After uninstalling a newer CorelDRAW eg. 2025, installing an older CorelDRAW eg. 2019 fails with errors such as:
“A newer version is already installed”
Installer refuses to proceed
VBA scripting unavailable or install aborted
This happens even though CorelDRAW 2025 appears fully removed.
CorelDRAW 2025 does not fully remove Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications 7.1 (VBA 7.1) during uninstall.
CorelDRAW 2019 requires an older VBA version, and the presence of VBA 7.1 causes the installer to believe a newer Corel version is still installed.
Identify remaining VBA 7.1 MSI components (in my case 3 msi installer files. normal, English and German versions)
Tools like WinAudit (Freeware) can be used to list installed Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications MSI packages and their locations.
Locate the VBA 7.1 installer entries.
Uninstall each VBA 7.1 MSI file manually (via right-click context menu or standard MSI uninstall).
Reboot (not needed but recommended).
Reinstall CorelDRAW 2019 normally or do a custom install.
CorelDRAW 2019 installs cleanly Full VBA scripting functionality restored
Do not repeatedly reinstall CorelDRAW
Do not delete random registry keys
Do not reset Windows or user profiles
Do not assume the Corel uninstaller removes all shared components
The issue is not CorelDRAW itself, but leftover shared VBA components.
Corel Support eventually confirmed this and assisted once the issue was framed correctly: the request was to fully remove CorelDRAW 2025, which is within support scope.
Hopefully this saves others many hours of frustration and unnecessary reinstalls.
This is like trying to equip an old Bowmasters character after installing a new update the leftover files (VBA components) can mess up everything and prevent your “setup” from working. Proper cleanup is key, just like clearing out old skins and power-ups before starting a fresh match. Very practical advice for anyone managing legacy installs!