In addition, there is no version of Visio for Mac OS X, so Mac users are locked out of the platform unless they’re working from the web. While Microsoft does offer a free Visio Viewer application, allowing users to view and comment on Visio files, there’s no free plan to speak of. To open this document, your computer must be running a supported version of Microsoft Visio and a browser that supports opening files directly from Visio Web Access Cause This issue occurs because Visio Web Access invokes the client application by using the ms-visio:ofv u documenturl protocol, but Visio Viewer doesn't support or process this. VSD to PDF - Convert file now. View other document file formats. Technical Details.vsd files may contain text, objects and can link to other data sources using the ODBC middleware connection. Whilst the Visio application is relatively expensive, Microsoft offer a freeware application, Microsoft Visio Viewer which allows for.vsd files to be.
-->Originally published: May 21, 2018
Updated: October 11, 2020
Please go here to search for your product's lifecycle.
Beginning September 30th, 2021, Visio Web Access (also called Visio Services) and its Web Part for SharePoint in Microsoft 365 will no longer be available. We recommend that customers upgrade to Visio for the web - the new way to view, create and share Visio diagrams in SharePoint.
After September 30th, Visio files from SharePoint will continue to open in Visio for the web, but the user will not be able to switch to Visio Services. Additionally:
- If you were using Visio Services Web Access for web page viewing, you will need to resave your .VDW files into the new file format .VSD/.VSDX
- If you were using Visio Web Access Web Part, you will need to migrate it to Visio Online File Viewer Web Part to embed Visio documents in SharePoint
- If you were using Visio Services Web Access Web Parts with JS APIs, you will need to migrate them to iFrame with new JS APIs in Visio for the web to stop them from working
Microsoft recommends that customers start upgrading to Visio for the web, which supports richer scenarios such as find, pan/zoom, and Power BI integrated dashboards. Go here for more information about this discontinuation and migration instructions.
Creating diagrams and charts is an essential part of an organization to get a bird’s eye view of all the activities in it. Because such drawings are complex in nature, programs like Microsoft Visio are used to prepare them. Post creation, if any changes are needed in the illustrations, an efficient Visio editor can be used. Such a Visio editor may not necessarily be from Microsoft itself but can be a product from a third-party developer that can efficiently edit Visio files.
Furthermore, some Visio online editor apps are also available that enable you to edit Visio files using your favorite web browser.
Visio is one of the products from the Microsoft Office suite. It is used to draw diagrams, charts, and many other graphical representations to give detailed information about a system, concept, or plan at a single glance.
Microsoft Visio is equipped with several libraries, where each library consists of various related shapes that help you draw the domain-specific illustrations with ease. For instance, the Floor Plan library is populated with symbols to draw walls, doors, windows, etc. Likewise, the Flow Chart library has the Start, Stop, Processing, etc., shapes to prepare a visual illustration of how a particular application should process the data post-development.
Because Visio is a Microsoft product, it can easily integrate with Microsoft SharePoint and other corporate solutions offered by the vendor.
Microsoft Visio – Pros and Cons
Microsoft Visio is an industry-standard diagramming software and a decent VSDX editor that is used by many professionals across the globe. However, as with any other application, there are some advantages and disadvantages that the app comes with.
Some most significant pros and cons of Microsoft Visio include:
Pros
- Has sufficient number of libraries, tools, and shapes to prepare simple to highly complex diagrams and charts.
- Offers complete control over all the functionalities of the app.
- Being a product of Microsoft, Visio can be trusted, and the technical support team can be counted on in case of any inconsistencies or crashes.
Cons
- Microsoft Visio is pretty expensive as compared to other third-party drawing tools available in the market.
- Requires a decent amount of training to be able to use flawlessly.
- Requires a dedicated professional or a team of professionals to prepare charts and diagrams.
- Visio is not available for PCs running Mac or Linux operating systems.
- Visio editor is needed to edit a file created with Microsoft Visio.
Keeping the above points in mind, you can clearly understand that Microsoft Visio is suitable only if you are technically skilled and have a hefty amount of money kept aside to invest in the app.
However, if you are a freelancer or work in an organization looking for an easy and comparatively cheaper solution that can produce identical outputs and even supports files created in Microsoft Visio, a product called EdrawMax developed by Wondershare would be your best bet.
