Using Microsoft Visio Online

Visio Online can help you create structured flowcharts within minutes!

All you need is your data and a flow in mind

Here’s how:

1. In Microsoft Visio Online, select the Basic Flowchart diagram.
2. Drag and drop a shape from the Shapes panel to the canvas.
3. Hold the pointer over the shape until Auto-connect arrows appear around the shape. (On touch devices, press and hold the shape until you see the arrows around the shape.)
4. Hold the pointer over one of the Autoconnect arrows. Quick shape suggestions appear. Click or tap the shape you want to add next. It will be automatically connected to the previous shape!
5. To add text, Double click (or double tap) the shape.

To add more shapes, drag and drop or use the quick-shapes list, until the desired flow is achieved.

A well-aligned flowchart looks structured and is easy to follow. Use the smart guides to align your shapes as you arrange them on the canvas.

Connectors

Connectors connect shapes and depict the flow of elements in a flowchart. You can change different elements of your connectors to make them stand out.

Select a connector, then on the Home tab, click the Line icon and customize the following:

• Color : All theme colors are available for connectors.
• Weight: Thicker line weights help make flowchart structure more visible.
• Dashes: Choose from a number of solid and dotted line styles.
• Arrows: Change the arrowhead type for begin and end points.
• Connector Type: Choose a Right Angled, straight, or curved line.

Choose Theme Colors

Visio Online offers a number of theme colors to make your diagrams look stunning. Choose themes and color variants in the Design tab.

You can add your own colors to shapes via the Fill color dropdown.

Design tip: To ensure a uniform looking flowchart, use three colors or less. Also, make sure the colors complement each other.

Add a Banner

Banners can provide a clear title to your flowchart and make the context easier to understand.
Select the Add Shapes icon in the Shapes panel, look for Banners, and then click Add. Click on the Banners icon to see the banner shapes.

Add Icons

Further enhance your flowchart by adding icons from the Symbols shape set.

Don’t forget to share your beautiful flowchart with colleagues and friends. Happy flow-charting!

New Visio Online Features

Microsoft is continuing to make Visio Online a top priority for feature releases. This latest batch of diagrams and capabilities helps you build even more detailed diagrams online while simplifying the creation process.

Diagrams

Cross functional flowcharts: This has been one of the most-requested features by users through the Visio Online UserVoice site. Microsoft Visio Online now includes cross functional flowchart (CFF) templates and sample diagrams on the landing page, as well as dedicated CFF tools for adding swim lanes, rotating lane labels, and more. These diagrams enable you to illustrate relationships between a process and the organizational and functional units that are responsible for the steps in that process. You can read more about CFFs in Visio Online here and how to best use them here.

Azure diagrams: Earlier this year, Microsoft released dozens of network diagramming shapes for Visio Online. Microsoft has now added to this library a rich set of Microsoft Azure symbols—there more than 500 shapes in all for services like Active Directory, App Service, SQL Server, and many, many more—templates, and sample diagrams for you to more accurately represent cloud and on-premises technologies. You can read more about Azure stencils in Microsoft Visio Online here.

Capabilities

Align and position: If you’re familiar with PowerPoint then you’ll be familiar with the align and position feature, which enables you to select multiple objects and align them in regard to each other on your canvas (i.e., left, center, right, top, middle, and bottom). Shapes align to the first object selected in the cluster. You can also distribute shapes horizontally and vertically using the adjacent button in the ribbon. We’ve added this feature as a part of our effort to create greater parity with features in Office Online apps.

Live connector routing: Live connector routing provides real-time feedback as you connect shapes. Before today, connectors would appear as straight lines as you drew them between shapes, only changing to a bent or curved line after the shapes were connected. With live connector routing, you can see what your final connector will look like as you draw it. If the connector isn’t what you anticipated, you can move the endpoint shape before making the final connection instead of drawing and deleting connectors several times to get the right connector look.

To learn more about Microsoft Visio please contact us.