VBA & Macro Problems

How to Fix Type Mismatch Errors in Microsoft Access VBA

Guest Writer Sep 25, 2026 870 views

Question details

The user needs to resolve a Run-time error 13 (Type Mismatch) that occurs in their VBA code while exporting Microsoft Access queries to Excel.

How to Fix Type Mismatch Errors in Microsoft Access VBA

Product: Microsoft Access
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Running a VBA macro in Microsoft Access to export specific database queries to a Microsoft Excel file.
Observed behavior: The VBA script halts execution and displays a 'Type Mismatch' error, preventing the query data from successfully exporting to Excel.

Before you start

Before modifying your VBA script, check your project references to confirm that the Microsoft Office Access database engine Object Library is enabled.

Solution 1Recommended

Explicitly Declare QueryDef as DAO.QueryDef

Disambiguate the QueryDef object by explicitly linking it to the Data Access Objects (DAO) library to prevent type mismatch conflicts with ADO.

In Microsoft Access VBA, if multiple object libraries (like DAO and ADO) are referenced, calling 'QueryDef' without specifying the library can cause Access to assume the wrong object type, resulting in a Type Mismatch error.

Open the VBA Editor

Press 'Alt + F11' while in Microsoft Access to open the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) editor.

Locate Variable Declarations

Find the section of your macro code where you declared the query definition variable, which likely looks like 'Dim RawTOL As QueryDef'.

Update the Declaration

Change the code to explicitly reference DAO by rewriting it as 'Dim RawTOL As DAO.QueryDef'.

Verify Library References

Click 'Tools' > 'References' in the top menu and ensure that 'Microsoft Office Access database engine Object Library' (or 'Microsoft DAO Object Library') is checked.

Compile the Code

Click 'Debug' > 'Compile [Your Project Name]' to apply the changes, then save the database and run the export macro again.

Explicitly Declare QueryDef as DAO.QueryDef

Compilation Successful: Compiling your code after explicitly declaring the DAO library ensures all object references are correctly mapped before runtime.

Solution 2

Verify and Match Variable Data Types

Ensure that the data types of the variables handling parameters in your VBA script perfectly match the expected data types in the Access query.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does a 'Type Mismatch' error mean in VBA?

A Type Mismatch (Run-time error 13) happens when VBA attempts to assign a value to a variable that conflicts with its declared data type, or when an ambiguous object reference defaults to the incorrect software library.

How do I add the DAO object library to my Access database?

In the VBA editor, click 'Tools' > 'References' in the top menu bar. Scroll down and check the box for 'Microsoft Office [Version Number] Access database engine Object Library' (or 'Microsoft DAO 3.6 Object Library' in older Access versions), then click OK.

Why is DAO preferred over ADO for QueryDef in Access?

DAO (Data Access Objects) is the native library built specifically for the Microsoft Access database engine. It provides direct, optimized access to Access-specific objects like QueryDef, whereas ADO (ActiveX Data Objects) is a generalized library designed for communicating with a wide variety of OLE DB data sources.

Excel & Data Problems