- I’m afraid so far you can’t open and edit Visio files (in any formats like vsd or vsdx) in another MS Office products. These products don’t compatible with each other. However, you can try some MS Office or Visio alternative tools to open Visio files, for example, a diagramming software called Edraw Max.
- Narrator Whether you've used Visioto create a simple diagram or a sophisticatedbusiness intelligence dashboard,chances are very good that there will come a timewhen you want to share your diagramwith people who don't have Visio.Since the introduction of Visio 2013,that task is as easy as saving a diagramto SharePoint or OneDrive.Armed with a URL to the diagram.
- In theory, you need Visio to open and edit a VSD or VSDX file because it is the default file format of Visio, a popular diagramming software from Microsoft. Some diagramming software are developed with a compatibility with both VSD and VSDX formats, allowing you to open or edit a VSD or VSDX file without Visio.
- This allows you to open two or more instances of Visio so that you can view different Visio docs at the same time without going through the process to stretch the Visio window across two screens. I found this to be a simpler method and a bit easier to manipulate. If it doesn't work on your first try recheck the registry setting.
Note
Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.
Feb 19, 2021 Plus, Draw.io supports importing files from Visio, which means you can continue using your old VSDX files without having to pay for an expensive subscription service. When you’ve finished your diagram, it can be saved directly to the cloud service of your choice, and you can export the file as a PDF, SVG, PNG, or XML file.
Symptoms
A user cannot open a drawing file that uses one of the following formats or save a drawing file to one of the following formats by using Microsoft Visio 2013:
- Visio 2003-2010 Binary Drawings, Templates and Stencils
- Visio 2000-2002 Binary Drawings, Templates and Stencils
- Visio 5.0 or earlier Binary Drawing, Templates and Stencils
Additionally, when the user tries to open the file or save the file to one of the formats, the user receives one of the following error messages that informs the user that the file is blocked:
Error message 1
Error message 2
Error message 3
Cause
This issue occurs because the file type that you want to open or save to is blocked in Visio 2013.
Note The File Block Settings dialog box is new in Visio 2013.
Resolution
To open the blocked drawing file or save a file to a blocked file type, use one of the following methods.
Important
This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, see How to back up and restore the registry in Windows.
Method 1: Unblock the file type in the Trust Center
- Click the File tab in Visio 2013, and then click Options.
- Click Trust Center, click Trust Center Settings, and then click File Block Settings.
- Clear the check box for the file type that you want to open or save to.
- Click OK two times.
Note
If the issue occurs in an embedded or linked Visio file in other Microsoft Office applications, clear both the Save and Open check boxes for the 'Visio 2003-2010 Binary Drawings, Templates and Stencils' file type.
The following screen shot shows the default settings for the **File Block Settings **dialog box in Visio 2013:
If the Open and Save options are unavailable, your system administrator may have applied group policies to block the file types.
Method 2: Move the file to a trusted location
If you trust the file that you want to open in Visio 2013, override the registry policy settings by moving the file to a trusted location.
For more information about how to create, remove, or change a trusted location for files, go to the following Microsoft website:
Method 3: Use a Group Policy template to override the file type that is blocked
If you are a domain administrator, you can override the settings for file types that are blocked by using a Group Policy template. You can download the Office 2013 Administrative Template files (ADM, ADMX/ADML) and Office Customization Tool.
How To Open Visio File Without Visio
This update provides updated Group Policy template files that you can use to override the settings for the files that are blocked by default or to block additional file types.
Note You can control the restrictions for the following file types by using the File Block Settings dialog box:
- Visio 2003-2010 Binary Drawings, Templates and Stencils
- Visio 2000-2002 Binary Drawings, Templates and Stencils
- Visio 5.0 or earlier Binary Drawing, Templates and Stencils
How To Open Visio File Without Visio
More Information
How to restrict files in Microsoft Visio 2013
To restrict the kinds of files that you can open or save in Visio 2013, an administrator can use the 2013 Office System Administrative Templates to configure the registry on the client computer.
For more specific information about how to use settings to block users from opening and saving specific file formats in Office 2013 programs, see Overview of Group Policy for Office 2013.