Extract text from database add-ins (MDA)
To convert MDA add-ins to another format, you need Microsoft Access or other Database software.
To convert other file formats to the "Database Extension File" file type, you need software like Microsoft Access or a similar tool.
A .mda file is primarily a Microsoft Access Add-in file. It stores compiled VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) code, macros, and custom functions designed to extend the capabilities of an Access database. Another common, modern use is as an application deployment package for the Mendix low-code platform, where the file acts as a compressed container for app assets. Rarely, it is used for EPICS scientific scan data or legacy game assets.
To interact natively with database add-ins, you must use Microsoft Access, while Mendix deployment packages require the Mendix runtime environment. Both file types represent heavily siloed workflows.
The main disadvantage of the Access .mda format is its proprietary lock-in. It relies exclusively on the closed-source Microsoft Jet Database Engine, making it inaccessible on macOS or Linux without emulation. Furthermore, because these files execute VBA code, they present a significant security risk if received from unknown sources. Mendix .mda files, while fundamentally just archives, obscure their contents behind a custom extension, confusing users who just want to view the raw data.
For Access files, users often want to migrate the underlying tables to standard formats like CSV or SQL, or extract the plain text VBA code. For Mendix packages, the best target format is ZIP so the internal file structure can be browsed.
Because Access add-ins require a specialized database engine to execute and read, standard online converters fail to process them. We will inspect the file signatures to determine if it is a Microsoft database, a standard ZIP archive (like Mendix), or raw scientific data. If our analysis detects a supported underlying or embedded format, viewing or conversion may still be possible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your MDA file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted M4A, XML, P7M, LCT, A2, VWL, MP3, DA and PPM files.
If you want to convert MDA file to MP3, DA, PPM, DLL, SO, DYLIB, BUNDLE, PLUGIN, XPI, CRX, SAFARIEXTZ or APPEX, you can use Microsoft Access or similar software from the "Database Add-in or Package" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert LV2, DYLIB, VST, AAX, DRV, TDE, LADSPA, BUNDLE, AU, DLL, RTAS or SO files to MDA, try Microsoft Access or another comparable tool in the "Database Add-in or Package" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our MDA converter.