MDB Decode


MDB Decode can open Microsoft Access MDB and ACCDB files in 1 click. You can export the Access file data by dragging the Access files to the MDB Decode icon, too.

Privacy Policy for MDB Decode

Effective: September 4, 2026

MDB Decode opens Microsoft Access .mdb and .accdb files, lets you browse their tables, and exports them to CSV or SQL. This policy explains — plainly — what that involves for your data.

In short

  • MDB Decode works entirely on your Mac. It has no servers, no account system, and no internet connection of its own.
  • It only ever opens files you explicitly choose, through the Open dialog or by dragging them onto the app.
  • It does not collect analytics, usage statistics, or crash data, and contains no advertising or tracking code.
  • Anything you export (CSV, SQL, SQLite) is written only to the location you pick — never uploaded anywhere.

Overview

MDB Decode is a native macOS utility for reading Microsoft Access database files and converting their tables to CSV or to SQL dialects for MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, Sybase, and SQLite. It is a local, offline tool: every part of that process — opening the database, reading its tables, writing the export — happens on your Mac using the open-source mdbtools library, without contacting any server.

Because the app doesn't collect personal data in the first place, most of what follows is a description of what MDB Decode deliberately does not do.

How the app accesses your files

MDB Decode runs inside Apple's App Sandbox, the same confinement every Mac App Store app operates under. In practice, this means the app cannot see any file on your Mac until you point it at one — there is no background scanning of your disk or your other documents.

The app can only read or write files that you've explicitly granted access to, in one of these ways:

  • Choosing a database file through the standard macOS Open dialog
  • Dragging a .mdb or .accdb file onto the app or its icon
  • Choosing a destination through the Save dialog when exporting a table
  • Saving or opening files in your Downloads folder

Once you close a document, MDB Decode loses access to that file until you open it again.

How your data is processed

When you open a database, MDB Decode reads its table and column structure and displays it in the window — this happens entirely in the app's memory on your Mac. When you export a table, the app writes a CSV or SQL file directly to the folder you choose in the Save dialog. At no point does the content of your database, or any file derived from it, leave your computer through the app.

What we don't collect

MDB Decode does not collect, transmit, or have any mechanism to collect:

  • Your name, email address, or any account information — there is no account or sign-in
  • Analytics or usage statistics of any kind
  • Crash reports or diagnostic logs sent off your device
  • Device identifiers, advertising identifiers, or location data
  • The contents of the databases you open or export

The app's development builds can write debug log messages to help with troubleshooting, but that logging code is compiled out entirely from the version distributed on the App Store — it is not present in the app you're running, let alone active.

Third-party components

MDB Decode is built on a small number of open-source libraries that do the work of reading Access database files and producing exports:

  • mdbtools and GLib — parse the Access .mdb/.accdb file format
  • gettext — supporting library used by mdbtools
  • SQLite — used when exporting a table directly to a .sqlite database file

These are local code libraries, not services: they run inside the app on your Mac and have no network capability or data collection of their own.

Network connections

MDB Decode does not connect to the internet. It has no server component, makes no API calls, and includes no analytics, advertising, or crash-reporting network traffic. All functionality — opening, browsing, and exporting database files — is self-contained on your device.

Data retention

Because MDB Decode does not collect any data, it retains none. The only records of your activity are the ordinary ones macOS itself keeps — such as its system-wide "Open Recent" file list — which are managed by your Mac, not by MDB Decode, and which you can clear at any time from the app's File menu or System Settings.

Children's Privacy

MDB Decode is a general-purpose data utility, not directed at children, and it does not knowingly collect information from anyone — children included, since it does not collect information from any user.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

If this policy changes — for example, if a future version of MDB Decode adds a feature that requires network access — this page will be updated and the effective date above will change accordingly. We encourage you to revisit it occasionally.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, You can contact us: