VB6 on Windows 11: How to Install & Use

After stating officially, that Windows 10 would be the last operating system, Microsoft released the Windows 11 OS at the back-end of last year.

Windows 11 brings in more of the macOS style of UI elements. You get a redesigned taskbar, with the Start menu located at the center. Yes, you can change its position, but by default, it will be placed at the center.

The control center also sees some design tweaks. In the next update, support for Android apps is also coming along with redesigned Notepad and Media Player.

While all these features make Windows 11 a decent upgrade over Windows 10, certain doubts are brewing in the minds of the users.

There is a certain section of users as well as developers that have a sense of fear about whether Windows 11 will support the legacy apps and technologies, left behind or not.

With Visual Basic being one of the best programming languages in the world, such queries popping into the minds of the users is quite natural.

If you are looking for an answer to this question, then you are in the right place. Because, in this guide, we will share with you some information on whether Windows 11 comes with VB6 support or not.

What exactly is Visual Basic 6 (VB6)?

Microsoft released Visual Basic 6 back in 1998, which is the last version of Visual Basic to be offered by the company. It is essentially a BASIC programming language that can be used to develop Windows applications.

It makes the job easy as Visual Basic provides a Graphic User Interface, or GUI, allowing programs to be modified by simple drag and drop of objects, further defining their behavior and appearance.

Visual Basic, or VB, in short, is easy to use and fast to write code with. So, it is also often referred to as a rapid application development (RAD) system.

Some years later of its launch, Microsoft made Visual Basic a part of Visual Studio.NET. Notably, it has been replaced by Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and Visual Studio.NET.

While VB6 was supported by Windows 10, the arrival of a new OS in the form of Windows 11 has created doubts in the minds of the developers as to whether it will support VB6 or not.

Let us take a look at the information that is currently available that will help such users resolve their queries.

Can I run VB6 apps on Windows 11?

It is clear that the previous version of the Windows OS, i.e., Windows 10, could run Visual Basic 6 or VB6 applications with no problems.

Furthermore, it even let the developers run the IDE and program from scratch. Now the question arises, does Windows 11 come with VB6 support.

Long story short, the simple answer to this question is yes. You read it right. According to the official Microsoft documentation, the company has clearly stated that “The VB6 runtime will ship and will be supported in Windows 10 and Windows 11 for the lifetime of the OS.“

If you go through the full documentation, under the heading “Executive summary” you will see that Microsoft will continue to provide VB6 five years of mainstream support, followed by five years of extended support.

Doing simple math, you can deduce that Visual Basic 6 or VB6 applications will be supported till 2031.

Besides, Windows 11 is more of a cosmetic update over Windows 10. So, there wasn’t any need to abandon previously compatible products, unless Microsoft had something advanced over them.

What can I do to run a VB6 app on Windows 11?

If you are trying to run a VB6 app on your Windows 11 PC and come across any issue that is preventing its smooth operation, then there are a few tricks that you can apply to make it work

Open the app in compatibility mode with admin rights

1. Right-click on the VB6 application and select Properties.
2. Click on the Compatibility tab, and under the Compatibility mode section, check the box located next to the Run this program in compatibility mode for option.
3. From the drop-down menu, select Windows 7. After the selection is made, click on Apply and then OK to save the changes.

To be extra sure, you can reboot your PC and then try opening the VB6 app on your Windows 11 PC to check if it works or not.

What are the features of Visual Basic 6 or VB6?

By now you would have understood that you can use Visual Basic or VB6 to create or write EXE applications. Using VB tools, not only you can develop complete software, but it also lets you go back and modify your work.

VBA or Visual Basic for Applications is the most popular Visual Basic used today. However, do note that VBA can be used to modify existing apps, but cannot be used to create new ones.

Some features of Visual Basic are:

• Simple and easy to write code with
• Huge set of icons and pictures to use
• Mouse and keyboard actions supported for example, drag-and-drop
• Supports sequential and random access file
• ActiveX data control object
• Has database integration and additional internet capabilities
• Offers a Graphic User Interface or GUI

We hope that this guide has sufficient information to clear up your doubts about whether Windows 11 comes with VB6 or Visual Basic 6 support or not.

You can let us know in the comments section below what your thoughts are on this topic. Moreover, you can also mention if you come across any compatibility issues while running VB6 apps on Windows 11.