Why? Because Windows will only allow one version of the ACE provider per process space. If Office is 64-bit, it registers the 64-bit ACE provider. Trying to install the 32-bit engine will result in a silent rollback or an error:
The safest modern approach: Open the Access database on an isolated machine, export all tables to flat files (CSV, Parquet, or JSON), and transfer those files to your production server. This eliminates the need for live ACE drivers entirely. microsoft access database engine 2010 redistributable 32 bit
The Indispensable, Quirky, and Still-Kicking Workhorse: A Deep Dive into the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 Redistributable (32-bit) Trying to install the 32-bit engine will result
Operating System: Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows Server 2008, or later versions.Disk Space: Approximately 100 MB of available space.Permissions: Administrative rights are necessary to register the OLEDB and ODBC providers. How to Install the Microsoft Access Database Engine 2010 How to Install the Microsoft Access Database Engine
Have you had any horror stories or heroic saves using this engine? Drop them in the comments below.
This is not an error; it is physics. A 64-bit process cannot load a 32-bit DLL. Solution: You must install the 64-bit ACE engine if you want 64-bit Excel to read Access files. However, if you need both 32-bit legacy apps and 64-bit Excel to read Access, you cannot using this engine. You must use a middleware solution (e.g., a web API or migrating your Access DB to SQL Server).