# Import Visio and export diagrams

> Turn a Visio .vsdx file into a PlexiiDiagrams diagram, and save any diagram as a PNG, SVG, JPG or PDF to share or print.

Source: https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-visio-import-and-export
Section: Office > Diagrams
Plans: All plans
Updated: 2026-10-15

PlexiiDiagrams can read Visio drawings (.vsdx files), so you can carry on with a diagram someone made elsewhere. Any diagram can be saved as a picture or a PDF to put in a document, an email or a slide, or to print.

## Before you start

- Importing and exporting are on every plan.
- PlexiiDiagrams imports .vsdx files, and exports .png, .svg, .jpg and .pdf files.

## Import a Visio file

1. Open the Documents page. See [The Documents page](https://plexiidesk.com/help/office-documents-page).
2. In the row under the AI box, after the **Or start blank** choices, click **Import Visio**.
3. In the **Import Visio diagram** window, choose the .vsdx file and open it.

A new diagram opens, named after the first page of the Visio drawing, or after the file when the page has no name. The file on your computer stays as it is.

### What comes in

- **The shapes**, where they sat on the page and at their size, with their text.
- **The connectors** between shapes, as PlexiiDiagrams connectors with arrows, with any text on them as their labels.
- **Every page.** The pages are placed one below another on the canvas, in order.

Shapes come in as the nearest PlexiiDiagrams shape: decisions as **Decision**, start and end shapes as **Start / End**, data and input or output shapes as **Data**, databases and stores as **Store**, circles as **Circle**, preparation shapes as **Prep**, and everything else as **Process**. Every shape comes in blue. The Visio drawing's colours, fonts, line styles and pictures are not brought in.

> **Tip:**
> After importing, click **Arrange** to set the diagram out in neat layers, or **Fit** to see all of it. Then give shapes colours and adjust the layout. See [Draw a flowchart](https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-draw-a-flowchart).

## Export a diagram

1. Open the diagram.
2. Click **Export** in the toolbar and choose a format:
   - **PNG image**: a picture, for documents, slides and chat.
   - **SVG (vector)**: a drawing that stays sharp at any size, for design tools and websites.
   - **JPG image**: a smaller picture file, for email.
   - **PDF**: a single page the size of the diagram, for sharing and printing.
3. In the save window, choose where to save the file. The diagram's name is filled in as the file name.
4. Click **Save**.

The toolbar shows **Saved** and where the file went for a few seconds.

The export holds the whole diagram, whatever part of it you are looking at, on a white background, trimmed to the shapes with a margin around them. Shapes, their names, connectors with their arrows, dashed lines and labels, and lanes are all included. A live widget from a desk appears as a box labelled **live widget**, because its contents change.

## Common questions

**Can I export a diagram back to Visio?** No. Export it as an SVG to keep it as a scalable drawing, or as a PDF or picture to share.

**The import says it found no pages or no shapes.** The file may be empty, or hold only pictures or text. Check that it opens in the app that made it and has shapes on a page.

**The import says it could not read the file.** Check that the file is a .vsdx file. An older .vsd file needs saving as .vsdx first.

**Where is Import Visio in Office?** It is on the Documents page. See [The Documents page](https://plexiidesk.com/help/office-documents-page).

**Where did my exported file go?** To the folder you chose in the save window. The toolbar briefly shows the full location.

**How do I put a diagram in a document or deck?** Export it as a PNG or SVG and insert the picture. In a deck, choose **Image** in the toolbar. See [Text, shapes, images and tables on slides](https://plexiidesk.com/help/slides-insert-elements).

## Related tasks

- [PlexiiDiagrams overview](https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-overview)
- [Open and save Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Visio files](https://plexiidesk.com/help/office-import-export)
- [The Documents page](https://plexiidesk.com/help/office-documents-page)
- [Draw a flowchart](https://plexiidesk.com/help/diagrams-draw-a-flowchart)
- [Export to PDF and print](https://plexiidesk.com/help/office-pdf-export-and-print)