Icons are greyed out on my Microsoft Access app

If the icons are greyed out in your Microsoft Access application, it may be due to several reasons, such as the form being in a view that does not allow editing or the database being opened in a read-only mode. Here are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot this issue:

1. Check the Form View: Ensure that you are in the correct view (e.g., Design View or Layout View) that allows you to interact with the icons. If you are in Form View, try switching to Design View to see if the icons become active.
2. Database Permissions: Verify that you have the necessary permissions to edit the database. If the database is shared, ensure that it is not opened by another user in a way that locks you out of editing.
3. Check for Read-Only Mode: Make sure the database file is not set to read-only. Right-click the database file in Windows Explorer, select Properties, and check if the Read-only attribute is checked.

Regarding the formula you are trying to use in the footer of your form, the error message you are encountering may be due to the control name conflicting with the field name. To resolve this, you can try the following:

• Use Control Name: Instead of using the field name directly in the formula, use the name of the control that displays the Amount. For example, if your control is named txtAmount, you would use: =Sum([txtAmount])
• Check Control Source: Ensure that the control's Control Source is correctly set to the Amount field in your table or query.
• Remove Naming Conflicts: If the control and the field share the same name, consider renaming the control to avoid confusion.

These steps should help you resolve the issues with the greyed-out icons and the formula error in your Access application.

References:

• How to troubleshoot errors that may occur when you update data in Access queries and forms
• Error message when you use special characters in Access databases

Dear Mathieu

Thank you for posting your question on the Q&A Forum.

Just to clarify: when you say “icons are greyed out,” do you mean the Ribbon commands on the Home tab (such as Save, Design View) are disabled, or the buttons/icons inside your form are missing? That will help us narrow down the cause. Could you also upload a screenshot showing what you see (via private message)?

One possible reason for greyed-out icons is that the form may be bound to a query that is not updateable (e.g., a complex aggregate query or a specific JOIN), Access will prevent editing. Consequently, icons related to New Record, Save, or Delete will be greyed out. You can test this by opening the underlying query directly. If you cannot edit data in the query manually, you cannot edit it via the form. You may need to change the query to Dynaset (Inconsistent Updates) or simplify the joins.

Meanwhile, please check the following settings in your Form’s Property Sheet (Data tab) while in Design View:

• Allow Edits: Yes
• Allow Additions: Yes (if you are trying to add data)
• Recordset Type: Dynaset (not Snapshot)

Regarding the summation error, you mentioned that “the name of the field is the same as the control field.” Please ensure:

• The textbox with =Sum([Amount]) is in the Form Footer, not in the Detail section.
• If the control in the Detail section is also named Amount, rename it (e.g., txtAmount) to avoid conflicts.

Please try these suggestions and share your feedback. Happy to assist further!

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

You stated:

=sum([Amount]) but I am getting an error message. The name of the field is the same as the control field.

You can’t have a control with the same name as a field if the controlsource starts with “=“.

Rename the control to something like txtSumAmt

Regarding some buttons being disabled, that is normal for some views and environment.

If the icons in Microsoft Access are greyed out, it usually means the database is in read-only mode, locked by another user, or disabled by restricted file locations. Have your tried moving the file to a trusted folder, checking permissions, or restoring full editing access?