Quick Solutions for MS Access Date Picker Not Showing – Act Now!

Microsoft Access offers an excellent feature to their users, which is known as a date picker. It helps to facilitate easy date selection within forms & reports. However, users sometimes encounter the frustrating issue where the MS Access date picker not showing when trying to input or modify dates in database forms or reports. In this blog, I will mention the common causes of this problem and provide quick solutions to fix it.

Also, you will learn how to insert date picker in Access forms and reports.

What Is Date Picker Control In MS Access?

In Access, the Date Picker is one such tool using which users can easily put the date in the Microsoft Office InfoPath form just by tapping a little pop-up calendar.

Here are the following circumstances under which the need for Access Date Picker control seems essential. Or you can say when to use date picker in Access.

• It helps the user to input dates on the form as per their choice. Like the starting and ending date of a particular project.
• For showing the current date and time on the form by using the Now and Today function of the date picker.
• To show dates from the external data source like shipping and billing date from the database of customer orders.
• Date picker in Access can also be used to collect the date of birth from customers on the insurance form.

In the following figure, the date picker is used on a Tour request form template for collecting the departure date of the flight.

It’s been too easy to customize the date picker as per your needs. The only thing you need to do is just make a double-tap on the date picker control present on the form template. After that, make changes in its properties.

Why Is My Microsoft Date Picker Not Showing?

MS Access date picker not working issue can disturb the user’s ability to interact with date fields conveniently. It happens due to various reasons, including:

1. System-wide settings
2. Access configuration issues
3. Hardware or software conflicts
4. Running an outdated version of Access software or components.

How to Fix MS Access Date Picker Not Showing?

After identifying the major factors, it’s time to follow the step-by-step methods to deal with this situation.

Method 1- Check System Date Settings

Since the issue is related to date, it is vital to first ensure that the system date & time settings are accurately configured. Improper date settings can occasionally affect the functionality of the date picker control feature.

Also Read: Fix Microsoft Access Not Showing Tabs/Missing Tabs Issue

Method 2- Remove Input Mask Property

In most cases, it is found that removing the Input Mask Property from the date picker has fixed the date picker not showing in Access form issue.

So try it….!

If you are creating a database in MS Access latest versions like 2007/2020/2013/2016/2019 then the text control that is bound to the data type field of “Date” will automatically start showing the date picker either with or without the input mask.

Even the Unbounded text field also shows the date picker if you have set the “Format” property to some valid date format. And set the “Show Date Picker” property to “For dates”.

This works only when the Input Mask property is not assigned and left blank.

If you assign an input mask over the unbound text field, then this will stop the working of date picker immediately.  Check out the shown example for a clear idea.

This happens also when someone uses Microsoft Input Mask Wizard to set up the input masks.

Method 3- Update MS Access to Fix MS Access Date Picker Not Showing Issue

As already said, using an outdated software version contains bugs & compatibility issues that may lead to the Access show date picker not working. To overcome this situation, consider updating your Access software by following the below steps:

• Open Access.
• Navigate to the “File” menu >> Account option.
• Now, click on “Update Options” or “Office Updates.”
• Tap on “Update Now” to check & install the available updates.

Method 4- Verify Access Settings

Another crucial step that you can take to solve this hiccup is to confirm that Microsoft Access is configured to show the date picker control. All you need to do is to check the form or report properties to make sure that the date picker feature is turned ON and properly linked to a desired date field.

How to Insert Date Picker In Access?

Well, this section on how to insert date picker in Access is not only for those who haven’t used the date picker control.

Methods Of Inserting The Date Picker in Access

The method of inserting the date picker depends on:

• Whether you are inserting it on the fresh blank form template.
• Or you are inserting the date picker on the form template which is based on the existing data source.

The following figure is to show you what the date picker control in Access looks like in the design mode.

Way 1: Insert The Date Picker On Blank Form Template

When a user designs a new blank form template, the “Automatically create data source” checkbox is selected by default in the Controls task pane.

