use the Up ARROW and Downward Arrow keys to select the table, form, or report that you want to open.
Press ENTER to open the selected object.

If you open a table, Admission places the cursor in the starting time field in the table. If you open a course or report, Access places the focus in the kickoff field.

View attachments from tables

Every bit needed, use the arrow keys to motion the cursor to the attachment field that you want.
Press the SPACEBAR.

The Attachments dialog box appears.
Printing the TAB key to move among the buttons in the dialog box and to motion from the buttons to the list of attached files under Attachments.

Note:Records may contain more than i attachment. If you need to select an attachment from a list of two or more files, press the TAB primal to move to the file list, and and then utilize the arrow keys to select the file that you lot want. Next, press the TAB key to return to the buttons and select the action that you want.
When yous select the file and button that y'all want, press ENTER.
When you finish, press the cardinal TAB, or employ the Upwards Arrow and DOWN Pointer keys to select OK, and so press ENTER.

Scroll through attachments from a form or study

These steps use but if you have a Microsoft Natural Keyboard and when a record contains more than ane zipper.

Every bit needed, printing the TAB key to motility the focus to the attachment control. By default, Access highlights the command and the characterization associated with the control, if the label exists.
Press the Application key.

A shortcut menu appears.
Press the TAB cardinal, or use the pointer keys to select either Forward or Back, and so press ENTER.
Repeat step 2 every bit needed to scroll amid the attached files.

Open up the Attachments dialog box from a grade or study

These steps apply only if you have a Microsoft Natural Keyboard.

As needed, press the TAB key to movement the focus to the attachment command. By default, Access highlights the control and the label associated with the command, if the label exists.
Press the Application fundamental.

A shortcut menu appears.
Press the TAB key, or apply the pointer keys to select View Attachments, and so press ENTER.

The Attachments dialog box appears.
Printing the TAB key to move amongst the buttons in the dialog box and to movement from the buttons to the listing of fastened files nether Attachments (Double-click to edit).

Records may contain more than 1 zipper. If you need to select an attachment from a list of ii or more files, press the TAB cardinal to move to the file list, and and then utilize the arrow keys to select the file that you want. Next, press the TAB key to render to the buttons and select the action that y'all want.
When y'all select the file and push button that you want, press ENTER.
When you end, press the TAB cardinal or use the arrow keys to select OK, and then press ENTER.

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Attachments reference

The post-obit sections provide reference data virtually attachments, including the image and document file formats that attachments support, file-naming conventions, and some information about attaching files to records programmatically.

Supported image file formats

Admission supports the following graphic file formats natively, meaning the attachment control renders them without the need for additional software.

BMP (Windows Bitmap)

RLE (Run Length Encoded Bitmap)

DIB (Device Contained Bitmap)

GIF (Graphics Interchange Format)

JPEG, JPG, JPE (Joint Photographic Experts Grouping)

EXIF (Exchangeable File Format)

PNG (Portable Network Graphics)

TIFF, TIF (Tagged Epitome File Format)

ICON, ICO (Icon)

WMF (Windows Metafile)

EMF (Enhanced Metafile)

Supported formats for documents and other files

Equally a rule, yous can attach any file that was created with one of the Microsoft Office programs. You lot can also attach log files (.log), text files (.text, .txt), and compressed .nada files.

File-naming conventions

The names of your attached files can contain whatsoever Unicode character supported past the NTFS file arrangement used in Microsoft Windows NT (NTFS). In addition, file names must conform to these guidelines:

Names must not exceed 255 characters, including the file proper name extensions.
Names cannot contain the following characters: question marks (?), quotation marks ("), frontwards or backward slashes (/ \), opening or endmost brackets (< >), asterisks (*), vertical confined or pipes (|), colons (:), or paragraph marks (¶).

Types of files that Access compresses

When yous attach any of the following file types to a database, Access compresses them if they are not already compressed natively.

File Extension	Compressed?	Reason
.jpg, .jpeg	No	Already compressed
.gif	No	Already compressed
.png	No	Already compressed
.tif, .tiff	Yes
.exif	Aye
.bmp	Yes
.emf	Yes
.wmf	Yeah
.ico	Yes
.cypher	No	Already compressed
.cab	No	Already compressed
.docx	No	Already compressed
.xlsx	No	Already compressed
.xlsb	No	Already compressed
.pptx	No	Already compressed

Blocked file formats

Access blocks the following types of attached files. At this time, you cannot unblock any of the file types listed here.

.ade	.ins	.mda	.scr
.adp	.isp	.mdb	.sct
.app	.its	.mde	.shb
.asp	.js	.mdt	.shs
.bas	.jse	.mdw	.tmp
.bat	.ksh	.mdz	.url
.cer	.lnk	.msc	.vb
.chm	.mad	.msi	.vbe
.cmd	.maf	.msp	.vbs
.com	.mag	.mst	.vsmacros
.cpl	.mam	.ops	.vss
.crt	.maq	.pcd	.vst
.csh	.mar	.pif	.vsw
.exe	.mas	.prf	.ws
.fxp	.mat	.prg	.wsc
.hlp	.mau	.pst	.wsf
.hta	.mav	.reg	.wsh
.inf	.maw	.scf

Attach files to records programmatically

Access exposes an object model and programming interfaces for attaching files to records programmatically by using Visual Bones for Applications (VBA) code. For data about attaching files programmatically, run across the articles "LoadFromFile" and "SaveToFile," on the Microsoft Developer Network — https://msdn.microsoft.com.

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