Save Access Data into an Excel 2003 Spreadsheet

How can I save an Access database into an Excel spreadsheet?

While Access and Excel have similar interfaces, they are not exactly the same — although you cannot save an entire Access database as an Excel spreadsheet, you can save data from tables and queries into their own Excel spreadsheets.

This article applies specifically to Microsoft Office 2003. The general process described here may also apply to earlier versions such as Office 97, 2000, and XP.

Open your table or query

Open up your Access database, then bring up the table or query containing the data you wish to export to Excel. Open it up so you see the data on your screen.

Choose a location for your spreadsheet

With the target data on your screen, click File → Export. A new window will appear. Using the drop down box labeled “Save In”, browse to a location where you would like to save your spreadsheet (e.g. My Documents, Desktop, or a network drive).

Choose an Excel format and start the export

Change “Save as Type” to Microsoft Excel. There may be a few different variations of Excel, such as Excel 95, Excel 97-2000, etc… Make sure you choose the version of Excel that is installed on your computer. If you are unsure, start up Excel and click Help → About Microsoft Office Excel. A window containing information about your version of Excel will appear.

If you are completely lost, take a guess and select the most recent version of Excel.

Type a custom file name into the “File name” box, and press Export All. Access will save your data into a spreadsheet in the location that you chose.