.VBS File Extension

VBScript File

Developer Microsoft
Popularity
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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

Screenshot of a .vbs file in GitHub Atom
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.

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

Verified by FileInfo.com

The FileInfo.com team has independently researched the VBScript file format and Mac and Windows apps listed on this page. Our goal is 100% accuracy and we only publish information about file types that we have verified.

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