Microsoft Visio 2021 key / License

Microsoft Visio is used to create diagram types such as flowcharts, org charts, floor plans, network diagrams, UML diagrams, mind maps and more. It is also commonly used for scenarios such as Process Mapping and Visual Collaboration. The latest version of Visio also has data visualization that allows users to create diagrams from Excel data and also embed Visio diagrams in Power BI dashboards.

Microsoft made Visio 2013 for Windows available in two editions: Standard and Professional. The Standard and Professional editions share the same interface, but the Professional edition has additional templates for more advanced diagrams and layouts, as well as capabilities intended to make it easy for users to connect their diagrams to data sources and to display their data graphically.^[5][6] The Professional edition features three additional diagram types, as well as intelligent rules, validation, and subprocess (diagram breakdown).^[7] Visio Professional is also offered as an additional component of an Office365 subscription.^[8]

On 22 September 2015, Visio 2016 was released alongside Microsoft Office 2016. A few new features have been added such as one-step connectivity with Excel data, information rights management (IRM) protection for Visio files, modernized shapes for office layout, detailed shapes for site plans, updated shapes for floor plans, modern shapes for home plans, IEEE compliant shapes for electrical diagrams, new range of starter diagrams, and new themes for the Visio interface.^[9]

Database modeling in Visio revolves around a Database Model Diagram (DMD).^[10]

File formats[edit]

Native file formats

Icons for .vsd (left) and .vss (right) files
VSD	Drawing
VSS	Stencil
VST	Template
VDW	Web drawing[11]
VDX	XML drawing (Discontinued[12])
VSX	XML stencil (Discontinued[12])
VTX	XML template (Discontinued[12])
VSDX	OPC/XML drawing[12][13]
VSDM	OPC/XML drawing, macro-enabled[12]
VSSX	OPC/XML stencil[12]
VSSM	OPC/XML stencil, macro-enabled[12]
VSTX	OPC/XML template[12]
VSTM	OPC/XML template, macro-enabled[12]
VSL	Add-on

All of the previous versions of Visio used VSD, the proprietary binary-file format. Visio 2010 added support for the VDX file format, which is a well-documented XML Schema-based (“DatadiagramML”) format, but still uses VSD by default only.

Visio 2013 drops support for writing VDX files in favor of the new VSDX and VSDM file formats, and uses them by default. Created based on Open Packaging Conventions (OPC) standard (ISO 29500, Part 2), a VSDX or VSDM file consists of a group of XML files archived inside a Zip file. VSDX and VSDM files differ only in that VSDM files may contain macros. Since these files are susceptible to macro virus infection, the program enforces strict security on them.

While VSD files use LZW-like lossless compression, VDX is not compressed. Hence, a VDX file typically takes up 3 to 5 times more storage.VSDX and VSDM files use the same compression as Zip files.

Visio also supports saving files in SVG files, other diagramming files and images. However, images cannot be opened by the program.