Importing Filemaker Pro data into Access

Question

Importing Filemaker Pro data into Access

Michael Bradbury 0

How can I import the data from a Filemaker Pro database into Microsoft Access using Office Pro 2024?

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2 answers

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Answer 1

Killian N 4,145 Independent Advisor

Hi Michael,

You can import data from FileMaker Pro into Microsoft Access 2024 by using an ODBC connection.

First, enable ODBC/JDBC sharing in FileMaker Pro and ensure that the account used for the connection has the appropriate ODBC/JDBC access privilege. You will also need to install the FileMaker ODBC client driver and create an ODBC Data Source Name (DSN) in Windows.

After configuring the connection, open Microsoft Access and follow these steps:

Go to External Data > New Data Source > From Other Sources > ODBC Database.
Select Import the source data into a new table in the current database.
Choose the FileMaker DSN.
Enter the required credentials and select the tables you want to import.

Please ensure that the ODBC driver matches the architecture of your Office installation. For example, 64-bit Access requires a 64-bit ODBC driver.

For detailed instructions, please refer to the following official documentation:

This is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products). Thoroughly research any product advertised on the site before you decide to download and install it.

If this is only a one-time migration, another option is to export the FileMaker data to CSV or Excel and then import the exported files through the External Data tab in Access. Please note that FileMaker-specific objects, such as scripts, layouts, calculations, and relationships, may need to be recreated manually in Access.

I hope the information I shared was somewhat helpful. If you have any further questions or updates, please don’t hesitate to share. I’m always happy to assist further if needed.

Killian N 4,145 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-18T15:18:55.1566667+00:00

Hi Michael

Have you had a chance to review the information provided? Any updates would be greatly appreciated.
Michael Bradbury 0 Reputation points

2026-09-18T18:00:35.6933333+00:00

It would help someone in a different situation. Mine is a dead computer with an old version of FileMaker on a dead disk wand a backup of the data file. I plan to convert that to an Access database and will probably have to use another method to convert the file. Without FileMaker software running, the ODBC solution is not going to work. Can't do an export either, but I have a line on another approach that should work.
Killian N 4,145 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-09-19T15:27:07.4633333+00:00

Hi Michael,

Thank you for clarifying. You are correct that the ODBC and export methods require access to a working FileMaker environment, so they would not apply in your case.

I’m glad you have found another potential approach. If it works and you are comfortable sharing the details, please feel free to post the method here, as it may benefit others with a similar issue.

Regards,

Answer 2

George Hepworth 23,120 Volunteer Moderator

Apparently you only have a file with data in it on a backup disk.

At this point, and this is perhaps a long shot, you might ask an AI agent for help. Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, CoPilot and others can write python scripts to run via PowerShell. That is conceivably a way to get at the data in the FileMaker file. That's not a guarantee, but a suggestion to try.

Another option is to look for free 3rd party tools that might open the FM data file and export the data to csv.

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