Create a shortcut to open an Access file or database object

Microsoft Office Access 2003

The Favorites folder stores shortcuts to folders and files you use frequently, including those in remote locations, so that you don't have to search for the files each time. The original file or folder doesn't move when you create a shortcut to it.

  1. Click Open Button image on the toolbar.
  2. To create a shortcut to a folder, subfolder, Microsoft Access database, or Microsoft Access project that appears in the list under the Look in box, select the file or folder, click Tools, and then click Add to Favorites.

ShowCreate a shortcut to open an Access file or database object

You can create a shortcut to open a database object in a Microsoft Access file that is stored locally on your computer or remotely on a network file server or in a shared directory.

  1. Under Objects in the Database window, click the type of database object you want to create a shortcut for.
  2. Right-click the object, and then click Create Shortcut.
  3. If you want the shortcut to go to a location other than the desktop, type a new path in the Location box, or click Browse to choose the location and have Access fill in the path for you. For example, you might want to store the shortcut in the Favorites folder, which stores shortcuts to items you use frequently.

    If you're creating a shortcut for an object in a database that is on a network, Access selects This Database is on the Network, and fills in the network path in the Full Network Path box. If you move the database later, you can type in a new network path in this format:

    \\server\share\filename

    With the network path specified, you can, for example, send the shortcut through e-mail so that others with access to the network can use the shortcut, too.

  4. Click OK.

When you double-click the shortcut, Access opens the database in which the object is stored and displays the object. A shortcut to a macro or stored procedure runs that macro or stored procedure. To open the object in a specific view, right-click the shortcut, and then click the view you want.

Notes

  • If you move the database after you create the shortcut, delete the shortcut and create a new one.
  • To delete a shortcut, click it and then press the DELETE key. Deleting the shortcut does not delete the object that the shortcut opens.

Show Tip

You can also drag the object from the Database window to the desktop or to a folder. Make sure the place you want to drag the shortcut to is visible. (If you previously maximized the Access window, minimize it enough to show the desktop or the folder where you want to place the shortcut.)