ActiveX Register

Question

Just upgraded to latest Access. How do I "Register" an ActiveX Control from a previous version?

Answer 1

I concur with Richard's observations regarding ActiveX controls, especially older ones.

For one thing, older ActiveX controls were probably created for 32 bit Office. That means they are not compatible with 64 bit Office and have to be replaced. Unfortunately there may not be a suitable 64 bit replacement.

In short, look for alternative ways to implement the functionality represented by the older ActiveX control rather than invest time and energy in a futile attempt to resurrect it.

Answer 2

Dear RobJCut

Thank you for reaching out to the Q&A Forum.

First, I recommend reviewing the AI-generated response on your post, as it provides helpful insights that closely align with my own thoughts on the issue. You may also find this article useful for additional details: Add or register an ActiveX control

Based on my testing and research, I’d like to add a few important notes:

• If you are using 64-bit Microsoft Access, you cannot use 32-bit ActiveX controls, even if they are successfully registered in Windows. In this case, the control will not appear in Access. To resolve this, you would need to reinstall 32-bit Office or consider using VBA-based alternatives instead.
• If you encounter the error 0x80070005 (Access Denied), this is usually caused by running the Command Prompt without Run as Administrator privileges.
• For the error “Module not found”, the .ocx file may be missing required dependencies, such as the Visual Basic Runtime or other supporting libraries.

Please try the suggestions provided by the AI assistant, and feel free to share any feedback or follow up if you need further assistance. I’m happy to help.

---

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.

Answer 3

This is a classic scenario that comes up whenever Access versions change. In my experience, registering old ActiveX controls can be tricky, especially when dealing with 32-bit vs 64-bit Office. I always tell my students to consider if they truly need that control because ActiveX is a legacy approach and can sometimes cause more headaches than it's worth. Years ago, I spent a lot of time troubleshooting a report that only had issues due to an ActiveX calendar after an upgrade, and these days I encourage people to look for built-in solutions or alternatives if possible. I avoid ActiveX components like the plague, and if it's something you can build directly in Access, then that's what I suggest.

Answer 4

To use an existing ActiveX control from a previous version in the latest Access, the control must be properly installed and registered in Windows, then added from Access’s ActiveX list.

1. Make sure the .ocx or .dll file for the legacy ActiveX control is installed on the machine.
2. Register the control in Windows (if its setup program has not already done so). Typical options are:
   • Use the control’s own setup program, which usually installs and registers the control automatically.
   • Or register it programmatically by loading the control DLL and calling its DllRegisterServer entry point (for example, from an installer), as described for ActiveX controls that support self-registration.
3. Once registered, open Access and go to the form or report in Design view.
4. Insert the control from the ActiveX list (similar to Excel’s process):
   • On the Developer (or equivalent design) tools for controls, choose Insert → More Controls (or ActiveX Control).
   • Select the registered control from the list. If it does not appear, the registration likely failed or the file is not a valid ActiveX component.

If an error such as “The file was not registerable as an ActiveX component” appears when trying to register the file, the file is not a valid ActiveX control or is incompatible; obtain the correct version from the vendor. If Access reports that the “specified ActiveX component [is] not correctly registered or not found,” correct the registry by reinstalling or re-registering the control so its COM registration entries are valid.

Note that ActiveX is a legacy technology and should not be used for new development; consider replacing legacy ActiveX controls with modern alternatives where possible.

---

References:

• Add or register an ActiveX control
• MFC ActiveX Controls: Distributing ActiveX Controls
• Redistributing Visual C++ ActiveX Controls
• The file 'item' was not registerable as an ActiveX Component.
• Specified ActiveX component not correctly registered or not found
• Registration and Licensing

AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.