Microsoft announced the phased deprecation of VBScript in Windows, significantly impacting VBA developers who rely on VBScript libraries for regular expressions and external script execution.
The company outlined a comprehensive timeline and provided migration guidance to help developers future-proof their projects.
Three-Phase Deprecation Timeline
VBScript deprecation will occur in three distinct phases over the coming years. Phase 1, currently active through 2026 or 2027, maintains VBScript as an enabled Feature on Demand, ensuring that existing VBA projects continue to function normally.
Phase 2, beginning approximately 2026 or 2027, will disable VBScript FODs by default. Phase 3, with timing yet to be determined, will completely remove VBScript from future Windows releases.
During the final phase, calling .vbs scripts from VBA will no longer work, and references to VBScript RegExp libraries will break unless Office clients are updated to supported builds.
This transition requires immediate attention from developers using these functionalities.
Microsoft addresses the deprecation impact by including RegExp classes directly in VBA for Office Version 2508 (Build 19127.20154) and later.
This integration eliminates the need for external VBScript library references, providing four object types: RegExp, Match, MatchCollection, and SubMatches.
Developers can implement RegExp functionality through early binding, creating variables without external library references.
This approach works exclusively on Office versions 2508 or later, regardless of Windows client version.
Alternatively, late binding using CreateObject(“VBScript.RegExp”) remains compatible with Office 2508+ across all Windows versions and older Windows systems with VBScript enabled.
Microsoft recommends upgrading to Microsoft 365 Version 2508 or later for seamless compatibility with native RegExp implementation.
Developers should utilize the built-in VBE RegExp functionality for new macros rather than manually referencing vbscript.dll.
Testing projects in VBScript-disabled environments helps identify hidden dependencies before the deprecation phases take effect.
VBA scripts using VBScript RegExp libraries from pre-2508 Office versions will continue working with newer Office versions on Windows systems where VBScript remains enabled.
The transition provides developers ample time to update their projects while maintaining backward compatibility during the initial phases.
Microsoft encourages feedback through Office applications’ Help Improve Office feature or blog comments to refine the migration process.
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