How to Create Wildcard Queries MS Access

Quick summary

A wildcard query in Microsoft Access lets you search database records using partial text matches with the Like operator and wildcard characters. This tutorial walks you through the full process inside Access's Query Design view, from adding a table to running filtered results.

Steps

1. Go to the Create tab in the Microsoft Access ribbon.
2. Click Query Design to open a new query in design view.
3. Add the table you want to search, then click Add Selected Tables.
4. Drag the field you want to search into the query grid.
5. In the Criteria row of the field, enter your Like statement with the appropriate wildcard characters.
6. Click Run on the ribbon to execute the query and view the filtered results.