What Is a .VSDX File?

Microsoft Visio Drawing (.vsdx, .vsd)

Overview

Visio is Microsoft's diagramming application, and .vsdx is its drawing file: flowcharts, network diagrams, floor plans, org charts and UML, built from shapes on pages with connectors that reroute when shapes move. The older .vsd format served Visio from 1992 to 2010; .vsdx replaced it in Visio 2013.

The two formats are structurally unrelated. .vsd is a binary OLE compound document, like .doc. .vsdx is a ZIP archive of XML parts, like .docx, which makes it far easier for other software to read.

Technical Specifications

• MIME Types: application/vnd.visio (.vsd), application/vnd.ms-visio.drawing.main+xml (.vsdx)
• File Extensions: .vsdx (drawing), .vsdm (macro-enabled), .vstx / .vstm (templates), .vssx / .vssm (stencils); legacy .vsd, .vst, .vss; .vdx (Visio 2003 to 2010 XML)
• Category: Document
• Container: Open Packaging Conventions (ZIP) for .vsdx; OLE2 for .vsd
• Developer: Shapeware (1992), Microsoft since 2000
• Magic bytes: 50 4B 03 04 (.vsdx, ZIP); D0 CF 11 E0 A1 B1 1A E1 (.vsd, OLE2)

Identification

A .vsdx opens as a ZIP whose [Content_Types].xml references application/vnd.ms-visio.drawing.main+xml and whose visio/ folder holds document.xml, pages/, and masters/. A .vsd carries the OLE2 header shared with .doc and .xls; the stream named VisioDocument inside identifies it.

File Structure (.vsdx)

diagram.vsdx (ZIP)
├── [Content_Types].xml
├── _rels/.rels
├── docProps/                  title, author, custom properties
└── visio/
    ├── document.xml           document-wide settings, styles, colours
    ├── pages/
    │   ├── pages.xml          page list
    │   └── page1.xml          shapes, connectors, text for one page
    ├── masters/               the stencil shapes the drawing uses
    ├── media/                 embedded images
    └── theme/                 themes

Each shape is a <Shape> element with a ShapeSheet of cells (PinX, Width, FillForegnd, text, formulas), which is why Visio diagrams can carry data and behave like small spreadsheets.

History and Development

Visio Corporation shipped Visio 1.0 in 1992 as a Windows drawing tool with "smart" shapes that snapped and connected. Microsoft bought the company in 2000 and folded Visio into the Office family, though it has always been sold separately. Visio 2013 introduced the XML-based .vsdx format in line with the rest of Office, and Microsoft published its specification (MS-VSDX). Visio for the web and a Microsoft 365 web viewer followed, which is how most non-Visio users now open the files.

Common Use Cases

• Flowcharts and process maps in business documentation
• Network and rack diagrams in IT, often with vendor stencils
• Org charts generated from Active Directory or Excel data
• Floor plans, office layouts and electrical schematics
• Software diagrams: UML, database ERDs, wireframes
• Data-linked diagrams that update from Excel or SharePoint

How to Open a VSDX File

With Microsoft software

• Visio (desktop or Plan 1/2 subscription): full editing. .vsd files open too and can be saved as .vsdx.
• Visio for the web: included in most Microsoft 365 business plans; opens and edits .vsdx in a browser.
• Microsoft 365 viewer: upload the file to OneDrive or SharePoint and click it. This displays .vsdx without a Visio licence and is the simplest way to look at a file you were sent.
• Microsoft Teams: .vsdx attachments preview inline.
• Visio Viewer: a free legacy add-in for Internet Explorer; effectively retired.

Without Microsoft software

• LibreOffice Draw (Windows, macOS, Linux): opens .vsdx and .vsd with good fidelity for most diagrams, through the libvisio import filter. Free, and the best option on Linux.
• draw.io / diagrams.net (web and desktop, free): File, Import from, Device, choose the .vsdx. Converts shapes and connectors to its own format; a strong choice if you want to keep editing without Visio.
• Lucidchart and Miro: import .vsdx into their online editors (account required).
• macOS: no native viewer. LibreOffice Draw, draw.io, or the Microsoft 365 web viewer.
• iPhone and Android: the OneDrive and Teams apps preview .vsdx; no general-purpose mobile viewer exists.

Extracting what is inside

# A .vsdx is a ZIP: list and pull out embedded images or the XML
unzip -l diagram.vsdx
unzip diagram.vsdx 'visio/media/*' -d extracted/

How to Convert a Visio File

To PDF or image (for sharing)

• Visio: File, Export, PDF, or Save As PNG, SVG, JPEG per page.
• LibreOffice Draw: open, then File, Export As, PDF, or Export to SVG/PNG.
• Command line with LibreOffice: soffice --headless --convert-to pdf diagram.vsdx.

To an editable format for other tools

• To draw.io: import as above, then save as .drawio or export SVG.
• To SVG: Visio and LibreOffice both export it; SVG keeps the vectors editable in Inkscape or Illustrator.
• To PowerPoint or Word: Visio's Copy and Paste Special, Enhanced Metafile embeds a vector picture; Visio for the web offers Export to PowerPoint.

.vsd to .vsdx

Open in Visio 2013 or later and Save As .vsdx. LibreOffice Draw also reads .vsd, so a Visio licence is not strictly required to recover the content.

Advantages

• Smart shapes and connectors that maintain structure as the diagram changes.
• Huge stencil ecosystem, including official vendor shapes for networking and hardware.
• Data linking to Excel, SQL and SharePoint.
• Open XML format (.vsdx) with a published specification.

Limitations

• Licence cost: Visio is a separate purchase or subscription.
• Windows-centric: no macOS desktop version; the web app is the Mac answer.
• Imperfect third-party rendering: complex diagrams lose fidelity in LibreOffice and draw.io.
• Legacy .vsd needs conversion for modern tools.

Related Formats

• DOCX: the sibling Office format built on the same ZIP-and-XML packaging.
• DOC: shares the OLE2 container with legacy .vsd.
• SVG: the usual editable export.
• PDF: the usual distribution export.