Microsoft Visio now allows users to add custom shapes to their Visio files

Microsoft Visio is the latest platform to be enhanced with the ability to allow users to add custom shapes to their Visio platform after the Redmond-based tech giant gifted Windows’ Snipping Tool this ability as well, although in a different form.

Either way, the feature is currently rolling out to Visio users, and they can download custom shapes from third-party apps or create them using the Visio desktop app, and then add them to the preferred Vision document.

The Microsoft Visio team is excited to announce that Visio for the web will now support custom shapes, a feature that many of you have been asking for! Users with a Visio Plan 2 license will be able to import custom shapes in the form of a Visio stencil file (.vssx), which can be created using the Visio desktop app or downloaded from a third-party source. You can then use the shapes to create and edit diagrams in Visio for the web—just like you do with the built-in shapes.

Microsoft

Microsoft says the new feature is useful for those organizations that want to personalize and brand their documents, as these custom shapes can be created and tailored to suit every need and scenario. The feature can also be used to create realistic and easy-to-understand plans by allowing the employment of specific shapes.

How to add custom shapes in Microsoft Visio?

It’s worth mentioning that only users with a Visio Plan 2 license will be able to use this feature, so make sure you have one before proceeding.

1. Open your Microsoft Visio web platform, go to the Shapes pane, and click on the Plus (+) button.
2. Select Custom Shapes.
3. Add a custom shape from your preferred location.

As you can see, users can add custom shapes from OneDrive, or their current device. As Microsoft states, once uploaded, these shapes will become available in the Shapes pane, for users to drag, drop, and edit as they like.

Users can also share the custom shapes with other users within their organization, which makes this feature even more useful, as it emphasizes collaboration. Sharing these shapes is the same as sharing the rest of the existing shapes.

However, users will need to provide the stencil (.vssx) files, so that others can access, use, and edit these shapes at will. They will still be able to edit these custom shapes without the stencil files, but the editing will follow the built-in Visio shapes.

What do you think about this new feature?