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What Is a VSD File?

How to open, edit, & convert VSD files

By Tim Fisher Tim Fisher Senior Vice President & Group General Manager, Tech & Sustainability Emporia State University Tim Fisher has more than 30 years' of professional technology experience. He's been writing about tech for more than two decades and serves as the VP and General Manager of Lifewire. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on September 11, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email

In This Article

Expand Jump to a Section How to Open VSD Files How to Convert a VSD File Why VDXs Are Larger Than VSDs Still Can't Open the File? A file with the .VSD file extension is a Visio Drawing file created by Visio, Microsoft's professional graphics application. These are binary files that might hold text, images, CAD drawings, charts, annotations, objects, and more. Microsoft Visio 2013 (and newer) default to storing Visio Drawing files with the .VSDX file extension, which is based on XML and compressed with ZIP. Visio files are used to make everything from software and network diagrams to flowcharts and organizational charts. VSD is also short for some things that have nothing to do with computer file formats, like variable speed drive, Visual Studio debugger, vertical situation display, and virtual shared disk. It's also the name of the disc-based analog video format that stands for Video Single Disc.

How to Open VSD Files

Visio is the primary program used to create, open, and edit VSD files. If you don't have that program, you can still open the file with CorelDRAW, iGrafx FlowCharter, or ConceptDraw PRO. Some other VSD openers that work without having Visio installed, and that are completely free, include LibreOffice and Microsoft Visio 2013 Viewer. The former is a free office suite similar to MS Office (which is what Visio is a part of) and the latter is a free tool from Microsoft that once installed, will open VSD files in your web browser. LibreOffice and ConceptDraw PRO can open VSD files on macOS as well as Windows. However, Mac users can also use VSD Viewer. If you need to use the file on Linux, installing LibreOffice is your best option. Visio Viewer iOS is an app for iPad and iPhone that can open these files. VSDX files are used in MS Office 2013 and newer, so you need the Microsoft Visio Compatibility Pack if you want to use the VSDX file in an older version of the software. VSDX files are structured differently than VSD files, which means you can extract some of the contents out without even needing any of these programs. Your best bet is with a free file extractor like 7-Zip.

How to Convert a VSD File

Zamzar is a free document converter that lets you convert a VSD file online to PDF, BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, and TIF/TIFF. You can use Visio's File > Save As menu option to convert the file to VSDX and other Visio file formats like VSSX, VSS, VSTX, VST, VSDM, VSTM, and VDW. Visio can also save the file to SVG, DWG, DXF, HTML, PDF, and a number of image file formats, making sharing really easy. The other programs mentioned above can probably save it to other formats as well, probably through a Save as or Export menu.

More Information on the VSD Format

This format uses lossless compression to compress the contents of the file. A similar format called Visio Drawing XML (which uses the .VDX file extension) does not. This is why VDX files are often three to five times larger in file size than VSDs. Even though Visio 2013+ doesn't default to storing new documents in the VSD format, these versions still fully support the format so that you can open, edit and save to it if you want to.

Still Can' t Open the File

If the information above isn't helping you open or convert your file, you might not be dealing with a VSD file at all. Check that you're reading the file extension correctly; it should read ".VSD" after the file name. If it doesn't, then you have a file that just shares some of the same letters as VSD files. For example, the PSD file format looks almost like VSD but it's used with Photoshop, not Visio. ESD files are similar but might be used with either the Microsoft operating system or the Expert Scan software. Another one that's a little confusing is the VST file extension. It could be a Visio Drawing Template file but it might instead be a VST Audio Plugin. If it's the former then it, of course, can open with Visio, but if it's a plugin file, it has to be opened with a program that can accept that format, which isn't Visio. The VHD and VHDX file extensions are similar, too, but those are used for virtual hard drives. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire DWG File (What It Is and How to Open One) DRF File (What It Is & How to Open One) ARW File (What It Is & How to Open One) SVG Files: What They Are and How to Open & Convert Them IGS File (What It Is and How to Open One) WPD File (What It Is & How to Open One) ODS File (What It Is & How to Open One) EPRT File (What It Is and How to Open One) MP4V File (What It Is & How to Open One) AIT File (What It is and How to Open One) WPS File (What It Is & How to Open One) ARD File (What It Is & How to Open One) DMC File (What It Is and How to Open One) TGA File (What It Is and How to Open One) DYLIB File (What It Is & How to Open One) DWF File (What It Is and How to Open One) Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies