Access – Playing With Database Properties – Part 2

I while back I publish about Database Properties:

Access - Playing With Database Properties

Today, I thought we’d take a look at playing around with Database Properties: Listing the Properties Getting the Value of a Specific Property Creating a Property Deleting a Property To simplify my code, I am using my oCurrentDb Self-Healing Object Variable (SHOV). If you’re not familiar with that yet, then start off by reviewing: Or if your truly don’t want to learn/use SHOV, in all the code below, simply replace ‘oCurrentDb’ with ‘CurrentDb’. Now, let the fun begin!

In this post I thought I’d simply provide a listing of the common properties (you know the ones we see in the File -> Options -> Current Database dialog) with their relevant information so you as a developer can automate them without needing to search endlessly for property names, types, value as I have never found any proper documentation on the subject from Microsoft (or anywhere else).

No.	Property Name	Property Label (from the Options form primarily)	Proprety Description	Property Type	Information URL	Notes	Heading Under Which It Is Found (from the Options form)	Get/SetOption Accessible	DB Properties Accessible
1	AccessVersion	Access Version		Text				No	Yes
2	AllowBreakIntoCode	Allow Break Into Code	You can use the AllowBreakIntoCode property to specify whether or not the user can view Visual Basic code after a run-time error occurs in a module.	Boolean	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/office/aa223270(v=office.11)	2003 No GUI access -1 => Enable the Debug button 0 => Disable the Debug button		No	Yes
3	AllowBuiltInToolbars	Allow Built-In Toolbars	You can use the AllowBuiltInToolbars property to specify whether or not the user can display Microsoft Access built-in toolbars	Boolean	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/office/aa223273(v=office.11)	2003 -1 => Allow built-in toolbars 0 => Don’t allow built-in toolbars		No	Yes
4	AllowBypassKey	Allow Bypass Key	Enable/Disable the Shift bypass key	Boolean	https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/allowbypasskey-property-30ab5c36-51df-41a0-a955-b0f1deac517b	No GUI access True => Enable the SHIFT key Flase => Disable the SHIFT key		No	Yes
5	AllowDatasheetSchema	Enable design changes for tables in Datasheet view	When selected, lets you change the design of tables from the Datasheet view.	Boolean		0 => Disabled -1 => Enabled	Application Options	Yes	Yes
6	AllowFullMenus	Allow Full Menus	specify whether or not full Microsoft Office Access 2007 built-in menus will be available when the application database opens	Boolean	https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/allowfullmenus-property-d1cf24ab-ca65-4450-8917-93d83319b678	0 => Disabled -1 => Enabled	Ribbon and Toolbar Options	No	Yes
7	AllowShortcutMenus	Allow Default Shortcut Menus	specify whether or not your application allows Microsoft Access to display built-in shortcut menus	Boolean	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/office/aa223314(v=office.11)	0 => Disabled -1 => Enabled	Ribbon and Toolbar Options	No	Yes
8	AllowSpecialKeys	Use Access Special Keys	specify whether or not special key sequences (ALT+F1 (F11), CTRL+F11, CTRL+BREAK, and CTRL+G) are disabled or enabled	Boolean	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/access/concepts/miscellaneous/allowspecialkeys-property	0 => Disabled -1 => Enabled	Application Options	No	Yes
9	AllowToolbarChanges	Allow Toolbar Changes	You can use the AllowToolbarChanges property to specify whether or not your database allows users to customize toolbars, menu bars, and shortcut menus.	Boolean	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/office/aa223320(v=office.11)	2003 0 => Disabled -1 => Enabled		No	Yes
10	ANSI Query Mode			Long				Yes	Yes
11	AppIcon	Application Icon	specify the name of the bitmap (.bmp) or icon (.ico) file that contains the application’s icon	Text	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/access.application.appicon		Application Options	No	Yes
12	AppTitle	Application Title	Specify a custom name to be displayed in the Windows title bar of your current database.	Text	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/access.application.apptitle		Application Options	No	Yes
13	Auto Compact	Compact on close	When selected, the database is automatically compacted and repaired when you close it.	Long		0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled	Application Options	Yes	Yes
14	Build		Long representing the build number of the currently installed copy of Microsoft Access	Long	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/access.application.build	Read-only		No	Yes
15	CheckTruncatedNumFields	Check for truncated number fields		Long		0 => to show that part of the number that fits 1 => to show #### if number doesn’t fit	Application Options	Yes	Yes
