Enables editing and running legacy VB6 applications directly on modern Windows.
This package provides a ready-to-use setup for running and compiling VB6 projects on Windows 10 and 11, without needing virtual machines or manual OCX registration. It's ideal for maintaining old software, analyzing legacy code, or building quick utilities in a familiar environment.
👉 For background information, setup explanations, and optional components, see the blog post.
- Fully working VB6 IDE on Windows XP / 7 / 10 and 11 (including 24H2)
- No need to manually register ActiveX controls or system DLLs
- Registry and batch files automate all configuration steps
- Supports compiling, editing, and running old projects out-of-the-box
- Ideal for educational purposes, small utilities, and legacy support
The entire environment is packaged as a self-extracting archive containing:
- The original
VB6.exeexecutable and IDE files - All necessary runtime libraries and dependencies
- Preconfigured registry settings to ensure compatibility with modern Windows
- Batch scripts to automate the registration of ActiveX controls and system libraries
- Required OCX/DLL files (e.g.
mscomctl.ocx,msstkprp.dll) - Registration scripts (
.reg,.bat) that ensure VB6 components work properly - A desktop and Start menu shortcut for easy access to the VB6 IDE
All actions are performed locally on your machine — no system-level installations or persistent changes beyond what's required for VB6 to function.
👉 For detailed technical explanations of the installation and compatibility mechanisms, see TECHNICAL_NOTES.
Some antivirus programs — including Windows Defender — may flag the self-extracting installation archive as suspicious or even as malware. This is a false positive, triggered by the nature of the WinRAR SFX archive, which includes scripts (.bat, .reg) that modify system settings to enable VB6 functionality.
You can safely run the installer if you downloaded it from this repository. If in doubt, inspect or extract the contents manually before execution.
We recommend temporarily disabling real-time protection only during installation, if necessary, and restoring it immediately afterward.
- The solution has been successfully tested on Windows XP / 7 / 10 / 11 (24H2), but due to variations in system configurations and updates, full compatibility is not guaranteed.
- Microsoft officially ended support for VB6 development tools; this package is provided for educational, archival, and legacy support purposes.
- This setup is not recommended for creating new business applications — for long-term development, consider porting to modern technologies such as .NET.
- Download the
Visual-Basic-6-for-Win11.exeinstaller from the Releases page. - Run the installer (self-extracting archive) with administrative privileges.
- Follow the prompts; all required files will be extracted and configured automatically.
- After installation, launch VB6 from the desktop shortcut, which is created automatically by the installer for your convenience.
✅ Tested successfully on:
- Windows 11 (including 24H2)
- Windows 10
- Windows Server 2022
- Windows 7 SP1
- Windows Server 2003 R2
- Windows XP SP3
You could — but certain legacy behaviors (e.g., precise startup timing, COM interop, message handling, or agent-like UI features) can’t be easily replicated in .NET or Java.
For example, utilities like delaycmd.exe allow precise control over when and how a dependent application is launched. This can be critical when dealing with shell extensions, startup scripts, or software requiring legacy timing patterns that modern Process.Start() (C#) or Runtime.exec() (Java) don't handle well.
- Recovering and analyzing old VB6 code
- Maintaining legacy desktop utilities still in production use
- Developing small tools or prototypes using familiar VB6 workflow
- Educational exploration of legacy programming paradigms
- Avoiding the need for full virtual machine environments
👉 For detailed technical explanations of the installation and compatibility mechanisms, see TECHNICAL_NOTES.
This project is provided as-is, with the goal of making legacy VB6 projects easier to run and maintain on modern Windows.
- ✅ Issues are welcome if they describe real, reproducible problems (installation errors, missing components, runtime crashes).
- ✅ Suggestions for improvements are welcome if tested and directly relevant to VB6 compatibility.
⚠️ Please avoid stylistic feedback (e.g., folder names, comments inside.batfiles, or alternative approaches without testing).⚠️ This is not a forum for “why do you use VB6?” discussions. The project exists for those who need it.⚠️ Only reproducible, VB6-related problems are accepted. Off-topic or untested suggestions will be closed without discussion.
Unhelpful or off-topic issues may be closed without further discussion to keep the focus on maintaining legacy VB6 compatibility.
This repository provides a preconfigured environment based on existing redistributable components. The author does not distribute proprietary software — the package assumes you have the legal right to use VB6 and related tools.
Use at your own risk.
⚖️ © 2025 Miloš Perunović — For educational and legacy maintenance purposes. All rights reserved.