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Visual Basic 6

WebView2 for VB6 — Commercial ActiveX OCX

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")

Why VB6 developers need this

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.

What you get

32-bit x86 OCXLiteView2_x86.ocx — runs in VB6's 32-bit IDE and compiled executables
270+ MethodsNavigation, DOM, JavaScript execution, PDF, screenshots, cookies, downloads
59 EventsWebViewReady, NavigationCompleted, WebMessageReceived, and 56 more
JSON EngineStandalone C++ JSON parser — no WebView2 required for JSON work alone
Reg-Free DeployCopy OCX next to your .exe — no regsvr32, no admin rights on any target machine
Commercially SupportedSigned releases, bug triage, enterprise license terms — not a beta hobby project

VB6 code sample

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 Sub

Reg-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 Sub

Deployment

Registered 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).

Frequently asked questions

Is there a WebView2 control for Visual Basic 6?

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.

Does LiteView2 work with 32-bit VB6?

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.

What happened to the legacy IE WebBrowser control in VB6?

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.

How is LiteView2 different from community OCX wrappers?

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.

Modern Chromium in VB6 — starting today

32-bit x86 OCX included. Registered or reg-free. 270+ methods. Free 30-day trial.

Download free 30-day trial
30-day commercial trial · No telemetry · 32-bit and 64-bit OCX included

WebView2 ActiveX — all COM hosts · Replace the WebBrowser Control · Reg-free deployment · Pricing