vsdx

VSDX is the file extension used by Microsoft Visio drawing files created in Visio 2013 and later. It represents the modern, XML-based format for Visio diagrams and is the default format for newer versions of the software. VSDX files are stored as ZIP archives that contain a collection of XML parts describing pages, shapes, connectors, styles, layers, and themes, along with any embedded resources such as images.

Structure and contents: A VSDX package uses the Open Packaging Conventions to organize its parts and relationships. Within the archive you will find XML files that define each page, the shapes and connectors on those pages, shape data, and diagram-wide properties. The packaging enables easier integration with other Office applications and supports data integrity and compression.

Features: VSDX supports vector-based shapes and connectors, layers, shape data, comments, hyperlinks, data graphics, and data linking to external data sources. It retains styling information such as themes and shape formatting and supports collaboration, especially when stored on cloud services like OneDrive or SharePoint.

Compatibility and usage: VSDX became the standard Visio format with Visio 2013 and remains widely supported in current versions of Visio. Modern Visio can open, edit, and save VSDX files. Older Visio versions typically use the binary VSD format and may require conversion or viewing tools to work with VSDX files. Third-party diagram tools vary in how fully they support the VSDX format.

Related formats: Visio also uses VSSX for stencil libraries and VSDM for macro-enabled drawings. An older XML-based format used by some earlier Visio versions is VDX, which preceded the VSDX standard.