Save a database or an object in a different format

Saving your work in Access is a little different from saving in most Office apps. Changes to data, the primary reason for saving your work in most apps, are automatically saved in Access.

In Access, instead of saving data changes, you save changes to the database design, or you save the whole database, data and all, with a new filename as a backup, or in a different format, such as an earlier Access file format, a database template, or a compiled database (a database where you can't change the design). You can also save individual database objects as new objects.

This topic introduces the various ways you can save your work in Access, and provides links to topics with more details.

Save database design elements for reuse

To reuse a database or a database object, you use the Save As dialog:

1. Open the database or database object.

2. On the File tab, click Save As.

3. Do one of the following steps:

   • To save a database in a different format, click Save Database As.

   • To save a database object in a different format, click Save Object As.

     Note: The option Save As Client Object is only available in a web database.

4. Click the format you want to use for the new copy.

   For more information about the formats you can use and why you might choose them, see the articles Save and reuse database design elements and Which Access file format should I use?.

   For more information about making backups, see the article Protect your data with backup and restore processes.

Saving a copy of a database or an object is one way to share your desktop data, but there are others. For more information, see the article Ways to share an Access desktop database.