16	Clear Cache on Close	Clear Cache on Close	Select this option to have Access clear any local cached data from memory when you close your database.	Long		0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled	Caching Web Service and SharePoint tables	Yes	Yes
17	CollatingOrder	CollatingOrder	value that specifies the sequence of the sort order in text for string comparison or sorting (Microsoft Access workspaces only)	Integer	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/access/desktop-database-reference/database-collatingorder-property-dao			No	Yes
18	Connect	Connect	value that provides information about the source an open database	Memo	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/access/desktop-database-reference/database-connect-property-dao			No	Yes
19	Connection	Connection	variable that represents a Database object		https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/access/desktop-database-reference/database-connection-property-dao			No	No
20	CustomRibbonID	Ribbon Name		Text			Ribbon and Toolbar Options	No	Yes
21	Default Connection File	Default Connection File		Text		2003		No	No
22	Default Page Folder	Default Page Folder		Text		2003		No	No
23	DesignMasterID	Design Master ID	16-byte value that uniquely identifies the Design Master in a replica set	GUID	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/access/desktop-database-reference/database-designmasterid-property-dao			No	Yes
24	DesignWithData	Enable Layout View	When selected, shows the Layout View button on the Access status bar and in the shortcut menus that appear when you right-click an object tab. If you clear this option, the user can’t open the forms and reports in the Layout view.	Boolean		0 => Disable Layout View in forms/reports -1 => Enable Layout View in forms/reports	Application Options	Yes	Yes
25	HasOfflineLists			Integer				No	Yes
26	Log Name AutoCorrect Changes	Log name AutoCorrect changes	Access logs the changes it makes to a database when it repairs name errors and saves the data in a table named AutoCorrect.log.	Long		0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled	Name AutoCorrect Options	Yes	Yes
27	Name	Name		Memo	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/access/desktop-database-reference/database-name-property-dao	Read-only		No	Yes
28	NavPane Category	Navigation Pane Category		Long		0 => Object Type 1 => Tables and Related Views 2 => Modified Date 3 => Created Date		Yes	Yes
29	NavPane Closed	Navigation Pane Closed	State of the navigation pane when the database was last compacted or closed	Long		No GUI access		Yes	Yes
30	NavPane Sort By	Navigation Pane Sort By		Long		0 => Name, 1 => Type, 2 => Modified Date, 3 => Created Date, 4 => Remove Automatic Sorts		Yes	Yes
31	NavPane View By	Navigation Pane View By		Long		0 => List 1 => Icon 2 => Details		Yes	Yes
32	NavPane Width	Navigation Pane Width	Width of the navigation pane when the database was last compacted or closed	Long		No GUI access		Yes	Yes
33	Never Cache	Never Cache	Select this option to not have Access cache a local copy of data while working with your linked SharePoint data sources.	Long			Caching Web Service and SharePoint tables	Yes	Yes
34	Perform Name AutoCorrect	Perform name AutoCorrect	When selected, Access repairs naming errors as they occur.	Long		0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled	Name AutoCorrect Options	Yes	Yes
35	Picture Property Storage Format	Picture Property Storage Format		Long		0 => Preserve source image format (smaller file size), 1 => Convert all picture data to bitmaps (compatible with Access 2003 and earlier)	Application Options	Yes	Yes
36	ProjVer			Integer				No	Yes
37	Property Sheet Label Width							Yes	Yes
38	QueryTimeout		Specifies the number of seconds to wait before a timeout error occurs when a query is executed	Integer				No	Yes
39	RecordsAffected			Long				No	Yes
40	Remove Personal Information	Remove personal information from file properties on save	When selected, automatically removes personal information from the file properties when you save the file.	Long		Requires Compact on Close	Application Options	Yes	Yes
41	ReplicaID		16-byte value that uniquely identifies a database replica	GUID	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/access/desktop-database-reference/database-replicaid-property-dao			No	Yes
42	Row Limit			Long		2003		No	No
43	Show Navigation Pane Search Bar	Show Search Bar	Whether to display the Search area in the Navigation Pane	Long		0 => Do NOT show 1 => Show	In the Navigation Options dialog	Yes	Yes
44	Show Values in Indexed	Local indexed fields	When selected, displays values from local indexed fields in the value lists that appear in the Filter by Form window.	Long		0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled	Filter lookup options in [DbName] Database	Yes	Yes
