To create a form in Access, select a table or query in the Navigation Pane, open the Create tab and click Form. Access builds a form showing one record at a time, with a control for every field, and opens it in Layout view ready to adjust. Press Ctrl+S to save it.
That one-click form is often enough. The other tools in the Forms group of the Create tab give you more control over what goes on the form and how it is laid out. The steps here match Access in Microsoft 365 and recent perpetual versions; Access is a Windows desktop application and has no web or Mac version.
Start with a table
A form is a window onto a table or query, called its record source. If you want to follow along, create a table in a blank database: on the Create tab click Query Design, close the Add Tables pane, switch to SQL View, paste this statement and click Run.
CREATE TABLE Customers (
CustomerID AUTOINCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
CustomerName TEXT(100) NOT NULL,
Email TEXT(255),
City TEXT(60),
JoinedOn DATETIME
);
Customers now appears in the Navigation Pane.
Which form tool to use
| Tool (Create tab, Forms group) | What you get | Use it when |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Single-record form with every field | You want a working form immediately |
| Form Design | Empty form in Design view | You want full control over placement |
| Blank Form | Empty form in Layout view with the Field List open | You want only a few fields |
| Form Wizard | A guided set of questions | You want to pick fields from several related tables |
