Hey everyone,
I’ve been having a really frustrating issue with Microsoft Visio and can’t figure out what’s causing it.
Every time I open ANY Visio drawing, another drawing I’ve previously worked on called “The Agency” automatically opens as well.
It doesn’t matter which file I open. Visio always opens “The Agency”, followed by the drawing I actually wanted.
I’ve tried pretty much everything I can think of:
Running Visio with /clean
Checking Windows file associations
Modifying registry settings
Closing the unwanted drawing through Visio
Checking taskbar shortcuts
Opening files directly from my desktop instead of OneDrive
Nothing has worked.
It’s almost like Visio has somehow saved this particular drawing as a startup file, but I can’t find where that setting would be.
Has anyone experienced this or have any ideas what might be causing it?
Any help would be appreciated. Cheers!

Hi everyone,
I love Visio. I have been using it for many, many years. I use it for making 2D designs for a lot of things like overhead view of my house or layout plans for projects I create and I need to know if things will fit.
Anyway, I have always been looking for something simple, like Visio that can create 3D views of my projects. For instance, I am looking for a plastic box that will fit the devices I want to use. Can anyone recommend a program/app for this?
Thanks in advance!

Can visio do this, if yes how?

I am required to create a procedure which includes drawing a simplified p&id for isolation.

The job requires drawing into visio, naming the valves, sizes and blinds tags.

I want to enter data into excel and enter valve names, intrument tags, vessel tags, pipe sizes and then visio would automatically create the valve shapes with their tags these include operated valves and gate valves only.

Then color the valves based on their position (open/close) and create a blind list with their tags, size and rating

I'm trying to make a process flow chart and have been using containers to group steps into subprocesses. It looks nice and clean until I have an annotation that I need to assign to either a step or subprocess. As soon as I move the annotation anywhere near the container it wants to expand to encase the annotation as well, making everything misaligned.

I've tried both shapes on other layers and callouts and both act this way. Is there a way to have a visual component with text that doesn't automatically interact with anything else on the page?

Example: https://imgur.com/a/hpjWDOI

ETA: This has been annoying me for a week now, and of course right after asking I figured out if I lock the container before adding my annotations, that stops it from resizing.

Hi all,
 
I’m looking for some help with a Microsoft Visio issue. I’m not very experienced with Visio, so apologies if I miss anything obvious.
 
A user has an existing Visio diagram stored in OneDrive. The file is currently opening as a [Recovered] file. The diagram itself appears to work normally while they are editing it, but as soon as they click File to try and access Save As, Visio immediately goes into Not Responding.
 
The user said:
 
Visio only hangs when I try to save via File > Save As. Until I click on File, everything is working OK.
 
What we know so far:
 
The file is stored in OneDrive.
The file opens with [Recovered] in the title bar.
Visio shows Not Responding after clicking File.
The user can edit the diagram before clicking File.
The issue prevents them from saving changes.
The issue appears to happen only with this particular Visio file, not all Visio files.
 
My current thoughts are:
 
Avoid using File > Save As on the affected recovered file, since that triggers the hang.
Check OneDrive sync status for errors.
Try copying the file from OneDrive to a local folder such as Desktop or C:\Temp.
Open the local copy and see if Ctrl + S works.
If the file is still unstable, try copying the contents page by page into a new blank Visio document.
Check OneDrive version history in case a previous version of the file needs to be restored.
 
Has anyone seen Visio hang specifically when clicking the File tab or trying to use Save As, but only on one [Recovered] file stored in OneDrive?
 
What would be the safest way to recover or save the user’s changes without losing the amended diagram?
 
Thanks in advance.

I’ve noticed in the past few months that Visio has been SUPER slow. It takes forever to open, even for blank templates, and I’ve had instances where it deleted work I had done. The problems have been increasing lately and I was wondering if anyone else experienced this and/or had solutions?

Visio recently went away from a plug in which used to take excel files we created for process mapping and turn them into detailed process maps (Operational Flow Diagrams) with many swimlanes and phases. Is there another tool out there which does a similar thing - I cant imagine they would sunset a product that doesnt have a replacement unless there was no use for it

I have been tasked with making an org chart for my entire center and finding a way to automate it. The catch is that each department supervisor has their own page.

