How to Keep the Windows Taskbar Visible with a Maximized Access Popup Form
Question details
The user needs a way to prevent a maximized Microsoft Access popup form from completely covering the Windows taskbar and the Access Navigation pane.
- Product
- Microsoft Access
- Device & OS
- Windows
- Scenario
- Displaying a popup form in a Microsoft Access database application without losing access to the Windows OS interface.
- Observed behavior
- When a popup form is maximized in Access, there is no built-in setting to prevent it from overlaying the Windows taskbar, Navigation pane, and the main Access window.
Ensure you have access to the Design View of your Microsoft Access database and basic familiarity with the VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) editor.
Use VBA DoCmd.MoveSize to Resize the Popup Form
Avoid maximizing the popup form entirely. Instead, use a VBA script to dynamically resize the window so it fills most of the screen while leaving the Windows taskbar visible.
Because Microsoft Access does not offer a native property to constrain a maximized popup form to the desktop working area, the most reliable workaround is to set specific dimensions when the form opens. The DoCmd.MoveSize method allows you to dictate exactly how wide and tall the form should be.
Open your Microsoft Access database, locate the popup form in the Navigation pane, right-click it, and select 'Design View'.
Press F4 to open the Property Sheet. Ensure 'Form' is selected in the dropdown at the top. Click on the 'Event' tab and locate the 'On Open' property.
Click the ellipsis (...) button next to the 'On Open' property and select 'Code Builder' to open the Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications editor.
Inside the Form_Open subroutine, type 'DoCmd.MoveSize 0, 0, Width, Height' (replace Width and Height with specific numeric values in twips, such as 15000, 10000) to fit your screen area perfectly.
Save your VBA code, close the editor, and switch your form back to 'Form View' to verify that it expands without hiding the Windows taskbar.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I lock the Windows taskbar so it always stays on top of Access popups?
No, if an Access form's 'Pop Up' property is enabled and the form is commanded to Maximize, it operates in a layer that inherently overlays the Windows taskbar. You must manually resize the form via VBA instead of using the Maximize command.
Why does my Access popup form also hide the Navigation pane?
A popup form floats above the main Microsoft Access application window. When maximized, it expands to fill the entire monitor screen, visually covering all internal application elements, including the Navigation pane and ribbon.
Are there other alternatives besides DoCmd.MoveSize?
Some advanced users utilize Windows API calls within VBA to detect the screen resolution and dynamically subtract the height of the taskbar to calculate the exact size for the popup form, but DoCmd.MoveSize with fixed twip values is the simplest approach.