This allows InfoPath to make groups and fields in the data source automatically when you add controls on the form template.

You will see, these groups and fields appear with an icon of folder and files in the task pane of the data source.

1. Go to your form template and put your cursor where you are willing to put the date picker control.
2. If in case, Controls task pane won’t appear then tap on the More Controls present within Insert
3. Now within the Insert controls, tap on the Date Picker option.
4. For adding a label on the control. Just type text either on the left side or on the upper side of the control, after putting the colon (:) sign.
5. For specifying the way, a date is shown on the Access form. You need to double-tap date picker which is inserted with the Access form template.
6. Tap to the Data tab and after that hit the Format option.
7. In the dialog box of Date Format, tap to the Display the date like this Through this way you are choosing the format in which you want to display your dates.

Way 2: Inserting Date Picker On The Form Template Based On The Existing Data Source

If you designing your form template on the XML file, web service, database. Then InfoPath derives groups and fields present in the task pane of data source from Existing Data Source.

In that case, you can insert a date picker either in two ways:

• Firstly by simply dragging the date picker control from the task pane of Data Source, on the Access form template.
• Or secondly by using the Controls task pane

Let’s learn how to insert a date picker control by making use of Controls task pane.

1. Go to your form template and put your cursor where you are willing to put the date picker control.
2. If in case, Controls task pane won’t appear then tap on the More Controls present within Insert
3. Now within the Insert controls, tap on the Date Picker option.
4. In the dialog box of Date Picker Binding, make a selection for the fields within which you will store your data of date picker. After then tap to the OK
5. InfoPath makes use of group and field names like a control’s label. If you want to change it then change it through the label text.
6. Specify the style in which your data will be displayed on the form. For this just make double click on the date picker present on the access form template.
7. Now go to the Data tab and click the Format option.
8. From the opened dialog box of date, format tap to the Display the dates like this list box, to choose the display format of your date.

Also Read: Fix Access Forms And Reports Not Showing Image Issue

Frequently Asked Questions:

Which Input Type Date Is Used to Insert Picker?

Textbox input or a special date picker interface is used to insert picker.

How Do I Enable Date Picker in Access?</strong>

To enable the data picker in Access, you have to:

• Open a desired Form in the Design View.
• Then, press F4 to open a Property Sheet.
• Choose the wanted date field from a dropdown list of Selection Type.
• Now, go to the Format tab on a Property Sheet.
• Under Show Date Picker field, you have to choose For dates.

What Should I Do If the Date Picker Remains Unresponsive?

If the date picker remains unresponsive, you should try adjusting the ActiveX controls or repairing the MS Access installation.

How Do I Automatically Show Current Date in Access?

You can use the Now function or Date function to have Access automatically fill in the date or time when a new record is added.

Are There Any Precautionary Measures to Avoid This Issue in The Future?

Yes, by regularly updating the MS Access & avoiding installing any conflicting software, you can minimize the likelihood of encountering date picker problems.

Wrapping Up

The <strong>date picker not showing in Access form or report can be a frustrating obstacle when you try to manage date-related data within your database. However, by applying the tricks specified in this blog, you can effectively fix this problem and maintain optimum functionality within Microsoft Access.

I hope you enjoyed reading this post!

Still having issues? Fix them with this Access repair tool:

This software repairs & restores all ACCDB/MDB objects including tables, reports, queries, records, forms, and indexes along with modules, macros, and other stuffs effectively.

1. Download Stellar Repair for Access rated Great on Cnet (download starts on this page).
2. Click Browse and Search option to locate corrupt Access database.
3. Click Repair button to repair & preview the database objects.

Pearson Willey

Pearson Willey is a website content writer and long-form content planner. Besides this, he is also an avid reader. Thus he knows very well how to write an engaging content for readers. Writing is like a growing edge for him. He loves exploring his knowledge on MS Access & sharing tech blogs.