Free online MDB to CSV converter

What the MDB format is

.mdb is the Microsoft Access database format used by Access 2000–2003 and by many earlier or compatibility-mode databases. Access databases can contain tables, saved queries, relationships, forms, reports, macros, indexes, validation rules, and database settings. Older business, inventory, address-book, and accounting applications may also use MDB files.

An MDB file is a database container rather than a single spreadsheet. Its tables can have typed fields, primary keys, linked relationships, and rules that a CSV file cannot preserve.

What the CSV format is

CSV stores rows of tabular data as plain text. Fields are normally separated by commas, although import programs may use semicolons, tabs, or another delimiter. Values containing commas, quotation marks, or line breaks must be quoted according to the rules used by the exporter.

CSV works with spreadsheet software, scripts, data-import tools, and many database systems without requiring Access. It does not retain relationships, queries, forms, reports, indexes, field types, permissions, macros, or database behavior. A database with several tables normally requires a separate CSV for each exported table or query.

How to convert an MDB file in Microsoft Access

1. Open the .mdb file in Microsoft Access. Make a backup first if the source database may need to be preserved.
2. In the navigation pane, select the table or saved query to export.
3. Choose External Data → Export → Text File.
4. Enter an output filename ending in .csv and select OK.
5. In the export wizard, choose Delimited, select comma as the delimiter, and enable the field-name option if the destination expects a header row.
6. Select an appropriate text encoding when the Access version offers that option, then complete the wizard.
7. Open the result in a text editor or spreadsheet and check delimiters, headers, dates, character encoding, and representative values.

Repeat the export for every required table or query. Exporting a query can produce a deliberately filtered or combined result with selected columns, joins, calculated fields, or criteria instead of exporting the entire source table. A query’s sorting is not necessarily retained as a meaningful permanent order after import.

How to convert an MDB file with mdbtools

On Linux and other systems where mdbtools is installed, list the database tables with:

mdb-tables -1 database.mdb

Export a table with its column-name header:

mdb-export database.mdb TableName > TableName.csv

Suppress the header row with the -H option:

mdb-export -H database.mdb TableName > TableName.csv

Quote database and table names that contain spaces:

mdb-export "old records.mdb" "Customer List" > customers.csv

Use the command-line method for repeatable exports, but verify the generated delimiter, character encoding, date representation, quoting, and embedded line breaks before importing the file. Support for newer or unusual Access features can vary by mdbtools version, so Access is preferable when the database uses features that the utility cannot interpret correctly.

How to convert without installing software

You can convert the file for free on 101convert.com: upload the MDB file, choose CSV, start the conversion, and download the result. Use a local copy of Access or mdbtools instead when the database contains confidential, regulated, or otherwise sensitive data.

Quality and compatibility checks

CSV cannot carry primary keys or relationships. Keep the original MDB file when the database structure, queries, or future editing may be needed. Combining several tables into one CSV requires an Access query or a separate data-processing step, and careless joins can duplicate rows.

Confirm that the receiving program expects commas rather than semicolons or tabs, includes or excludes a header row as required, and accepts the exported encoding, preferably UTF-8 where supported. Correct exporters quote fields containing commas, quotation marks, or line breaks, but the importing program must parse those rules correctly.

Check Access date/time, Boolean, currency, null, and numeric values after conversion. Spreadsheet programs can reinterpret dates, remove leading zeroes from identifiers, change large numbers to scientific notation, or display null values differently. Review fields containing non-ASCII characters and long text, and test representative rows before deleting or replacing the source database.