Also works in VBA (Excel, Access, Word, Outlook), VB.NET, C#, C++, Delphi, Python, PowerShell — and any COM host.
LiteView2 is a commercial 32-bit ActiveX OCX that embeds Chromium WebView2 inside Visual Basic 6 applications. Microsoft has no official WebView2 support for VB6. LiteView2 ships a signed, commercially supported x86 OCX — registered or registration-free deployment, 270+ methods, 59 events.
30-day commercial trial · 32-bit x86 OCX included · No admin required (reg-free mode)
"There's no official support of VB6 for WebView2 from Microsoft" — Microsoft Q&A (question 727127)
"I wish…that Microsoft creates a webview2.ocx control or webview2.dll with a com interface [supporting] VB6, VC++6, Delphi, VBA (Excel, Access), and FoxPro" — WebView2Feedback #1392 (closed "not planned")
The legacy Internet Explorer WebBrowser control built into VB6 via shdocvw.dll stopped receiving security updates after Internet Explorer end-of-support on June 15, 2022. Modern web applications render incorrectly or not at all in the IE engine. The gap — a supported, production-ready Chromium browser for VB6 — has no official Microsoft solution. LiteView2 fills it.
Registered Mode (after regsvr32 LiteView2_x86.ocx) — drop the control on a form and wire events:
' In a VB6 Form module
Private WithEvents m_lv As LiteView2.LiteView2Ctrl
Private Sub Form_Load()
Set m_lv = LiteView2Ctrl1.Object
End Sub
Private Sub m_lv_WebViewReady()
m_lv.SetLocalContentRoot App.Path & "\html"
m_lv.Navigate "https://lv2.local/dashboard.html"
End Sub
Private Sub m_lv_NavigationCompleted(ByVal url As String, ByVal success As Boolean)
' Page loaded — safe to push data or execute script
m_lv.ExecuteScript "updateStatus('VB6 connected')"
End Sub
Private Sub m_lv_WebMessageReceived(ByVal message As String, ByVal source As String)
' Receive data from JavaScript
Debug.Print "From JS: " & message
End SubReg-Free Mode — no registration, no admin rights, OCX travels with your .exe:
' Declarations (add to a BAS module)
#If VBA7 Or Win64 Then
' (not applicable in VB6 — VB6 is always 32-bit)
#End If
Private Declare Function LiteView2_ActivateManifest _
Lib "LiteView2_x86.ocx" (ByVal path As Long) As Long
Private Declare Function LiteView2_CreateBrowserPool _
Lib "LiteView2_x86.ocx" () As Object
' In Form_Load:
Private pool As Object
Private idx As Long
Private Sub Form_Load()
LiteView2_ActivateManifest StrConv(App.Path & "\LiteView2_x86.ocx", vbFromUnicode)
Set pool = LiteView2_CreateBrowserPool()
idx = pool.CreateInControl("about:blank", Frame1)
pool.SetReadyCallback idx, Me, "OnBrowserReady"
End Sub
Public Sub OnBrowserReady()
pool.SetLocalContentRoot idx, App.Path & "\html"
pool.Navigate idx, "https://lv2.local/dashboard.html"
End SubRegistered Mode: Run regsvr32 LiteView2_x86.ocx once on each machine (admin required). Drop the LiteView2Ctrl from the Toolbox onto your VB6 form at design time.
Reg-Free Mode: Copy LiteView2_x86.ocx next to your compiled .exe. Call LiteView2_ActivateManifest at startup. No admin rights required on any target machine — the OCX travels with your application like any other DLL.
WebView2 Runtime: Pre-installed on Windows 10 1809+ and Windows 11. For older targets, bundle the standalone runtime installer (no admin required on most configurations).
Microsoft has confirmed "there's no official support of VB6 for WebView2 from Microsoft." LiteView2 provides a commercial, supported 32-bit ActiveX OCX that fills this gap.
Yes. VB6 is always 32-bit. LiteView2_x86.ocx is the correct file for VB6 — it works in both the VB6 IDE and compiled executables.
The WebBrowser control still loads but received no security updates after IE end-of-support on June 15, 2022. Modern HTTPS sites, ES6+ JavaScript, and HTML5 APIs render incorrectly or fail entirely in the IE engine. LiteView2 replaces it with a current Chromium engine.
Community wrappers are valuable open-source efforts. They are typically labeled beta by their own authors and ship without commercial support, SLA, or paid maintenance. LiteView2 is commercially supported software: releases are signed, bugs are triaged, and licensing is unambiguous for enterprise deployment.
32-bit x86 OCX included. Registered or reg-free. 270+ methods. Free 30-day trial.
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