What is the VBP file format?
.vbp files belong to the category of developer project files. They are plain-text, INI-style project manifests created and used by Microsoft Visual Basic 5 and Visual Basic 6 - the classic "VB6" environment.
What do .vbp files contain?
A .vbp file does not contain source code itself; instead it acts as a manifest that lists every file and dependency belonging to the project. Its first line declares the project type - for example Type=Exe, Type=OleDll, or Type=Control - followed by keyword=value pairs for each member file and external reference. Typical entries include:
Form=lines pointing to .frm form filesModule=lines pointing to .bas standard modulesClass=lines for.clsclass modules andUserControl=lines for.ctluser controlsReference=andObject=lines identifying ActiveX/COM components by GUID and version- Compiler settings, the
Startupobject name, and the projectName
What are .vbp files used for?
Storing project configuration in .vbp files allows programmers to manage the resources used by an application. In the case of extensive applications there can often be even several hundred referenced files and components. The .vbp mechanism provides a convenient way to reverse changes made, update access paths to used resources, and add or remove member files from the project.
Use with newer editions of Visual Basic
Newer editions of Microsoft's Visual Basic - VB.NET and later - use .vbproj XML project files instead. These versions do not open .vbp files directly, but the Visual Studio upgrade wizard can convert a .vbp project to .vbproj format. Related .vbg group files can collect several .vbp projects into a multi-project workspace. The VB6 runtime is still distributed with current Windows versions for backward compatibility, so legacy .vbp-based codebases remain in active maintenance use.
Security & safety
RISK: MEDIUMThe .vbp file itself is plain text and harmless to read. The risk is in BUILDING and RUNNING the project: a classic VB program can do anything a Windows app can, and old projects often reference ActiveX/COM components (.ocx/.dll) that must be present and registered - some legacy controls are unmaintained or have known vulnerabilities. Inspect an unfamiliar project's references and member code before compiling, work in an isolated VM (VB6 itself is legacy software), and don't run code you don't trust.
Format details
in a nutshellPrograms that open VBP files
Windows3 apps
Visual Basic 6.0 IDE (legacy)
Paid Double-click the .vbp to open the project in the classic VB6 IDE (the only first-class editor/compiler). VB6 is discontinued; install it in a Windows VM/compatibility mode. The runtime is still serviced on current Windows.
Notepad / any text editor
Open-source Open the .vbp as text to read the project structure (Type, References, member files). Lets you inspect or fix paths without VB6, but won't build it.
VBA6 / twinBASIC (community)
Free twinBASIC is a modern, actively developed VB6-compatible language/IDE that can load classic VB projects and member files - the practical modern path for working on VB6 code. Technical details
deep spec| Format type | Plain-text INI-style project manifest |
| Text encoding | ANSI (Windows-1252); readable as plain ASCII text |
| MIME type | text/plain |
| File identification | No binary magic bytes; identified by first line such as `Type=Exe`, `Type=OleDll`, or `Type=Control` |
| Source code stored | None - source code lives in the referenced member files (.frm, .bas, .cls, .ctl), not in the .vbp itself |
| Member file references | `Form=`, `Module=`, `Class=`, and `UserControl=` lines listing each source file with its relative path |
| COM/ActiveX dependencies | `Reference=` and `Object=` lines specifying ActiveX/COM components by GUID, version, and path |
| Compiler settings | Stores build options including optimization level, version resource info, native vs. p-code compilation, and warning flags |
| Compatible IDE | Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 (1997) and Visual Basic 6.0 (1998) |
| Operating system | Windows only - the VB5/VB6 IDE is Windows-exclusive |
| Typical file size | 1 KB - 20 KB |
| Multi-project grouping | Several `.vbp` projects can be collected into a single `.vbg` group file opened as one workspace in the IDE |
| Internal format version | VB5 and VB6 share the same `.vbp` text format; they differ only in which runtime version and controls are referenced |
| Successor format | `.vbproj` (XML) introduced with VB.NET / Visual Studio .NET 2002; VB6 IDE cannot open `.vbproj` files |
| Released | 1991 (Visual Basic 1.0); the .vbp text form dates from Visual Basic 4/5/6 (1995-1998) |
| Latest version | Visual Basic 6.0 (1998) - the last classic VB; superseded by VB.NET (.vbproj) in 2002 |
| Specification | learn.microsoft.com |
VBP conversions
Community Q&A
asked by usersNo questions yet - be the first to ask about VBP files.