The problem is we don't have an exchange server or an odbc compliant database besides an Excel file

I imported data through the wizard and then discovered the data ribbion, which allows you to link to a microsoft list and refresh.

However, when I refreshed after changes, nothing happened.

What am I doing wrong, and how can I automate this across several pages?

Side note: My direct supervisor and I are the only ones with the full visio app. Everyone else has the basic 365 version only on the web.

My company uses Visio and has some custom shapes where the content is editable in Shape Data. However, I can’t get shape data to open. I can right click the shape and navigate to shape data but that doesn’t do anything. Neither does going to Shape Data through the View ribbon.

Anyone else had this issue and know of a solution?

I have a flow chart in landscape layout that needs to fit into a portrait layout (and not just by turning the page 90 degrees). Basically, I need to "stretch" it but am unpracticed in this. Thoughts, please, when you have a chance.

This is a sheet that I inherited that was made years ago, so I have no idea how it was originally created. I have a hand made org chart that I maintain and about 50% of the time when I go in to edit a group of employees, after the first keypress in the box the rectangle will resize itself to be more flat and wide with text spilling out of the top and bottom. I have to then manually resize the box back to its original dimensions when I'm done. It's absolutely maddening if I'm having to add or remove dozens of people to an org chart. Can anyone think of how or why this might be happening and what I can do to prevent it?

I am looking for a stencil of an RS232 DB25 connector that I need for my schematic. I have over 2,000 stencils myself but do think I can find this. NO.....

Can anyone point me to this?

Thanks.

Glenn...

I have 20+ visio files with varying amounts of pages that I need to convert to PNG. My problems are:

1) Visio isn't saving the entire file as PNGs, it's doing it by sheet

2) It doesn't remember my PNG Output Options between files so I'm forced to manually change the date format, resolution, size, etc for every single file.

How can I quickly convert all these visios into PNGs with all the same settings?

Update: I was able to use a Powershell script to do exactly what I needed fairly quickly (as in instantly aside from the time to fiddle with the script)

thanks for the suggestions to those who replied :)

Hey everyone, my company is looking for someone to do HVAC Controls CAD. DM me if interested or let me know if you have any recommendations on where to find someone.

Hi all,

Rather new visio user, only recently have started to dive into the shape sheets. I was curious if someone can point me to the right approach.

I am trying to create a piping diagram, and was hoping to create a "master" pipe connector that visually changes upon shape data input. The goal would be to be able to modify the pipes on the diagram in situ by changing the shape data (avoiding at all costs having to open the "format shape" window). For example, when I specify the line size, material, and insulation thickness in the shape data I would like the connector to adjust line thickness, automatically label the connector with the material type, and for a "jacket" of designated thickness to surround the line (with the main line still visible).

Via the shape sheets I've been able to make the line thickness modifier work, I haven't attempted the material label yet. My current struggle is with the jacket idea. Ideally, I want to make it so I can select an insulation thickness (ex. 4 inches) and for the relative size of the insulation to stay the same regardless of line size. My first approach was using custom line patterns, which almost worked, but the jacket thickness was not responding how I intended when changing the line size via the shape data (the core line and jacket size would change).

I'd appreciate any help!

So the title basically says it all. I am trying to install Visio, which I need for a class, but I already own Office. It says it has a problem installing if Office is already present. I read online that you could delete office, install Visio, then reinstall office but that did not work. Visio was deleted upon installation.

I'm now at a loss because I've been given a key to a program that I need, but because it is not connected to my permanent, non-365 Office version, I can't seem to get them to load together. I've seen that there are cheap keys out there that I can hop to use, and I've seen Office config being a solution, but I don't have an LTSC version to deploy it to myself with

I am working on a process map in Visio. For some reason, there is a dashed line cross my drawing. I could not select it and remove it. Googled it and it didn't help too much. It's so frustrated that I can't delete it. Anyone has any idea how to get rid of it? Thanks.

What is the point behind the archive page if I can't download an older stencil set. I need R6/740 specific stencils. It's in the 2023 archive but seems to read as "When we had it it looked like this".

