Bypass startup options when you open a database

You can set new startup options for a Current Database from the Access Options dialog box, or by creating an AutoExec macro, or by an Open event procedure. But sometimes, when you open a Microsoft Access 2013 database, you might want to bypass those settings.

To bypass all startup options, complete the following step:

• Hold down the SHIFT key while opening your database.

Depending on the macro security settings for your database, you might see one or more security messages on startup.

Note: You must continue to hold down the SHIFT key while you close all the security messages, or the startup options are not bypassed.

Prevent others from bypassing startup options

You can prevent other users from bypassing startup options. Disable the Bypass (SHIFT) key by using Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code to set the AllowBypassKey property to False.

The AllowBypassKey property uses these settings.

Setting	Description
True	Enable the SHIFT key to allow the user to bypass the startup properties and the AutoExec macro.
False	Disable the SHIFT key to prevent the user from bypassing the startup properties and the AutoExec macro.

To set the AllowBypassKey property by using a macro, you must create the property in the following way:

• In a Microsoft Access database (.mdb or .accdb), you can add the property by using the CreateProperty method and then appending it to the Properties collection of the Database object.

• In a Microsoft Access project (.adp), you can add the property to the AccessObjectProperties collection of the CurrentProject object by using the Add method.

The AllowBypassKey property's setting doesn't take effect until the next time that the application database opens.

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