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What is .MDB File Extension?

MS Access MDB File Format Specifications!

Developer:Microsoft
Created By:Microsoft Access 2003 and earlier versions
Format Type:Text and Binary
File Category:Database
MIME Type:application/msaccess, application/x-mdb, application/x-msaccess, application/vnd.ms-access, application/vnd.msaccess, application/mdb, zz-application/zz-winassoc-mdb
File Hex Signature:00 01 00 00 53 74 61 6E 64 61 72 64 20 4A 65 74 20 44 42 00
PRONOM:x-fmt/66 x-fmt/238 x-fmt/239 x-fmt/240 x-fmt/2410
Supported Platforms:Windows, MAC and Linux.
Default Location:User defined.

What is MDB File Extension – Get Detailed Information?

MDB file extension is a database type file created by Microsoft Access which contains the data in its specific format created on the Access Jet Database Engine. The .mdb file format was created and used by MS Access 2003 and prior editions as a main database. MS Access is a database management system developed by Microsoft as a part of MS Office suite.

Later editions of Microsoft Access are using the .accdb files for databases in its place. I hope now you will able to understand what does MDB file extension means exactly. You can open the MDB file with MS Access 2003 and prior edition, Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 and with few other related programs listed in the last section of the article.

Examine MDB file Format Structure

Above you read what is .mdb file extension and related information. You can check binary form of MDB file structure after opening MDB files with the Hex edition program. Because internals aspects of the MDB files have not been made public by Microsoft.

MDB file can also link or import directly to other Access databases, Excel, text, XML, SharePoint lists, Outlook, dBase, HTML, Lotus 1-2-3, Paradox, MS SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle and PostgreSQL. Developers can use MDF files to build simple applications.

What Software can Open MDB Files?

MDB is a database file of MS Access which is supported by Microsoft Access and a few other programs.

Open MDB in Windows OS:

  1. Microsoft Access 2016, 2013, 2010 and 2007 etc.
  2. Microsoft Visual Studio 2013
  3. CGF Shop Data Management Center
  4. Free MDB Viewer Tools
  5. Freewind MDB Converter
  6. SAS Institute SAS

Software to Open MDB File in MAC OS X:

  1. Wolfram Research Mathematica
  2. MDB Viewer for MAC

Read MDB File in Linux:

  1. mdb-export
  2. SAS Institute SAS
  3. Kexi