Microsoft Access Database Engine Redistributable Downloads

I have an old Windows app where I used WPF for the UI and Microsoft Access as the database. The app worked fine on my development machine, but that’s because I had Microsoft Office installed, especially Microsoft Access.

However, when I deployed it to my client’s machine, it wouldn’t run.

I encountered an error message similar to this:

A problem was encountered while trying to log into or create the production database.
Details: [Microsoft][ODBC Driver Manager] Data source name not found and no default driver specified

The source of the problem was obviously the missing Microsoft Access installation on the client’s machine. However, this particular machine was intended only to run the application, and the client didn’t want to pay for an additional Microsoft Office license just to use my app.

In that case, one of the solutions is to distribute the Microsoft Access Database Engine.

Another solution is to use Microsoft Access Runtime. It includes additional features and allows you to open .accdb and .mdb files without requiring the full Microsoft Access application.
But the installer is significantly larger than the standalone Access Database Engine Redistributable, making it less suitable for bundling or distributing with your application.

Microsoft Access Database Engine Download Links

This section contains all available versions of Microsoft Access Database Engine.

All download links point to genuine files only.

If the Microsoft-hosted version is no longer available, usually because the version is unsupported, I replaced it with an Archive.org link, which contains the exact same file.

Download Microsoft Access 365 (2019-2024) Database Engine Redistributable

As far as I know, there is no standalone or dedicated Microsoft Access Database Engine package for Microsoft Access 2019 or newer (including 2021, 2024, and Microsoft 365).

However, you can install the Access Database Engine by downloading and installing Microsoft 365 Access Runtime.

Download Microsoft Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable

• Jet version: ACE 16
• Based on Microsoft Access 2016

Alternatively, you can install it using the winget package manager:

winget install Microsoft.AccessDatabaseEngine2016

Download Microsoft Access Database Engine 2013 Redistributable

• Jet version: ACE 15
• Based on Microsoft Access 2013

I’ve searched for a standalone Access 2013 Database Engine installer but couldn’t find one.

For now, please use the Microsoft Access 2013 Runtime, which also includes the Access Database Engine.

Download Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable

• Jet version: ACE 14
• Based on Microsoft Access 2010

Unfortunately, Microsoft has already removed the download links for Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010. These were the original direct download links hosted by Microsoft:

• Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable (x64)

  https://download.microsoft.com/download/2/4/3/24375141-E08D-4803-AB0E-10F2E3A07AAA/AccessDatabaseEngine_X64.exe

• Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable (x86)

  https://download.microsoft.com/download/2/4/3/24375141-E08D-4803-AB0E-10F2E3A07AAA/AccessDatabaseEngine.exe

Fortunately, thanks to the amazing Wayback Machine from Internet Archive, you can still download the original Access 2010 Redistributable installers.

The links below are hosted by the Wayback Machine and mirror the original files from Microsoft’s servers.

Download 2007 Office System Driver

• Alternative name: Microsoft Access Database Engine 2007 Redistributable / 2007 Office System Driver: Data Connectivity Components
• Jet version: ACE 12
• Based on Microsoft Access 2007

Unfortunately, Microsoft has already removed the download links for Microsoft Access Database Engine 2007. This was the original direct download link hosted by Microsoft:

http://download.microsoft.com/download/f/d/8/fd8c20d8-e38a-48b6-8691-542403b91da1/AccessDatabaseEngine.exe

Fortunately, thanks to the amazing Wayback Machine from Internet Archive, you can still download the original Access 2007 Redistributable installer.

The link below is hosted by the Wayback Machine and mirrors the original file from Microsoft’s servers.

Microsoft Access Database Engine Install and Usage Instructions

How to install Microsoft Access Database Engine

Note: Before installing one of the Access Database Engine versions above, it’s recommended that you first remove any previously installed versions from your computer through Settings > Apps > Installed apps (or Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel).

1. Download the installer using one of the links above and save it to your computer.
2. Double-click the installer file (for example, AccessDatabaseEngine.exe) to start the setup process.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation. The process is very straightforward.

How to use Microsoft Access Database Engine

1. If you are an end user of an application, refer to the application’s documentation or contact the developer for instructions on how to use the appropriate driver.

2. If you are an application developer using OLEDB, set the Provider argument of the ConnectionString property to "Microsoft.ACE.OLEDB.12.0".

3. If you are connecting to Microsoft Excel data, add the appropriate Extended Properties value to the OLEDB connection string based on the Excel file type:

   File Type (extension)	Extended Properties
   Excel 97-2003 Workbook (.xls)	“Excel 8.0”
   Excel Workbook (.xlsx)	“Excel 12.0 Xml”
   Excel Macro-enabled Workbook (.xlsm)	“Excel 12.0 Macro”
   Excel Non-XML Binary Workbook (.xlsb)	“Excel 12.0”

4. If you are an application developer using ODBC to connect to Microsoft Access data, use the following connection string:

   "Driver={Microsoft Access Driver (*.mdb, *.accdb)};DBQ=path to mdb/accdb file"

5. If you are an application developer using ODBC to connect to Microsoft Excel data, use the following connection string:

   "Driver={Microsoft Excel Driver (*.xls, *.xlsx, *.xlsm, *.xlsb)};DBQ=path to xls/xlsx/xlsm/xlsb file"

How to uninstall Microsoft Access Database Engine 2007

To remove the installer file itself, simply delete AccessDatabaseEngine.exe.

1. Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
2. In the list of installed programs, select Microsoft Office Access Database Engine 2007, then click Remove.
3. Click Yes or OK to confirm the removal.

Final Thoughts

As usual, if you have any questions or know of a better method, leave a comment below.

Thanks for reading, and see you next time!

References

• Access Database Engine - Wikipedia
• Download Microsoft Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable from Official Microsoft Download Center
• Download Microsoft Access 2013 Runtime from Official Microsoft Download Center
• archive.org: Download Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable from Official Microsoft Download Center
• archive.org: Download 2007 Office System Driver: Data Connectivity Components from Official Microsoft Download Center

References

• Access Database Engine - Wikipedia
• Download Microsoft Access Database Engine 2016 Redistributable from Official Microsoft Download Center
• Download Microsoft Access 2013 Runtime from Official Microsoft Download Center
• archive.org: Download Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable from Official Microsoft Download Center
• archive.org: Download 2007 Office System Driver: Data Connectivity Components from Official Microsoft Download Center