This article is for people who use a screen reader program such as Windows Narrator, JAWS, or NVDA with Microsoft 365 products. This article is part of the Microsoft 365 screen reader support content set where you can find more accessibility information on our apps. For general help, visit Microsoft Support.
Use Access with your keyboard and a screen reader to add tables to an Access desktop database. We have tested it with Narrator and NVDA, but it might work with other screen readers as long as they follow common accessibility standards and techniques. You'll also learn how to save, rename, and delete tables.
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New Microsoft 365 features are released gradually to Microsoft 365 subscribers, so your app might not have these features yet. To learn how you can get new features faster, join the Office Insider program.
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To learn more about screen readers, go to How screen readers work with Microsoft 365.
In this topic
Tables in Access
Tables are essential objects in a database because they hold all the information or data. For example, a database for a business can have a Contacts table that stores the names of suppliers, email addresses, and phone numbers. Before you create tables, consider your requirements and determine all the tables that you might need. For help on planning and designing a database, refer to Database design basics.
A relational database, like Access, usually has several logically connected tables. In a well-designed database, each table stores data about a particular subject, such as employees or products. A table has records (rows), fields (columns), and field values (cells) for each record.
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A record (row) contains specific data, like information about a particular employee or a product.
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A field (column) contains data about one aspect of the table subject, such as a first name, email address, or price.
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A field value (cell) for a record contains different types of data, such as text, numbers, dates, and hyperlinks.
Although each table stores data about a specific subject, the tables in a relational database such as Access, store data about related subjects. For example, a database might contain the following:
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A Customers table that lists your company’s customers and their addresses
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A Products table that lists the products that you sell, including prices and pictures for each item
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An Orders table that tracks customer orders
To connect the data stored in different tables, you create relationships. A relationship is a logical connection between two tables that have a common field. For information on creating relationships between tables in an Access desktop database, refer to Create, edit or delete a relationship.
Add a table
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Open a new or existing database.
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To create a table, press Alt+C, T, N to select Table in the Create ribbon tab. A new table is added, and you hear: “Table N.” The focus is on the second field value of the first record. (The default name of the first field is ID.)
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Enter your data in the table. You can also paste the data from another source, like an Excel workbook. For more information, refer to Copy and paste using the Office Clipboard.
When you enter a field value in the new field and move to the next field value with the arrow keys, Access automatically names the field FieldN.
Rename a field header
You can rename a field (column) header in the table.
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To select the field, in any record, place the focus in the field, and then press Ctrl+Spacebar. The column is selected.
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To open the context menu, press Shift+F10.
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To select Rename Field, press N. The focus moves to the field header, and you hear “Leaving menus, datasheet, row N,” the name of the field, and “Type and text.” Enter a new name for the field.
: Meaningful header names, such as Product name or Price, help you know what each field contains without seeing its contents.
Insert a field
You can insert a field (column) to the left of any existing field in the table.
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To select the field you want to insert to the left of, on any row, place the focus in the field, and then press Ctrl+Spacebar. The column is selected.
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To open the context menu, press Shift+F10.
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To select Insert Field, press F four times, and then press Enter. The focus moves to the first record of the new field.
Add a field
You can create a new field (column) on the right side of the table.
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Move to the record around which you want to add a new field.
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To move to the first record of the table, press Ctrl+Home.
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To move to the last record of the last field in the table, press Ctrl+End.
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To create a new field on the right side of the table, press the Right arrow key until you hear the row number and "Column, click to add."
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Enter the field value for the current record. When you move to another cell, the new field is added with the default name FieldN.
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To move to the first record of the new field, press Ctrl+Up arrow key.
Save a table
After creating a new table or modifying an existing table, save your work.
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To save a table, press Ctrl+S or Alt+F, S. When you save a table for the first time, the Save as dialog box opens and you hear “Save as,” and the default name of the table.
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If you try to close a table without saving your changes, a confirmation dialog box appears. To save the table before closing it, press Alt+Y. To discard your changes, press Alt+N.
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When you save changes to an existing table, the table has the name your previously gave it. To rename the table when you save it, press F12. The Save as dialog box opens, and you can enter a new name.
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Type a name for the table, and then press Enter. When you save a table for the first time, give it a name that describes the data that it contains, for example, Customers, Parts Inventory, or Products.
: Decide on a naming convention for the objects in your database, and use it consistently.
Rename a table
: You cannot rename a table when it is open. To close the active table, press Ctrl+W. The focus moves to the next open table. If there are no open tables remaining, the focus moves to the Navigation pane.
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In the Navigation pane, press the Tab key until you hear "Tables," and then press the Down arrow key until you hear the table you want.
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To open the context menu for the table, press Shift+F10.
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To select Rename from the context menu, press M twice, and then press Enter. You hear: “Rename."
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Type the new name, and then press Enter.
Delete a table
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In the Datasheet view, close all tables. The focus shifts to the Navigation pane.
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Press the Down arrow key until you hear the table you want to delete.
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Press Delete. A window opens asking you to confirm the deletion. The focus is on the Yes button.
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To delete the table, press Enter.
: To switch to the Datasheet view from the Design view, press Alt+H, W, and then H. To switch to the Design view from the Datasheet view, press Alt+H, W, and then D.
See also
Use a screen reader to start Access
Use a screen reader to add or delete a column in Access desktop databases
Use a screen reader to bring Excel data to Access desktop databases
Use a screen reader to export an Access table to a text file
Set up your device to work with accessibility in Microsoft 365
Technical Support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
