Free online ACCDB to DBF converter

Legacy GIS, accounting, inventory, and reporting programs may accept only dBase tables, requiring an Access database table to be exported as DBF. DBF also provides a way to share selected tabular data without distributing the complete Access database.

What the ACCDB format is

.accdb is the default Microsoft Access database format introduced with Access 2007. A single file can contain tables, queries, relationships, forms, reports, macros, and VBA modules. ACCDB is used in Access-based business systems, desktop data-entry applications, and databases maintained with Microsoft Access or the Access database engine.

Compared with older .mdb files, ACCDB supports features such as attachment fields, multivalued fields, and database encryption. These objects and features belong to the Access database model and cannot be represented in a DBF file.

What the DBF format is

.dbf is a dBase-family table format. Each DBF file normally contains one table of rows and columns and is supported by dBase, FoxPro, Clipper, some GIS applications, spreadsheets, and older business software.

DBF is useful when the receiving program requires a simple, widely supported table. It does not preserve Access queries, relationships, forms, reports, macros, VBA, attachments, or other database objects. An ACCDB database with several tables therefore requires separate DBF exports, unless the conversion tool defines another output arrangement.

How to convert ACCDB to DBF

Using 101convert.com: Upload the ACCDB file, choose DBF as the output format, start the conversion, and download the resulting file. This method requires no installed database software. Use it only for data that is appropriate to upload; confidential, regulated, or password-protected databases should remain in a controlled desktop or server environment unless the service’s security and retention terms are acceptable.

Online conversion may export one table, select a table automatically, or produce multiple DBF files depending on the converter. Check the output contents and schema after downloading. A password-protected or damaged ACCDB file may need to be opened and repaired in Access before conversion.

Using Microsoft Access: Access reads ACCDB natively and commonly includes a dBase export command.

1. Back up the database and open the copy in Microsoft Access.
2. In the Navigation Pane, select the table to export. To export filtered, joined, or calculated data, save the required query and select that query instead.
3. Choose External Data → Export → More → dBase File. In some versions the command is shown as External Data → Export → dBase.
4. Select the destination folder and output name, then complete the export wizard. Access may create a companion memo file, such as .dbt, for long-text fields; keep that file with the DBF when the receiving program requires it.
5. Open the DBF in the target application and compare record counts, field names, data types, and representative values with the Access source.

For repeated or automated exports, save the Access export steps or use an Access-compatible ODBC driver to read a table or query and a DBF library to write the result. The workflow must explicitly map Access columns to DBF fields and validate inserted row counts; a generic DBF writer cannot read ACCDB without an Access driver or database engine.

Quality and compatibility limits

DBF variants differ. Confirm whether the receiving application expects dBase III, dBase IV, dBase 5, or FoxPro-compatible DBF, and select that variant when the export tool provides a choice. Some applications also require a particular companion memo-file format.

DBF field names and widths are more restricted than Access fields. Long Access names may be shortened, field widths may be reduced, and unsupported types—including attachments, multivalued fields, complex objects, and some calculated fields—may be omitted or converted. Inspect the exported schema instead of assuming that every column transferred unchanged.

Test Long Text, Date/Time, Yes/No, Currency, Decimal, and nullable fields specifically. Check date interpretation, decimal precision, Boolean representation, null handling, currency values, and text encoding, particularly for accented or non-Latin characters.

Relationships, Access indexes, validation rules, and referential integrity do not transfer as an equivalent Access structure. Export key columns with each related table and recreate required indexes or relationships in the DBF-based application. Compare source and destination record counts and inspect rows containing nulls, long text, dates, and non-ASCII characters.