How to Unlock MS Access Database MDB File- 2 Effective Ways

  Chirag Arora
Written By Chirag Arora
Anuraag Singh
Approved By Anuraag Singh  
Modified On August 2nd, 2025
Reading Time 6 Minutes Reading

Many users lose access to a crucial MDB file due to a forgotten password, which cannot be acceptable, especially when that file contains essential professional or personal data. MS Access allows users to apply complex passwords to secure their file integrity, but retrieving the password becomes challenging when those restrictions are lost. So, in this guide, we’ll explore how to unlock Access database MDB files securely in two ways: using manual solutions and advanced techniques to remove passwords from MDB files quickly. Before moving further, let’s go through the user experience scenario.

MS Access User’s Experienced Scenario
I received an Access MDB file from one of my colleagues the day before. But when I tried to open the MDB file, it did not open because it was password-protected. The sad thing is that my colleague lost the password to the secured Access database. Now, I need a reliable solution to open an MDB file. So, please recommend the best way to do the same.

Table of ContentsHide

Quick Steps to Unlock Access Database Password

There are easy and instant steps to unlock an MS Access database MDB file. You can follow these five essential steps to unlock an Access database file without entering any password. Let’s learn the steps mentioned below:

Step 1: Install and run SysTools Software

Step 2: Add the MS Access database MDB file to the GUI.

Step 3: Select the file and click on the Recover option.

Step 4: See the Access database MDB file unlocked

Step 5: Click on Copy password and save it.

How do I unlock MS Access Database MDB Files?

In this section, you will discover two smart and best ways to unlock Access database files- one using a manual method and the other with an advanced tool. Now, let’s explore the two techniques elaborately:

Method 1: Unlock Access Database File- Using Manual Method

If you need to use a manual way and don’t need to install any software, then learn the steps mentioned below for using the manual techniques to unlock an Access database:

  1. Install MS Access and click on the Open option.
  2. Choose the browse button to continue the process.
  3. Select an Access database MDB file.
  4. Choose Open Exclusive mode to open the database.
  5. Put a password and then click the OK button.
  6. Look at Access database records. Click on the file.
  7. Select the Info option from the drop-down menu bar.
  8. Click the Decrypt Database option to unlock the Access file.
  9. Tap to fill the password again in the Unset Database Password field.
  10. Lastly, click the OK button to unlock the MDB file’s Access database easily.

Drawbacks of Using the Manual Method

The manual method is a short way to unlock and access database MDB files, but it has a few limitations, as mentioned below:

  • Improper handling of the MDB file during manual attempts can corrupt the database and result in permanent data loss.
  • Manually unlocking the database can take much time and does not guarantee results.
  • Strongly encrypted MDB files cannot be unlocked manually without entering the correct password..

Method 2: Pro Solution to Unlock Access Database MDB File

To unlock the Access MDB file password. We have developed a perfect solution called SysTools Access Password Recovery software. Using this tool, you can easily unlock secured MDB files. This tool is designed with efficient and effective algorithms that help seamlessly remove restrictions from the MDB file.

Download Now Purchase Now

However, this tool has an intuitive interface, so a novice user can also apply the password-unlocking procedure without expert help. Moreover, this software can unlock MS Access database (MDB) files in bulk. It also involves more advanced features that make it unique. Let’s see how it works.

  1. Download and run the software on your system.
    Software to unlock MDB file
  2. Click on the Add File(s) Folder(s) to select the password-protected MDB file.
    Dual choose file options
  3. Select the secured MDB file, and click the Open button to unlock the Access database MDB file.
    Select MS Access MDB file and click open
  4. Now you can look at Access database MDB files in the software and choose the required file to unlock.
     add file to unlock access database mdb
  5. Click on the Recover button to unlock MS Access database MDB files easily.
    click on recover option
  6. Click OK to complete the unlock process of the MDB file.
    Unlock MDB password
  7. Now view the password, click the Copy Password option, and save the password.
    Select Copy password

Key Features of Using Pro Solution

  • This software smoothly recovers the correct Access Database Password MDB file.
  • It instantly unlocks an MS Access database in batch with multiple files.
  • Supports all Access versions to unlock the Access database for editing.
  • Provides a user-friendly interface to unlock an Access database MDB file.
  • It is a safe and secure process with no data loss or corruption.

Note: The suggested tool above does not support ACCDB files but supports MDB files created in MS Access 2003 or earlier versions.

Final Words

This article highlighted two ways to unlock an MS Access database MDB file. If you know your database’s password, you can use the manual method to unlock MS Access MDB files. If you don’t know the correct password, use an advanced solution to unlock the MDB password. Moreover, many software solutions are provided, but you must ensure that when choosing the solution, you choose the method that suits your needs or preferences.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Is it possible to bulk unlock the MDB database password?

A: Yes, Automate software allows users to unlock Microsoft Access database passwords from MDB files in batches.

Q2: Can I unlock multiple MDB files manually at once?

A: No, the manual approach can unlock access to the database for editing individually. It does not provide feature of batch processing.

Q3: Is it safe to use third-party software to unlock MDB files?

A: Yes, the process is completely safe as long as you use a reputable and verified tool that is designed to recover or remove passwords without altering or damaging your data.

  Chirag Arora

By Chirag Arora

Having around 9+ years of experience in technical writing. Knows about the core technical areas. Also, provides easy and reliable solutions to resolve difficulties faced by users while working with different platforms.