Extract text from Visual Basic documents (VBD)
To convert VBD documents to another format, you need Microsoft Visual Basic or other Developer software.
To convert other file formats to the "ActiveX Document File" file type, you need software like Microsoft Visual Basic or a similar tool.
The .VBD file format is most commonly a Visual Basic User Document, developed by Microsoft. These files act as containers for ActiveX applications, allowing interactive Visual Basic components to be embedded and run within legacy web browsers like Internet Explorer. Another common use for the .VBD extension is for Dutch corporate tax returns filed via the Belastingdienst. Additionally, it occasionally appears as a barcode verification data report generated by Label Vision Systems (LVS) equipment.
The main disadvantage of .VBD files is severe obsolescence and proprietary lock-in. Visual Basic 6.0 is long retired, and modern web browsers actively block ActiveX controls due to massive security vulnerabilities. You cannot natively open these old Microsoft Compound files without legacy software or a specialized integrated development environment (IDE). The tax and barcode variants are equally closed off, requiring the exact generating software to parse the structured data.
Because of these proprietary architectures, direct online conversion is challenging. Standard online converters cannot parse compiled binary or structured application data. Developers usually need to migrate legacy code manually to modern frameworks like NET (e.g., CS or modern VB). For tax returns or barcode reports, printing to PDF or exporting to CSV from within the original software is the only reliable path.
This file format is exceptionally difficult to open or convert because often only the original software can properly read or export the data. However, convert.guru can still help. Just drag and drop your file to identify the format, view it, and convert it when possible. Since many of these are Microsoft Compound files, our tools can inspect the internal streams to extract raw text or embedded assets, even if a direct format shift is impossible.
Convert.Guru analyzes your VBD file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted 30, 19 and KDH files.
If you want to convert VBD file to HTML, HTM, CSS, JS, PHP, ASP, ASPX, JSP, JSPX, PY, RB or PL, you can use Microsoft Visual Basic or similar software from the "Visual Basic Document Storage" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert RSS, CSS, CGI, SITEMAP, PL, WEBMANIFEST, JSON, JS, XML, HTML, ICO or HTM files to VBD, try Microsoft Visual Basic or another comparable tool in the "Visual Basic Document Storage" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our VBD converter.