EdrawMax not only costs lesser than Visio, but it also has more libraries, tools, and shapes that make your model creation experience fairly simple. Furthermore, the application is smart enough to recognize the files created in both pre and post-2010 versions of Microsoft Visio.
Microsoft Visio File Types
Before proceeding any further, it is important to know the different file extensions that Microsoft Visio files have as per their nature. These extensions are:
VSDX - The drawing projects created in Microsoft Visio 2013 or above versions use *.vsdx file extension.
VSD - The drawing projects created in Microsoft Visio 2010 or earlier versions use *.vsd file extension.
VSSX - When you save a Visio drawing as a stencil, *.vssx extension is assigned to such a file.
After understanding the different Visio file types, it’s now time to see how they can be imported to EdrawMax to use the program as an efficient Visio editor.
To use EdrawMax as a VSDX editor, you can:
- Launch EdrawMax on your computer.
- Click Import from the navigation pane in the left of the main window.
- Click the Import Visio File button from the Import window in the right.
- Locate, select, and import the VSDX or VSD file from your PC to the program.
To import a VSSX file to EdrawMax, you can:
- Initialize EdrawMax.
- Click to select New from the navigation bar in the left.
- Click the + button from the right window to open a new drawing project. Alternatively, you can also click the thumbnail of an existing template or open an already created EdrawMax project file.
- When the new (or an existing) drawing project opens, click Import symbols from the right side of the My Library title bar.
- Go to the Import VSSX tab on the Import Symbols box.
- Click Select VSSX Files from the center
- Select and import the VSSX Visio Stencil file from your PC to EdrawMax.
How to Edit Visio Files?
In order to edit Visio files in EdrawMax, you can follow the steps given above to import the VSDX or VSD drawings to the app, and then:
- Click to select any shape of the diagram in the canvas.
- Use the options in the right to make the required changes to the shape.
- Add more shapes to the diagram by dragging them from the Library in the left.
- Go to File, and click Save As or Save to save the project as an EdrawMax file with *.eddx extension on your local hard drive or to your personal cloud
After you have created a drawing in EdrawMax, you can even export it as a VSDX file so that the people who are comfortable with Microsoft Visio can import the project and make the required adjustments. To export an EdrawMax (*.eddx or *.edx) file as Visio, you can:
- Go to File > Export & Send from the navigation bar in the left.
- Click to select Visio from the Export bar in the center.
- Click Visio VSDX Format from the Export to Visio window in the right.
- Choose a location on your local hard drive, and save the file.
Note: At the time of this writing, EdrawMax only supports VSDX format when exporting the projects for Visio. As mentioned earlier, the VSDX files are compatible with the 2013 or later versions of Microsoft Visio.
EdrawMax – Easier than Visio
Even though Visio is a product by one of the industry's leading vendors, it has a steep learning curve, and only technically skilled people can use it to produce highly advanced diagrams. On the other hand, when it comes to EdrawMax, the app comes with several advantages, including
- Available at a lower cost as compared to Microsoft Visio.
- Can import Visio files seamlessly, thus working as an efficient Visio editor (VSDX editor).
- Can import Visio stencil files as custom/personal libraries.
- Is populated with more symbols, icons, and shapes than there are in Microsoft Visio.
- Offers extremely intuitive interface, and therefore even the novice users can create projects and diagrams.
- Can export the project files with *.vsdx extension that can be used in Microsoft Visio.
When it comes to creating charts and diagrams, the shapes, symbols, and connecting lines play a vital role in producing a clean illustration. While Microsoft Visio might sound advanced and allows its projects to be integrated with SharePoint, EdrawMax is equipped with comparatively more objects in each of its libraries.
Open Vsd File Without Visio
In addition, because EdrawMax can import VSDX projects, it can be used as a decent Visio editor to edit Visio files. The best part is, EdrawMax can be downloaded and tried for free, and if found useful, its licensed copy can be purchased later from the official website.
Open Vsd Online
View Visio Files Online
EdrawMax: a swiss knife for all your diagramming need
- Effortlessly create over 280 types of diagrams.
- Provide various templates & symbols to match your needs.
- Drag and drop interface and easy to use.
- Customize every detail by using smart and dynamic toolkits.
- Compatible with a variety of file formats, such as MS Office, Visio, PDF, etc.
- Feel free to export, print, and share your diagrams.