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# 3 Ways to Get and Set the TitleBar Text for an MS Access Application
- URL: https://nolongerset.com/app-titlebar/
- Published: 2022-07-13T02:22:06.000Z
- Updated: 2026-05-08T12:56:24.000Z
- Description: Here are three ways to set the Application Title for an MS Access application. My preferred method allows getting and setting with a single line of code.
- Author: Mike Wolfe
- Tags: Code Library, #clsApp, #Import 2026-05-20 02:59

There are three ways to get and set custom title bar text for your Microsoft Access application:

- Via the **Options menu**
- Using **VBA** to directly set the "**AppTitle**" database property
- Using my clsApp class module's **`.TitleBar`** property

## Using the Options Menu

File > Options > Current Database > Application Title

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2022/07/image-9.png)

## Using VBA to Set the "AppTitle" Property

To get the value of the custom Application Title in code, you can reference the **"AppTitle"** property of the current database.

```vba
?CurrentDB.Properties("AppTitle")
My Access App
```

To set a custom Application Title in code, you can assign a new value to the "**AppTitle**" property directly. You will also need to call the [RefreshTitleBar method](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/access.application.refreshtitlebar) of the Access.Application object to force the change to take effect:

```vba
CurrentDB.Properties("AppTitle") = "My Improved Access App"
RefreshTitleBar
```

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2022/07/image-14.png)

Be careful, though! If you've never set the Application Title in the Options menu for the current database, then the "AppTitle" property will not exist. Trying to access it will return a run-time error:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2022/07/image-10.png)

You'll get the same error if you try to write to the property before it's been set in the Options menu:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2022/07/image-11.png)

You can still set the property in code, but you will have to call the `CreateProperty` method of the current database to create the `AppTitle` property and then `Append` it to the database's `Properties` collection:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2022/07/image-12.png)

Unfortunately, you can't just use the `CreateProperty` / `Append` approach blindly, as it will raise a different error if the property already exists:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2022/07/image-13.png)

None of these are particularly difficult challenges to overcome, but why reinvent the wheel?

## Using clsApp's TitleBar Property

Every application I write contains a [singleton class named clsApp](https://nolongerset.com/clsapp/).

With this approach, getting (or setting) the title bar is as easy as updating a String property of the `App` object instance:

```vba
App.TitleBar = "My Access App"

Debug.Print App.TitleBar
```

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2022/07/image-15.png)

You don't have to worry about whether the property already exists, or to use the correct property name, or to risk a typo that won't get caught at compile time, or remember to refresh the title bar, etc.

## The Code

For details about using clsApp, refer to the [main clsApp article](https://nolongerset.com/clsapp/), which includes full source code for the clsApp class module (including the `TitleBar` property shown below).

```vba
Public Property Get TitleBar() As String
    TitleBar = Me.Prop("AppTitle", "Microsoft Access")
End Property

Public Property Let TitleBar(ByVal sTitleBar As String)
    Me.Prop("AppTitle") = sTitleBar
    Application.RefreshTitleBar
End Property
```

### Referenced articles

[clsApp: My Application-Wide MS Access Singleton Class ModuleI use many class modules in my applications, but this is the one I cannot live without.![](https://nolongerset.com/favicon.png)No Longer SetMike Wolfe![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/eb/d7/ebd732c1-5f03-4f07-b386-5d08557e15c9/content/images/2022/07/mountain-477832_1920.jpg)](https://nolongerset.com/clsapp/)

### External references

[Application.RefreshTitleBar method (Access)Office VBA reference topicMicrosoft Docso365devx![](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/media/logos/logo-ms-social.png)](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/vba/api/access.application.refreshtitlebar)

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