A picture paints a thousand words: cut-down Visio for free

If a picture paints a thousand words many of us could soon be communicating a lot more richly and succinctly.

A good way to get across information is to show it in a diagram. Pictures stick in our minds. So it’s good news that Microsoft is adding Visio and its core diagram-drawing features to certain Microsoft 365 licences.

If you don’t know, Visio is Microsoft’s premiere diagram-creation tool, which normally requires a separate purchase.

Now a Visio web app with a cut-down set of features is being rolled out to many existing licences (see Microsoft’s blog for the full list), so you can create, edit and share basic diagrams.

Whilst Visio may take a little time to learn, it is a great tool for communicating flowcharts, processes, organisational diagrams etc. There are also templates to help you get started.

Fuller versions of Visio are still available as subscriptions. The rollout, announced in June 2021, has not yet begun in Europe, nor is the option yet available to opt into early testing.

Photo by Simona Sergi on Unsplash