Microsoft: Retiring VBScript will break Slmgr.vbs Windows activation tool
Microsoft is telling enterprises to migrate away from Slmgr.vbs, the VBScript-based tool used to manage Windows product activation, because VBScript itself is being phased out of Windows. The company recommends switching to PowerShell equivalents before VBScript is removed entirely in a future Windows release.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Slmgr.vbs is widely used by IT departments to activate and license large fleets of Windows machines, so losing it without a replacement plan could disrupt enterprise licensing operations. This is part of a decades-long cleanup of legacy scripting technology that predates modern automation tools like PowerShell.
- VBScript, nearly 30 years old, is being phased out of Windows entirely.
- Slmgr.vbs, a VBScript tool for managing Windows activation, will stop working once VBScript is removed.
- Microsoft urges businesses to migrate to PowerShell-based activation management before the deprecation is finalized.
Source: techspot.com — Alfonso Maruccia, 2026-09-12
Published there as: “Microsoft warns that killing VBScript could break Windows activation for businesses”
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