Resolve Microsoft Access Can’t Save Design Changes in Minutes

As we all know, Microsoft Access is a powerful database management tool, widely used by businesses & individuals for its versatility and ease of use. But sometimes while handling the database you may experience Microsoft Access can’t save design changes. This issue can disrupt workflows and cause significant hindrances, especially when serious updates are involved. Fortunately, you can easily solve this problem by applying the solutions discussed in this blog.

So, let’s delve deep into this post!

What Issues Occur At The Time Of Saving Access Database And How To Fix It?

Issue 1: Microsoft Access Can’t Save Design Changes

MS Access application won’t allow you to save an offline copy of a design, unlike desktop databases. If you get disconnected to the server connection at the time of designing the access application, you won’t notify until try to save your work. At which point you will get an error.

In order to save changes click to the OK option and leave Access open while trying to attempt to restore the connection.  Once your connection is restored save your changes.

Note: if in the case won’t be able to restore your connection without closing Access, then you will lose all the design changes that you have done since the last time you saved.

Symptoms

This issue commonly encountered at the time of customizing a toolbar or when you try to open a Microsoft Office Access 2003-specific object like form, report, macro, and module.  This shows the following error messages to your computer screen.

You do not have exclusive access to the database at this time. If you proceed to make changes, you may not be able to save them later.

If you are trying to save design changes that you have made to an Access 2003 database form, module, macro, report. Then it will show the following error message:

Microsoft Office Access can’t save design changes or save to a new database object because another user has the file open. To save your design changes or to save to a new object, you must have exclusive access to the file.

While trying to save new data access page, you will get the following error message:

A link to this data access page could not be created because the database cannot be exclusively locked. 

To create the link later, open the page by selecting ‘Edit web page that already exists’, and then save.

Remember:

You can’t create or modify data access pages in Microsoft Office Access 2007.

Cause

The main causes behind the occurrence of this Access Won’t Save Design Changes issue are:

• Open a form, report, macro, module, or command bar in the design view.
• Try saving the design changes to the object type.
• when trying to save design changes to new page links and other users accessing the same database that you are using.

Also Read: Microsoft Access Can’t Save The Output Data to The File You’ve Selected

How To Fix Access Can’t Save Design Changes?

In order to save design changes to object type in your respective Access Database must have an exclusive lock on the database.  If multiple users are designing on the same database then you must implement source code control by using the Microsoft Visual SourceSafe Add-In for Access 2003.

Apart from that, you can distribute local working copies of the database to each user.

Issue 2: Access Form Or Report Does Not Display All Of The Data

Symptoms

This problem of Access form or report does not display all data that occurs at the time of the creation of an Access form or report. And also when you apply a filter before saving it for the first time after then save it while the filter is still in effect, the filter can’t be turned off. A form or report will always show a filtered view of the underlying table or query.

Cause

It’s a new feature designed to easily create permanently filtered forms and reports. Microsoft Office Access 2007 accomplishes this by incorporating a filter into the object’s design if that filter is in effect when the object is first if that filter is in effect when the object is first saved.

How To Fix Access Form Or Report Does Not Display Issue?

If you don’t need a filter that applied to a newly-created form or report to get permanent then you need to remove the filter before saving the object for the first time.

But if in case you have created a form or report and saving it for the first time mainly when it is in a filtered state. Later on, you have decided that you don’t want the filter to be permanent, you can edit the object’s Record Source property just by following the below-mentioned steps.

Remove A Permanent Filter From A Form Or Report

1. From the navigation pane, right-click the form or report.
2. After clicking on the shortcut menu click to the Design View. This will open the object in Design View.
3. If the property sheet is not appearing then press F4 to display it.
4. Tap to the object’s Record Source property box, after then click to the. This will open the Query Designer, with the Object’s Recordset Query displayed.
5. For the filtered fields and criteria check in the query design grid. In the following figure, there is one filtered field, Company Name, and a single criterion, Contoso, Ltd.
6. The select column that contains a filtered field just by tapping the gray bar which is present just above the Field row in the query design grid.
7. After that hit the DELETE option to remove the filtered field and its criterion.
8. For each filtered field that you want to remove from the object’s design, you need to repeat steps 5 and 6.
9. Close the query designer when you are prompted to save the changes made to the SQL statement and update the property.
10. At last click to the Yes option.

Now you have removed the permanent filter from your form or report.

Note: 

If you remove the permanent filter from a form or report following the above steps then it doesn’t preclude you from using the same Access filter on this object again in the future. It only removes it from the object’s design so that you can view all the records contained in the table or query by default.

How to Recover Unsaved MS Access Data?

Sometimes the issue of not saving also arises when your Access database file already been corrupted. So in that case you need to use reliable third-party repair tools like Access Database Recovery And Recovery Tool.

* By clicking the Download button above and installing Stellar Repair for Access (14.8 MB), I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the End User License Agreement and Privacy Policy of this site.

It’s the perfect software to fix this Access form not showing data issues as it helps you to repair and recover any damaged, corrupted, or inaccessible database. With the help of this tool, you can easily fix any kind of MS Access error.

This tool not only fixes errors but also fixes the .mdb or .acccdb files and recovers the data from your corrupted MS Access database.  You can also restore the indexes, tables, queries, and relations by using this tool.

Also Read: Fix “Microsoft Access Cannot Save The Digital Signature At This Time” Error

Related FAQs:

Why Can’t I Save In Access?

You might be unable to save because Access cannot obtain an exclusive lock.

How Do I Enable Design Mode in Access?

To enable design mode in Access, you have to navigate to the Home tab of the Ribbon, then click on the View command >> Design View from a drop-down menu that appears.

Can Access Save The Table Automatically After Saving It Once?

Yes. MS Access saves the table automatically after saving it once.

How Do I Save Changes to A Table in Access?

You can save changes to a table in MS Access by going to the Home tab, under the Records group, clicking on Save, or pressing Shift+Enter keys together.

Final Thoughts

Microsoft Access can’t save design changes or Microsoft Access cannot save the form or report issues can be a significant hindrance. However, with the appropriate approach outlined in this blog, it can be resolved quickly.

Even after trying these techniques, if the issue persists, consider reaching out to Microsoft Support for further assistance.

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.