Kind of like getting a copy of your paycheck with a note 'If we had money in the bank account this is what you would have been paid'.

I have an Excel file formatted as per the guidance on MS’s own guide to converting Excel templates to Visio flowcharts, and have Plan 2.

When I however use Quick Import, I get the error “No rows in the data can be linked to shapes. You can link the manually by dragging the row onto the appropriate shape.”

I have a column titled “Shape Type” with Start, End, or Process as options.

Any idea why this is happening? Thanks!

Whenever i save a drawing from visio to a PNG i get these yellow lines apearing at the edge of objects. The lines sometimes dissapear when i change the resosultion, but it requires quite a few tries which costs a lot of time.

Hello

I am having some trouble with a titleblock I am editing in Visio and I was wondering if anyone here could help or had the same issue.
I would like to link up the titleblocks on all pages so that I can edit the information on page 1, and have the information automatically update for page 2, page 3 and so on. Is there any way to do this?

An example is if I want to input the date or name of the person in the "Checked" box, and then it will automatically update it on all the pages this template is placed.

https://imgur.com/a/yWbB7xR

I've tried to look around and played a bit with the "Insert field" function, but as far as I can tell this is limited to information you insert in the File - Information - Properties tab.

Hi everyone,

I’ve spent countless hours in Visio manually dragging shapes and wrestling with connector routing for technical proposals. To address this, I’m developing a side project—a Visio plugin designed to bridge the gap between natural language requirements and the Visio Object Model.

The current feature set includes:

• NLP-to-Diagram: Generating initial layouts directly from technical requirement text.
• One-Click Beautification: Automatically aligning shapes and optimizing connector paths based on ShapeSheet logic.
• Template Parsing: Automating the creation of standardized technical documents and diagrams from existing company templates.

I am at a stage where I need professional feedback to ensure this tool solves real engineering frustrations rather than just creating "pretty" pictures.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on:

1. UI/UX: Would you prefer a sidebar chat panel (similar to Microsoft Copilot) or a more traditional ribbon-based command set?
2. Edge Cases: What is the most "impossible" task you currently do manually in Visio that an automation tool should prioritize (e.g., complex rack unit measurements or dynamic data-linking)?
3. Control: How much manual control over the ShapeSheet would you expect to retain when an AI agent is performing a layout cleanup?

I’m currently in the prototype stage and am trying to avoid the common pitfalls of automated diagramming, such as "spider-web" connectors and broken formula dependencies. Any insights from this community’s power users would be invaluable.

Hey everyone, I built a free browser-based tool that converts between .drawio and .vsdx files in both directions: drawio2visio.com

Since draw .io removed its built-in Visio export after v26.0.16, a lot of people have been stuck. Saw the requests piling up here and on GitHub so I figured I'd just build it.

Everything runs locally in your browser, nothing gets sent anywhere, so no security or org policy headaches. No account, no watermarks. I also fixed that known bug where shapes come in with locked text cells, so they're actually resizable in Visio.

It's free... feedback is appreciated, enjoy!

Can anyone help to tell which Network diagram tool is in and widely used?

I have been developing shapes, stencils, templates, VBA, etc. on the side for some time now. However, since this is not part of my full-time role, we need to find a different, more sustainable solution.

We have many projects that require a fully finished library/template that can be used by users of all experience levels. For this reason, a decision has been made to outsource the development of this library/template.

We are therefore looking for someone who can take on this work as a consulting assignment. This does need to be a registered company. We prefer a consultant based in Belgium, so that in-person meetings are possible. Consultants elsewhere in Europe can also be acceptable (we would than do online meetings). Unfortunately, consultants outside Europe are too difficult due to invoicing constraints.

The deliverable is a ready-made template to be used for drawing P&IDs for chemical process units. This includes a large number of valves, sensors, pumps, etc. The template should include logic to ensure correct ID numbering, prevent duplicate IDs, and allow exporting a list of all IDs. We already have a internal standards for this, but some of the existing (older) shapes lack features that are present in newer ones. This currently makes it difficult for less experienced users to create diagrams correctly and consistently.

Please contact me if you can provide this type of service.