45	Show Values in Non-Indexed	Local nonindexed fields	Includes values from local nonindexed fields in the value lists that appear in the Filter by Form window.	Long		0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled	Filter lookup options in [DbName] Database	Yes	Yes
46	Show Values in Remote	ODBC fields	Includes values from tables to which you link by using an Open Database Connectivity connection.	Long		0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled	Filter lookup options in [DbName] Database	Yes	Yes
47	Show Values in Server	Show list of values in, Records at server		Long		2003		No	No
48	Show Values in Snapshot	Show list of values in, Records in local snapshot		Long		2003		No	No
49	Show Values Limit	Don’t display lists when more than this number of records is read	Enter the maximum number of records that you want Access to read while it builds the value list for Filter by Form operations.	Long			Filter lookup options in [DbName] Database	Yes	Yes
50	ShowDocumentTabs	Display Document Tabs		Boolean		0 => Do NOT show tabs in tabbed view -1 => Show tabs in tabbed view	Application Options	No	Yes
51	StartUpForm	Display Form	Specify a form that appears when your current database opens.	Text	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/office/aa196599(v=office.11)		Application Options	No	Yes
52	StartUpMenuBar	StartUp Menu Bar	You can use the StartupMenuBar property to specify a custom menu bar to use as the global menu bar for your application.	Text	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/office/aa196600(v=office.11)	2003		No	Yes
53	StartUpShortcutMenuBar	StartUp Shortcut Menu Bar	You can use the StartupShortcutMenuBar property to specify a custom shortcut menu to use as the global shortcut menu for your application.	Text	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/office/aa196601(v=office.11)	2003		No	Yes
54	StartUpShowDBWindow	Display Navigation Pane		Boolean		0 => Do Not Display 1 => Display	Navigation	No	Yes
55	StartUpShowStatusBar	Display Status Bar	When selected, displays a status bar at the bottom of the Access workspace.	Boolean		0 => Do Not Display 1 => Display	Application Options	No	Yes
56	StartupTitleBar							No	Yes
57	Theme Resource Name			Text				Yes	Yes
58	Themed Form Controls	Use Windows-themed Controls on Forms	When selected, uses your Windows theme on the controls of forms and reports in the current database.	Long		0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled		Yes	Yes
59	Track Name AutoCorrect Info	Track name AutoCorrect info	When selected, Access stores the information needed to correct naming errors. Allows you to use the Object Dependencies feature.	Long		0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled	Name AutoCorrect Options	Yes	Yes
60	Transactions	Transactions	value that indicates whether an object supports transactions	Boolean	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/access/desktop-database-reference/database-transactions-property-dao			No	Yes
61	Updatable	Updatable	value that indicates whether you can change a DAO object	Boolean	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/access/desktop-database-reference/database-updatable-property-dao			No	Yes
62	Use BigInt for linking and importing data	Support Bigint Data Type for Linked/Imported Tables	Enables Large Number data type support for linking to or importing from external databases that use an equivalent data type, such as bigint in SQL Server.	Long	https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/using-the-large-number-data-type-5b623f6e-641d-4e97-8bdf-b77bae076f70	Untested if GetOption/SetOption work 0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled		No	Yes
63	Use Default Connection File	Use Default Connection File		Long		2003 0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled		No	No
64	Use Default Page Folder	Use Default Page Folder		Long		2003 0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled		No	No
65	Use Microsoft Access 2007 compatible cache	Use the cache format that is compatible with Microsoft Access 2010 and later		Long		0 => check (not 2007 compatible) 1 => unchecked (use 2007 compatible)	Caching Web Service and SharePoint tables	Yes	Yes
66	UseAppIconForFrmRpt	Use as Form and Report Icon	When selected, the application icon will display in all form and report tabs of the current database. If the document tabs are not enabled, the icon does not display.	Boolean		0 => Disabled 1 => Enabled	Application Options	No	Yes
67	UseMDIMode	Document Window Options		Byte		0 => Tabbed Documents, 1 => Overlapping Windows	Application Options	No	Yes
68	Version	Version	the vesion of the Microsoft Jet or Microsoft Access database engine that created the database	Memo	https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/access/desktop-database-reference/database-version-property-dao			No	Yes
69	WebDesignMode			Byte				No	Yes

