Occasionally, I have the need to open a Visio diagram but don't have a need to create or modify them. So, the Visio viewer seemed to be an ideal option. However, after installing the viewer (I tried this with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions), I was still unable to open a Visio file.
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Like most free alternatives, Draw.io lives in your web browser, instead of as a downloadable program for Mac or Windows. For some, this gives it an edge over other programs.
Use Visio Online There are two Visio Online packages available. Plan one allows you to open, create and share simple diagrams online for just £4.50 per user/month or £3.80 per user/month if you take an annual subscription. If you only need to open or create simple Visio files, this is a budget-friendly option. This seems to be a known problem for Visio 2010 files when you have Visio 2010 and Office 2013 installed on the machine. If you see the URL, you will see a small prefix “ms-visio:ofv” which is the protocol used for Office 2013. Access the files you need, anytime, anywhere. If the files are stored online, you can open and view them from any device, including iPhone or iPad. To view files offline, just download the Visio Viewer web app.
The best I could get was Windows asking what I would like to use to open the file and Visio viewer wasn't an option. After drilling down to find the executable file, I found the viewer (VPREVIEW.EXE) would display a message saying 'This program can only run from within another program” when I tried to execute it. I discovered the Visio viewer is designed to use ActiveX controls within Internet Explorer. Since I had disabled IE 11 on my system (using the 'Turn Windows features on or off'), the viewer had nowhere to execute since Edge doesn't support ActiveX.
I found a Chrome plug-in in the Chrome web store that will allow me to view Visio files from inside Chrome. However, it requires me to click on a tag in the Chrome header and then drag the Visio file into the Chrome window.
So, the alternatives appear to be to enable IE 11 or use a Chrome plug-in.
Before learning the process of inserting Visio into Word, it is important to understand what Visio is in the first place, and how does the program help you as an end-user.
A simple answer to the question is, Visio is a diagramming software that is used to create flowcharts, organizational hierarchy charts, network diagrams, and much more. The application is a product of Microsoft and is a member of the MS Office family. The most recent version of the app, Microsoft Visio 2019, was released alongside Microsoft Office 2019 suite and comprised some advanced options that were not present in the prior editions. In addition, you can also subscribe to Visio Plan 1 or Visio Plan 2 if you are already using Microsoft Office 365.
In the following sections, you will learn how to insert a Visio diagram in an MS Word file, view it, and even edit the source drawing right from within the Word document itself.
How to Insert Visio Drawing in Word Document
Once you have opened MS Word Visio drawing is easy to insert into the document. You can follow the instructions given below to get this done:
Step 1: Get to the Object Box
Open the MS Word document you want to insert a Visio drawing in, place the cursor where you want the diagram to appear, go to Insert from the top and click Object from the Text group to open the Object box.
Step 2: Insert Visio Drawing
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Go to the Create from File tab on the Object box, click Browse, use the Browse box to locate and select the Visio file (with *.vsdx extension), click Open, check the Link to file box once you are back on the Object box, and click OK to insert the Visio drawing to the MS Word file.
How to View and Edit Visio Diagram in Word
As far as Microsoft Visio is concerned, if the inserted drawing is linked to the source *vsdx file as explained in the previous section, click the options to view and edit the drawing open the same window, i.e., the diagram in Visio itself.
You can learn how to view/edit a Visio diagram in MS Word by following the instructions given below:
Step 1: Select the Drawing
Launch MS Word and open the *.docx file with the Visio diagram that you want to view or edit. Next, left-click the drawing to select it.
Step 2: View or Edit the Drawing
Right-click the selected diagram, hover mouse pointer to Linked Visio Object in the context menu that appears and click Edit Link or Open Link from the submenu that comes up. It launches Microsoft Visio and opens the selected diagram that you can view and/or edit.
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How to Export Visio Diagrams to Microsoft Word
Apart from inserting Visio into Word, you can also export a diagram that you have created in Microsoft Visio directly to MS Word without leaving the application. This can be done from the “Process” ribbon that Visio has.
The steps given below explain how to export a Visio diagram to MS Word easily:
Step 1: Select the Drawing to Export
Launch Microsoft Visio, open the file with the diagram that you want to export, and left-click once to select the diagram.
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Step 2: Export Diagram to Word
Go to the Process menu from the top, click Word from the Export group, and follow the on-screen instructions from there to export the Visio diagram to MS Word. Alternatively, you can go to File > Export > Create Word Document > Create Document to export the diagram to Word.
Note: The steps given above are applicable only if you are using Microsoft Office 365 and Visio Plan 2. If there is a version mismatch, you may not be able to find the options suggested in the above instructions. In order to check the version of the app you are using, launch Microsoft Visio, go to File, and click Account from the menu.
If you are aware of the functioning of SharePoint, working with Microsoft Visio would give you extensive exposure in your career. While Microsoft SharePoint has a steep learning curve, Visio can be learned comparatively easily as long as you have studied well, and have a good understanding of the diagrams like flowcharts, organizational hierarchy, network diagrams, and their symbols, floor plans, etc. depending on your area of specialization.
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How To Open Visio File Online
If you find working with Microsoft Visio challenging and inserting Visio into Word even harder due to the overly populated interface, there is another, somewhat easier alternative called Edraw Max that you can try your hands on. The tool is available as both desktop and online variants, and using the web version of the solution is free. All you need is a valid email address, and you are good to go.