How to Run Visual Basic Script

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This wikiHow teaches you how to run a Visual Basic script on a Windows PC. Visual Basic is a Windows-specific programming language, so you'll only be able to run your script using Windows.

Method 1
Method 1 of 3:

Using the Windows Command Prompt

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    An easy way to do this is to press Windows key + S to open the search bar, type command into the bar, and then click Command prompt in the search results.
    • You may also be able to open the command prompt by pressing Windows key + X and selecting Command prompt . If you don't see this option there, you can select PowerShell –the command we'll be using will work in both the standard command prompt and PowerShell. [1]
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    You can use the cd command to do this.
    • For example, if the script is saved to C:\Windows\Scripts, type cd C:\Windows\Scripts and press Enter .
    • The name of your script usually ends with the .VBS file extension.
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    Replace scriptname.vbs with the name of the script you want to run. This displays the output of the script in the window. [2]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 3:

Using the Run Dialog

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    Pressing Windows key + R' opens the Run dialog, which allows you to select and run any script or program.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/81\/Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-5-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/81\/Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/aid12548670-v4-728px-Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-5-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This opens the file browser.
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/2\/2b\/Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/2\/2b\/Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/aid12548670-v4-728px-Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    If you don't see your script, click the drop-down menu at the bottom-right corner and select All files instead.
    • The script will usually end with the *.VBS file extension.
  4. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/d\/d6\/Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-7-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-7-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d6\/Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-7-Version-2.jpg\/aid12548670-v4-728px-Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-7-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This runs the script.
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Method 3
Method 3 of 3:

Using Windows Explorer

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    This displays a list of files on your PC.
  2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/0\/06\/Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-9-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-9-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/0\/06\/Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-9-Version-2.jpg\/aid12548670-v4-728px-Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-9-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    The script likely ends with the .VBS file extension. [3]
  3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8a\/Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-10-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-10-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8a\/Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-10-Version-2.jpg\/aid12548670-v4-728px-Run-Visual-Basic-Script-Step-10-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
    This runs the Visual Basic script.
    • If the script is a console script, it will open a command prompt window and display the output. [4]
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-execute-vbs-script
      2. ↑ https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/desktop/indexsrv/running-a-visual-basic-scripting-edition-query
      3. ↑ https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/how-to-make-save-and-run-a-simple-vbscript-program/
      4. ↑ https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/visualstudio/get-started/visual-basic/tutorial-console?view=vs-2019

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. To run a script from the command prompt, use "cscript scriptname .
      2. To run a script from Windows Explorer, double-click the script.
      3. To run the script from the Run dialog, open the Run dialog, browse for the script, and click OK .

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