A quick note regrading Boolean properties. You’d think that to populate these properties we would use False (0) and True (-1), and that does work, but so testing revealed it would seem things are a little more lenient. 0 or False does in fact make a property false and any other number -1, 1, 5, 1225, … will result in True. I’d still stick with 0/-1, but I found it interesting none the less. This is also why you will find many online code samples setting boolean properties to 0 and 1 rather than 0 and -1.

One other thing to keep in mind is that as I mentioned in my previous article, there are a couple of ways to work with Properties, some properties work with Get/SetOptions, others CurrentDb.Properties, and others required registry editing. Suprisingly, even after 30+ years, there appears to be no one solution to working with all properties.

As always, this is a work in progress, actually just a first run at it to try and catalog things, but there are some properties still missing. Feel free to drop me a comment below and I’ll see what I can do to add them.

Also, documentation has not been upkept properly by Microsoft on a number of these, once again please drop me a comment below if you know of reliable sources of information on the properties that I have no links for.

4 responses on “Access – Playing With Database Properties – Part 2”

Chris Karakizos May 5, 2025 at 3:35 pm

Maybe that helps also.
Function GeneralStartup()
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – General Tab – User Interface options
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Enable Live Preview – Manual Only
‘ ScreenTip style – Manual Only
‘ Show shortcut keys in ScreenTips – Manual Only
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – General Tab – Creating databases
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Default File Format”, 12 ‘ Set the default file format to Access 2007-2016 (format 12).
Application.SetOption “Default Database Directory”, Environ(“USERPROFILE”) & “\Documents” ‘ Set the default directory for opening and saving databases.
Application.SetOption “New Database Sort Order”, 1033 ‘ Set the sort order for new databases to General – Legacy (1033 for English US).
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – General Tab – Personalize your copy of Microsoft Office
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “User Name”, Environ(“USERNAME”) ‘ Set the user name to “User Name”.
‘ Set the user’s initials – Manual Only
‘ Always use these values regardless of sign in to office – Manual Only
‘ Office background – Manual Only
‘ Office theme – Manual Only
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Current Database Tab – Application Options
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Call SetProp(“AppTitle”, 10, VBE.ActiveVBProject.Name) ‘ Set the application title.
Call SetProp(“AppIcon”, 10, Application.CurrentProject.Path & “\Your.ico”) ‘ Set the application icon.
CurrentDb.Properties(“UseAppIconForFrmRpt”) = True ‘ Use the application icon for forms and reports.
Call SetProp(“DisplayForm”, 10, “YourFormName”) ‘ Set a startup display form.
Application.RefreshTitleBar ‘ Refresh the title bar to display any title or icon changes.
‘ Application.SetOption “WebDisplayForm”, “YourWebFormName” – Manual Only
Application.SetOption “Show Status Bar”, True ‘ Show the status bar at the bottom of the Access window.
CurrentDb.Properties(“useMDIMode”) = 1 ‘ Set to 1 for tabbed documents, 0 for overlapping windows.
CurrentDb.Properties(“AllowSpecialKeys”) = True ‘ Allow special keys like F11 (to show Navigation Pane).
Application.SetOption “Auto Compact”, False ‘ Disable compacting the database on close.
Application.SetOption “Remove Personal Information”, False ‘ Disable removing personal information from the database.
Application.SetOption “Themed Form Controls”, True ‘ Use Windows-themed controls on forms.
Application.SetOption “DesignWithData”, True ‘ Enable design with data view (Layout view).
CurrentDb.Properties(“AllowDatasheetSchema”) = True ‘ Allow datasheet schema (default True).
Application.SetOption “CheckTruncatedNumFields”, True ‘ Enable checking for truncated number fields.
Application.SetOption “Picture Property Storage Format”, 0 ‘ Preserve source image format for smaller file sizes.
‘ Convert all picture data to bitmaps (Compatible with Access 2003 and earlier) – Manual Only
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Current Database Tab – Navigation
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
