Microsoft KB Archive/209207

= How to use command-line switches in Microsoft Access =

Article ID: 209207

Article Last Modified on 6/5/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Office Access 2003
 * Microsoft Access 2002 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Access 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q209207





For a Microsoft Access 97 version of this article, see 105128.

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

This article applies to a Microsoft Access database (.mdb) and to a Microsoft Access project (.adp).



SUMMARY
When you run Microsoft Access from the Start menu or a shortcut menu, you can use command-line switches to modify the startup process. For example, you can open a particular database, run a macro, or supply a password.



MORE INFORMATION
The following table lists the Microsoft Access command-line options.   Option       Effect                                    Applies to   - database    Opens the specified Microsoft Access      Access database or Microsoft Access project. database or                Include a path if necessary. If you are  Access running Windows 95, the default path is  project your My Documents folder. /excl       Opens the specified Access database for   Access exclusive access. To open the database   database for shared access in a multiuser         only environment, omit this option. /ro         Opens the specified Access database or    Access Access project for read-only access. database or                                                          Access project

/user       Starts Access using the specified user    Access user name   name. database only

/pwd        Starts Access using the specified         Access password    password. database only

/profile    Starts Access using the options in the    Access user        specified user profile instead of the     database or    profile      standard Microsoft Windows registry       Access settings created when you installed      project Access. This replaces the /ini option used in versions of Access earlier than Access 97 to specify an                   initialization file.

/compact    Compacts and repairs the Access           Access target      database, or compacts the Access project, database or    database or  specified before the /compact option and  Access target      then closes Access. If you omit a target project Access      file name following the /compact option, project     the file is compacted to the original name and folder. To compact to a different name, specify a target file. If you don't                  include a path in target database or target Access project, the target file is created in your My Documents folder by default. In                 an Access project, this option compacts the Access project (.adp) file but not the SQL Server database. /repair     Repairs the Access database specified     Access before the /repair option and then       database closesAccess. In Access 2000, compact    only and repair functionality is combined under /compact. The /repair option is                  supported for backward compatibility. /convert    Converts an Access database in an         Access target      earlier version to an Access 2000         database database    database with a new name and then closes  only Access. Specify the source database before using the /convert option.

/x macro    Starts Access and runs the specified      Access macro. Another way to run a macro when   database or                 you open a database is to use an          Access AutoExec macro. project /cmd        Specifies that what follows on the        Access command line is the value that will be   database or                 returned by the Command function. This   Access option must be the last option on the    project command line. You can use a semicolon as an alternative to /cmd.

/nostartup  Starts Access without displaying the      Access startup dialog box (the second dialog    database or                 box that you see when you start Access). Access project

/wrkgrp     Starts Access using the specified         Access workgroup   workgroup information file. database information                                           only file

/runtime    Starts Access in run-time mode. Accesss database or                                                          Access project