Getting Ready for the Backup

Protecting the integrity of information stored in a database is one of the most important responsibilities of a database administrator. One task associated with this responsibility is performing regular database backups.

In this tutorial, we'll walk through the process of backing up your Access 2010 database using the software's built-in backup functionality.

The first step is to determine the database you wish to backup.

Note: These instructions apply to Microsoft Access 2010. If you are using a different version of Access, you may wish to read Backing up an Access 2007 Database or Backing up an Access 2013 Database.

Open the Database

Start Microsoft Access 2010 and open the database that you would like to backup.

Close all database objects

Close any open database objects, such as tables and reports. When you complete this operation, your Access window should look like the one below. The only item you should see is the Object Browser.

Select "Save Database As"

From the File menu, choose the "Save Database As" option. You will see the window shown below.

In the Advanced section of this window, select Back Up Database and click the Save As button.

Give your backup file a name and location. You can use the File Browser window shown below to navigate to any location on your system. The default filename simply appends the current date to the name of the database.

Click the Save Button and you're done!