DoCmd.NavigateTo “acNavigationCategoryObjectType” ‘ Navigate to the “Object Type” category in the Navigation Pane.
‘DoCmd.RunCommand acCmdWindowHide ‘ Uncomment to hide the Navigation Pane.
‘DoCmd.SelectObject acTable, , True ‘ Uncomment to display the Navigation Pane.
Application.SetOption “Show Hidden Objects”, True ‘ Hide hidden objects in the Navigation Pane.
Application.SetOption “Show System Objects”, True ‘ Hide system objects in the Navigation Pane.
‘ Application.SetOption “Show Navigation Pane Search Bar”, True – Manual Only
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Current Database Tab – Ribbon and Toolbar Options
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Call SetProp(“CustomRibbonID”, 10, “Rbn_Blank”) ‘ Set a custom Ribbon.
‘CurrentDb.Properties(“StartupShortcutMenuBar”) = “YourMenuBarName” ‘ Uncomment to set a custom shortcut menu bar.
CurrentDb.Properties(“AllowFullMenus”) = True ‘ Enable full menus in the application.
CurrentDb.Properties(“AllowShortcutMenus”) = True ‘ Enable right-click shortcut menus.
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Current Database Tab – Name AutoCorrect Options
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Track Name AutoCorrect Info”, True ‘ Enable name AutoCorrect tracking.
Application.SetOption “Perform Name AutoCorrect”, True ‘ Enable name AutoCorrect performance.
Application.SetOption “Log Name AutoCorrect Changes”, False ‘ Disable logging name AutoCorrect changes.
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Current Database Tab – Filter lookup options for New Microsoft Access Database
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Show Values in Indexed”, True ‘ Show lookup values in indexed fields.
Application.SetOption “Show Values in Non-Indexed”, True ‘ Show lookup values in non-indexed fields.
Application.SetOption “Show Values in Remote”, True ‘ Show lookup values in remote fields.
Application.SetOption “Show Values Limit”, 1000 ‘ Set the limit for lookup values to 1000.
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Current Database Tab – Caching Web Service and SharePoint tables
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Use the cache format compatible with Access 2010 and later – Manual Only
‘ Clear cache on close – Manual Only
‘ Never cache – Manual Only
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Current Database Tab – Data Type Support Options
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Support Large Number (BigInt) Data Type for ODBC Linked/Imported Tables – Manual Only
‘ Support Date Time Extended (DateTime2) Data Type for ODBC Linked/Imported Tables – Manual Only
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Datasheet – Gridlines and cell effects
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Default Gridlines Horizontal”, True ‘ Enable horizontal gridlines in datasheets.
Application.SetOption “Default Gridlines Vertical”, True ‘ Enable vertical gridlines in datasheets.
Application.SetOption “Default Cell Effect”, 1 ‘ Set cell effect to raised (1).
Application.SetOption “Default Column Width”, 10 ‘ Set default column width to 10cm.
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Datasheet – Default Font
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Default Font Size”, 10 ‘ Set default font size to 10.
‘Application.SetOption “Default Font Weight”, 400 – Manual Only
Application.SetOption “Default Font Underline”, False ‘ Disable underlined font.
Application.SetOption “Default Font Italic”, False ‘ Disable italic font.
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Object Designers – Table design view
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Default Field Type”, 2 ‘ Set default field type to Long Text (2).
Application.SetOption “Default Text Field Size”, 255 ‘ Set default text field size to 255 characters.
Application.SetOption “Default Number Field Size”, 5 ‘ Set default number field size to Long Integer (5).
Application.SetOption “AutoIndex on Import/Create”, “ID” ‘ Set the default AutoIndex pattern to “ID”.
Application.SetOption “Show Property Update Options Buttons”, True ‘ Show property update option buttons.
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Object Designers – Query design
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Show Table Names”, True ‘ Show table names in the query design view.
Application.SetOption “Output All Fields”, False ‘ Disable outputting all fields in queries by default.
