Microsoft plans to deprecate VBScript and make the programming language an on-demand feature in future Windows releases before its eventual removal from the OS
A bad era, but still — https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/ ... X: @215alexb : It was fun while it lasted [image] LinkedIn: Santosh Pandit : Imagine you're providing your children with a specific food product. For decades, there have been debates about whether this food contains harmful ingredients. … Mike Wilkes : Decomm celebration moment! We don't do this often enough in my view... turning down old stuff that has been abused and misused for years. Yay deprecation! … Jason Carter : Goodbye VBScript. It was nice knowing you, even though I haven't written anything in you since 2005. … LinkedIn : Christopher Johnston 👨💻 on LinkedIn: Microsoft to kill off VBScript in Windows to block malware delivery Evan Y. : About fine time. VBScript was useful in its heydays, too dangerous in present times especially after Internet Explorer went EOL.
Context & Ripple Effects
Microsoft has already narrowed Windows’ legacy surface area: Edge excluded VBScript alongside other older web technologies in its security-focused compatibility break, and Internet Explorer was later retired in favor of Edge after its desktop app was disabled.
This follows the recent planned removal of the long-included WordPad app. Making VBScript optional before removing it gives organizations a transition path while reducing its default presence in Windows.
First-order effects
- Windows users and administrators relying on VBScript must identify affected scripts and plan migration or enable the feature on demand during the deprecation period.
- Microsoft reduces the default availability of a legacy scripting component, while retaining a temporary compatibility mechanism for remaining users.
Second-order effects
- IT teams and software vendors with old Windows automation face added testing and remediation work, particularly where scripts are embedded in login, deployment, or administrative workflows.
- The move reinforces Microsoft’s earlier browser-era separation from VBScript, directing developers away from a technology Edge had already declined to support in its security redesign.
Third-order effects
- If Microsoft continues this staged approach, Windows will increasingly shift from broad backward compatibility by default to explicitly managed legacy features.
- The operational burden of supporting aging Windows components moves from the platform vendor toward organizations that choose to retain them, making lifecycle governance a more central enterprise IT discipline.
The trend: Windows is being pruned through phased deprecations that preserve short-term compatibility while making legacy components progressively less default.