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VBS File - What is a .vbs file and how do I open it?
Learn about .VBS files and view a list of programs that open them.
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Overview
What is a VBS file? A VBS file is a Visual Basic script written in the VBScript scripting language. It contains code that can be executed within Windows or Internet Explorer, via the Windows-based script host ( Wscript.exe ), to perform certain admin and processing functions.
More Information VBS file open in GitHub Atom Primarily, VBS files are used by: Windows system administrators, to automate certain admin processes Internet Explorer-only webpages , to perform certain functions that HTML alone cannot Microsoft’s Internet Information Services (IIS) web server, to perform server-side webpage processing Are VBS files still used? Yes, but rarely. Most Windows system administrators now use Windows PowerShell to perform processes they previously performed using VBScript and VBS files. Also, in August 2019, Microsoft announced they would disable VBScript support by default in Internet Explorer, which is the only web browser that ever supported VBScript. Microsoft recommended that developers update any webpages that use VBScript to use JavaScript instead. NOTE: VBS files may also use the .VB file extension.
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Popularity3.8 | 140 Votes
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.VBS File Extension
VBScript File
| Developer | Microsoft |
| Popularity |
3.8 | 140 Votes |
What is a VBS file?
A VBS file is a Visual Basic script written in the VBScript scripting language. It contains code that can be executed within Windows or Internet Explorer, via the Windows-based script host ( Wscript.exe ), to perform certain admin and processing functions.
More Information
VBS file open in GitHub Atom
Primarily, VBS files are used by:
Are VBS files still used?
Yes, but rarely. Most Windows system administrators now use Windows PowerShell to perform processes they previously performed using VBScript and VBS files. Also, in August 2019, Microsoft announced they would disable VBScript support by default in Internet Explorer, which is the only web browser that ever supported VBScript. Microsoft recommended that developers update any webpages that use VBScript to use JavaScript instead.
NOTE: VBS files may also use the .VB file extension.
How to open a VBS file
You can open and edit VBS files using any text editor, such as Notepad++ (Windows), Apple TextEdit (Mac), or GitHub Atom .
Warning
VBS files are typically legitimate VB scripts , but they can also be used to distribute and execute malware attacks. To protect against malware attacks, do not double-click a VBS file you have downloaded or received via email unless you trust the file's source.
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Programs that open VBS files
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Windows
Microsoft Visual Studio 2022
Free +
Adobe Dreamweaver 2021
Free Trial
Microsoft Windows Script Host
Included with OS
Any text editor
Mac
Adobe Dreamweaver 2021
Free Trial
Any text editor
Category: Executable Files
Updated: October 9, 2023