Application.SetOption “Enable AutoJoin”, True ‘ Enable automatic joins in queries.
‘ Query design font – Manual Only
‘ Font Size – Manual Only
Application.SetOption “ANSI Query Mode”, 1 ‘ Enable ANSI Query Mode (1).
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Object Designers – Form/Report design View
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Selection Behavior”, 0 ‘ Set selection behavior to partially enclosed (0).
Application.SetOption “Form Template”, “FormTemplate” ‘ Set the default form template to “FormTemplate”.
Application.SetOption “Report Template”, “ReportTemplate” ‘ Set the default report template to “ReportTemplate”.
Application.SetOption “Always Use Event Procedures”, False ‘ Do not always use event procedures in forms.
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Object Designers – Error checking in form and report design view
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Enable Error Checking”, False ‘ Disable error checking in form/report design view.
Application.SetOption “Unassociated Label and Control Error Checking”, False ‘ Disable error checking for unassociated labels and controls.
Application.SetOption “New Unassociated Labels Error Checking”, False ‘ Disable error checking for new unassociated labels.
Application.SetOption “Keyboard Shortcut Errors Error Checking”, False ‘ Disable error checking for keyboard shortcut errors.
Application.SetOption “Invalid Control Properties Error Checking”, False ‘ Disable error checking for invalid control properties.
‘Application.SetOption “Report Errors Error Checking”, False – Manual Only
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Proofing – AutoCorrect Options – Manual Only
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Proofing – When correcting spelling in Microsoft Office programs
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Spelling Ignore Words In UPPERCASE”, True ‘ Ignore words in uppercase during spell check.
Application.SetOption “Spelling ignore words with number”, True ‘ Ignore words containing numbers during spell check.
Application.SetOption “Spelling Ignore Internet and File Addresses”, True ‘ Ignore internet and file addresses during spell check.
‘Application.SetOption “Spelling Flag Repeated Words”, True – Manual Only
‘Application.SetOption “Spelling Enforce Accented Uppercase in French”, True – Manual Only
Application.SetOption “Spelling Suggest From Main Dictionary Only”, True ‘ Suggest words from the main dictionary only.
‘Application.SetOption “Spelling French Modes”, 0 – Manual Only
Application.SetOption “Spelling Spanish Modes”, 0 ‘ Set Spanish proofing mode to Spain (0 = Spain, 1 = Mexico).
Application.SetOption “Spelling dictionary language”, 1033 ‘ Set spelling dictionary language to English US (1033).
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Client Settings – Editing
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Move After Enter”, 1 ‘ Move to the next field after pressing Enter.
Application.SetOption “Behavior Entering Field”, 0 ‘ Select the entire field when entering it.
Application.SetOption “Arrow Key Behavior”, 0 ‘ Move to the next field using arrow keys.
‘ Continues Form Record Navigation Keys None, Up/Down, Left/Right – Manual Only
Application.SetOption “Cursor Stops at First/Last Field”, False ‘ Do not stop cursor at the first/last field in a record.
Application.SetOption “Default Find/Replace Behavior”, 1 ‘ Set default Find/Replace behavior to General Search (1).
Application.SetOption “Confirm Record Changes”, False ‘ Do not prompt for confirmation of record changes.
Application.SetOption “Confirm Document Deletions”, False ‘ Do not prompt for confirmation of document deletions.
Application.SetOption “Confirm Action Queries”, False ‘ Do not prompt for confirmation of action queries.
‘ Linked/Read-Only Tables – Manual Only
Application.SetOption “Default Direction”, 1 ‘ Set the default text direction to right-to-left (1).
Application.SetOption “General Alignment”, 0 ‘ Set the general alignment mode to interface mode (0).
Application.SetOption “Cursor movement”, 0 ‘ Set cursor movement to logical (0).
Application.SetOption “Use Hijri Calendar”, False ‘ Disable the use of the Hijri calendar.
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Client Settings – Display
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Size of MRU File List”, 0 ‘ Set the number of recent databases to 0.
‘Application.SetOption “Number of Recent Files Quick Access”, 4 – Manual Only
