How to Open a Dbf

DBF files, a file format supporting the dBase database system, are commonly used to store data in tables. These files are used for all kinds of purposes from basic spreadsheet work to advanced GIS mapping. While these files were supported in Microsoft Excel for years, this support was recently discontinued as part of Microsoft's upgrades to Excel 2007. Fortunately, even though Excel 2007 won't allow you to save files in the DBF format, you can still open them and work with the data they contain with a few simple steps.

Things You'll Need

• Microsoft Excel 2007

Instructions

1. Navigate to the folder containing your DBF file.

2. Right-click the DBF.

3. Drop down to the "Open With" submenu.

4. Select "Microsoft Office Excel" from the list of programs.

Tips & Warnings

• Even though you can't save files as a DBF, Excel 2007 will let you save them into the Excel format. Just use the standard "Save" feature, select the new file format and Excel will convert it automatically.

• You may be able to work with DBFs in other spreadsheet programs like OpenOffice.

References

• MSDN Blogs: Deprecated Features for Excel 2007
• FileExtensionType: .dbf File Extension Type