Microsoft no longer provides a direct public download for the full Visual Basic 6.0 IDE installer, as official support ended in 2008.
Use Dependency Walker or VB6 Dependency Checker to list exactly what your app needs.
Yes, using the workarounds above (XP compatibility mode, INI edit, SP6). Thousands of developers do it daily. microsoft visual basic 6.0 installer
Here is exactly how to do it.
If you are starting new projects and are not specifically tied to legacy codebases, consider migrating to modern Visual Studio , which allows you to build sophisticated GUI applications using Visual Basic .NET (VB.NET) . Ensuring Code Compatibility Microsoft no longer provides a direct public download
Deselect if you are installing the Enterprise Edition.
Support Statement for Visual Basic 6.0 on Windows - Microsoft Learn Thousands of developers do it daily
Navigate to the installation directory, which is typically located at: C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\VB98\
Locate the main executable file named VB6.EXE . Right-click the file, open , and navigate to the Compatibility tab. Enable the following settings:
Installers often freeze at the end of the process. A common fix is to create a 0-byte dummy file named MSJAVA.DLL C:\Windows
Microsoft continues to include the VB6 runtime in Windows 11, meaning apps compiled in 1998 can still run today without modification—a feat of backward compatibility.