‘Application.SetOption “Number of Unpinned Recent Folders”, 50 – Manual Only
‘Application.SetOption “Show Backstage When Opening or Saving with Keyboard Shortcuts”, False – Manual Only
Application.SetOption “Show Status Bar”, True ‘ Show the status bar.
Application.SetOption “Show Animations”, True ‘ Enable animations in the user interface.
‘Application.SetOption “Show Action Tags on Datasheets”, True – Manual Only
‘Application.SetOption “Show Action Tags on Forms and Reports”, True – Manual Only
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Client Settings – Printing
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Left Margin”, 0.635 ‘ Set the left margin for printing to 0.635 cm.
Application.SetOption “Right Margin”, 0.635 ‘ Set the right margin for printing to 0.635 cm.
Application.SetOption “Top Margin”, 0.635 ‘ Set the top margin for printing to 0.635 cm.
Application.SetOption “Bottom Margin”, 0.635 ‘ Set the bottom margin for printing to 0.635 cm.
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Client Settings – General
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘Application.SetOption “Show Add-In User Interface Errors”, False – Manual Only
Application.SetOption “Provide Feedback with Sound”, False ‘ Disable sound feedback.
Application.SetOption “Four-Digit Year Formatting”, False ‘ Disable four-digit year formatting (use two-digit years).
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
‘ Access General Options – Client Settings – Advanced
‘==========================================================================================================================================================================’
Application.SetOption “Open Last Used Database When Access Starts”, False ‘ Disable opening the last used database on startup (uncomment if needed).
Application.SetOption “Default Open Mode for Databases”, 0 ‘ Set default open mode for databases to Shared (0).
Application.SetOption “Default Record Locking”, 0 ‘ Set default record locking to No Locks (0).
Application.SetOption “Use Row Level Locking”, True ‘ Enable row-level locking in the database.
Application.SetOption “OLE/DDE Timeout (sec)”, 60 ‘ Set OLE/DDE timeout to 60 seconds.
Application.SetOption “Refresh Interval (sec)”, 60 ‘ Set refresh interval for linked tables to 60 seconds.
Application.SetOption “Number of Update Retries”, 10 ‘ Set number of update retries to 10.
Application.SetOption “ODBC Refresh Interval (sec)”, 1500 ‘ Set ODBC refresh interval to 1500 seconds.
Application.SetOption “Update Retry Interval (msec)”, 250 ‘ Set update retry interval to 250 milliseconds.
Application.SetOption “Ignore DDE Requests”, False ‘ DDE operations, Ignore DDE requests
Application.SetOption “Enable DDE Refresh”, True ‘ Enable DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange) refresh.
Application.SetOption “Command-Line Arguments”, “Commands” ‘ Command-line arguments
‘ Set the Encryption Method – Manual Only
‘ Client Settings – Default Theme – Manual Only
MsgBox “All startup options have been set.”, vbInformation ‘ Show a message box to notify that all startup options have been set.
End Function
1. Daniel Pineault Post authorMay 5, 2025 at 4:25 pm
  Nice script. I great example for others to explore and learn from.
  
  That said, I typically avoid changing client settings (there are a few minor exceptions). Database settings are one thing, but client settings are a whole other matter.
  
  I also don’t recommend things like:
```
Application.SetOption "Confirm Action Queries", False
```
  You don’t need to do this globally, but if you do have such a need, IMHO you are better off controlling this at the procedure level.
  
  I’m curious if you reverse any of these changes when you close your db? If so, that implies you store the setting values at startup?
  
  Also, when I use such scripts I have a developer version of the script that I can run (or that recognizes my user or PC) to unlock, remove restrictions for development purposes.
Christos K May 7, 2025 at 6:21 am

Hi Daniel,

I created this solely to explore the modifications I can make using VBA within the Access options. These settings are not always necessary for my applications, but if I make any changes during the application’s startup, I revert them to their original state when I close it.
1. Daniel Pineault Post authorMay 7, 2025 at 5:05 pm
  
  That makes more sense and thank you once again for sharing it really does cover a great many of the available properties and is a great example for others to learn from!