Access Isn't Using Default database folder

[JamesJoey]

For some reason now, when I backup or create an .mde, Access is not using Default database folder, and I must browse to the folder.
The in Access options the folder is correct in the Default database folder but when I click Browse it it brinks up <username>Desktop.

Any ideas,
James

 

[Pat Hartman]

Any ideas,

We all need to write to MS to remind them that change for the sake of change is not what we want from them.

 

[JamesJoey]

We all need to write to MS to remind them that change for the sake of change is not what we want from them.

Huh?

 

[Pat Hartman]

Sorry, didn't mean to be obtuse. I've also noticed this "change" and the only way to fix it is to convince MS to fix it.

 

[JamesJoey]

So, this is occurring because of a change ms has done?

 

[Pat Hartman]

So, this is occurring because of a change ms has done?

If it happens to me also, that would be my assumption. When I try to make an .accde, the dialog opens to a previous location (not necessarily the most recent) which I imported or exported data to rather than to the default folder specified for Access. Does that explain what you are seeing? I don't know how Access is picking the starting location but it doesn't seem to make sense. I originally thought it would be the last location but I just tested by exporting to a new location and the to location didn't change. It could be Windows picking the location.

When you open a file dialog from Access, you can specify the starting location and I always assumed that was what Access was doing because it's been decades since every application built their own file dialog. Now, all Windows apps just use the Windows file dialog which takes arguments so you can specify a starting location and file types you want to display.

 

[DickyP]

I just assumed it opened at user documents folder as that's what mine does.

 

[Isaac]

It behaves correctly for me, but I'm using Access 2019, not sure what everyone else is using, version probably matters.

 

[Pat Hartman]

I just assumed it opened at user documents folder as that's what mine does.

Each Office app has the ability to specify a default location. That location used to be used whenever you opened a file dialog from Access. Somebody changed that either deliberately or accidentally.

When you installed Office the default was probably set to the documents folder. Change it to something else to see if you have the same issue.

 

[JamesJoey]

This was working fine before.
I set the default database folder for a long time now.
Even when I click Browse next to the default database folder it opens to "usernane" \desktop.

 

[Pat Hartman]

This was working fine before.

What version of Access are you using? If it is O365, MS is constantly pushing out updates. For perpetual versions, you still get certain types of updates. If this change was an accident, then it could easily have been caused by some security "fix".

I just did a little more looking. I opened up 4 databases. Each one opened to the folder where the FE is located. So opening dbA from folderA sets the start at folderA but opening dbA from folderB shows folderB as the startup

 

[JamesJoey]

Microsoft® Access® 2019 MSO (Version 2407 Build 16.0.17830.20056) 64-bit

 

[The_Doc_Man]

OK, when I open any of my databases (that were originally created by browsing to a convenient place, then right-clicking in the Windows Explorer window, then clicking NEW >> DATABASE) and look at the File >> Options >> General database default location, all of them are pointing to folder Users\<myname>\Documents - which makes perfect sense to me. That is the default path for anything you do that opens a general file in ANY file-oriented utility when operating under your username.

However, it is different if I go to my Desktop shortcut and launch Access that way. From the "Access is open but no file is open yet" panel, if I click Open followed by Browse, it comes up looking in ThisPC\Documents - which I believe is based on an installation default. If I right-click on the Access desktop icon, I can click on "Open File Location" - which is ThisPC\...\Office16.

When I originally installed this package (Office 2021/32-bit), it wanted to know if this was a private or shared install and (I guess out of habit) I listed this non-game software as Shared. "ThisPC" (considered as a folder) is a SYSTEM pseudo-folder. I say "pseudo-folder" because you can't right-click it to open the "Properties" panel. It is like what UNIX calls a "mount point" for a virtual device "point of reference."

This makes me wonder if that default location depends on whether you were running as yourself or as SYSTEM at the time. Which may in turn depend on how you installed Access at the time. Not only "How" but "Where" or "As Whom."

 

[Josef P.]

It looks like accde creation will now proceed as follows (symbolic):
AccessApplication.SysCmd 603, (FullPathOfAccdb), (FileNameOnlyOfAccde)
instead of
AccessApplication.SysCmd 603, (FullPathOfAccdb), (replace(FullPathOfAccdb, ".accdb", ".accde"))

 

[Isaac]

This was working fine before.
I set the default database folder for a long time now.
Even when I click Browse next to the default database folder it opens to "usernane" \desktop.

have you changed computers recently?

 

[JWF-CDA]

I believe the new default is one-drive/documents. Seems like Microsoft wants things always going to the cloud. Must say its rather irritating.
Using MS365 version.

Did a test with word. Default was one-drive/documents. Changed to a local folder under save options. Closed word and re-opened. Started a new document. Clicked save and and it first defaults to one drive. If you click save as, it still defaults to onedrive but if you then click browse it goes to the folder you have defined under your options. So MS is definitely going out of its way to save it to the cloud and then you have to override.

In Access when you save (say an ACCDE) it just says Documents. It doesn't even tell you that it is One-drive and if you have more than one account (like personal and business) it will be where ever you are logged to. So at first you have to go through various document folders to figure this out. It should at least say which documents folder it is in.

 

[Pat Hartman]

If we all stood together, we might be able to get MS to fix stuff like this. Hundreds of people will see this in the next couple of days. If every one then opened Access and added a complaint that the default folder specified by the user is no longer being used, someone at MS might just take notice.

 

[Pat Hartman]

Sorry, MS no longer wants to hear from us. They removed the "tell us" option from the backstage. I'll tell the MVP group.

 

[isladogs]

Sorry, MS no longer wants to hear from us. They removed the "tell us" option from the backstage. I'll tell the MVP group.

You're not looking in the right place. Click the Help | Feedback on the ribbon

 

[JWF-CDA]

You're not looking in the right place. Click the Help | Feedback on the ribbon

View attachment 115573

This is another odd thing that MS does. When you open access you would think the feedback button would always be on the ribbon when you are looking at the database. The feedback icon appears once you click "File". This kind of inconsistency only confuses the user. Initially I thought they could have at least put an option under the account in the main ribbon. These things seem to just change and you have to figure out what's going on. I think the above should be on the Account page at a minimum otherwise you might scratch your head for a long time leaving groves wondering ... Are they just trying to challenge me here?