VSDX.ai Help Docs

VSDX.ai turns a written request, a stack of documents, a spreadsheet, a recording or a picture of an existing diagram into an editable Microsoft Visio file. The result is a native .vsdx with real shapes and connectors, not a flat image renamed to .vsdx. This page covers the whole product: where to click, what each option does, what it costs in credits and what you get back. Use the table of contents to jump to a topic, or start with the quick start below — the welcome credits on a new account cover it.

Quick start

Open the Studio, type what you want to diagram into the assistant on the left and press Send. VSDX.ai reads your request, builds the diagram and opens it on an editable draw.io canvas. Ask for changes in the same box, adjust anything by hand on the canvas, then click Export VSDX.

Create an account

You can sign up with Google, or with an email address and password. If you use email, open the verification message we send you before signing in.

• Every new account gets 20 welcome credits, enough for two diagram generations or edits.
• Welcome credits expire 30 days after they are added.
• The Free plan has no monthly credits. For more, subscribe to a plan or buy a credit top-up (see Credits and pricing).

You can look around the Studio before signing up: without an account it opens in demo mode ("Demo mode · sign in to save"). Generating, uploading and exporting need you to sign in.

Your first diagram, step by step

1. Open the Studio. Go to /studio. Each diagram lives in its own project; to start a fresh one, open the project menu at the top and choose New project.

2. Keep the From content mode. The assistant has two work modes. From content reads text and documents and draws a diagram from their meaning. Image to Visio copies a picture of an existing diagram (see Image to Visio).

3. Describe the diagram. Say what the diagram shows, who or what takes part, the steps or parts, and how they connect. For example:

   Create a leave approval swimlane with three lanes: Employee, Manager and HR.
   The employee submits a request; the manager approves requests of three days
   or less directly; longer requests go to HR for a policy review before the
   manager decides. Show the rejection path back to the employee.

4. Optional: choose a diagram type. Under Diagram type, Auto lets the model pick the clearest type for your request and material. You can also pick one yourself — flowchart, swimlane, BPMN, org chart, architecture, network, ER diagram, UML activity or UML component — or simply name the type in your request.

5. Send. Progress steps appear in the conversation (reading sources, understanding content, rendering, checking). When the diagram is ready it opens on the canvas and the assistant tells you which version it is.

6. Refine. Type a follow-up such as "add an HR review step for requests over three days" and press Send. Each change is saved as a new version.

7. Export. Click Export VSDX to download the Visio file, or open More export formats for PNG, SVG or the draw.io source (see Exporting and opening in Visio).

If the assistant asks a question first

Before drawing, VSDX.ai works out a plan from your request and sources. If something important is unclear, or Auto is not confident about the diagram type, it stops and shows the plan instead of drawing straight away:

• "I need one detail before creating the diagram." lists the open questions, often with a suggested answer you can click.
• Use … buttons (for example Use Flowchart) switch to another suggested diagram type.
• Generate now draws the diagram from the plan as it stands.
• Revise request and analyze again puts your request back in the box so you can reword it.

View understanding details shows the evidence the plan is based on — which file, page, cell or timestamp each claim came from — and any assumptions it made.

If something goes wrong

Working from your own material

The Studio is built for diagrams that come from material you already have: a process inventory in Excel, an operating procedure in a PDF, an architecture note in Markdown, a recorded stakeholder interview. Add the files, say what you want, and VSDX.ai extracts the actors, systems, steps, decisions and relationships and turns them into a diagram.

Supported files and limits

In From content mode the assistant accepts:

• Up to 8 files per request, each up to 20 MB, and 40 MB in total.
• PDFs are limited to 100 pages.
• Legacy .xls and .doc files are not supported; save them as .xlsx or .docx.
• Audio is transcribed first, then read like any other source.
• Pictures belong in Image to Visio mode. If you drop an image into From content, the Studio offers to switch modes and upload it there.

How to add material

1. Click Add material in the assistant, or drag files onto it.
2. Write a short request that says what the diagram is for, for example "Turn these materials into a swimlane process with owners, decisions and exception paths."
3. Press Send. You can also send files without a request; the assistant then builds the clearest diagram it can from them.

Sources are saved privately in the project, so later edits can reuse what VSDX.ai already understood about them instead of reading the files again ("Used the saved source understanding for this edit").

Checking where a diagram came from

Each generated version keeps a link to its evidence. Click Evidence under a version in the conversation to see which source and location — a sheet cell, a PDF page, a paragraph, a timestamp in a recording — each part of the diagram was based on. AI output can contain mistakes, so review the diagram before you export it.

Image to Visio

If you already have the diagram as a picture — a screenshot, an exported slide, a photo of a whiteboard — VSDX.ai can rebuild it as editable shapes and connectors. There are two ways to do it, and they behave differently.

In the Studio: keep the layout

1. In the assistant, switch the work mode to Image to Visio.
2. Choose one PNG, JPG or WebP image. This mode uses one image at a time.
3. Optionally add instructions, such as "preserve colours, text and connections", then press Send.

The Studio reconstructs the structure and layout of the picture, so the copy looks like the original. Complex images can take a while; if one is still processing, it keeps going in the background and appears automatically when ready.

After the first reconstruction, the mode becomes Edit reconstruction: describe a change ("rename the title", "move this node") and VSDX.ai edits the reconstructed diagram without you uploading the image again.

With the converter: a clean redraw

The Image to Visio tool reads the picture shape by shape and lays it out again, so nothing overlaps and no line crosses a box. Shapes, labels and connections are kept, but positions are redrawn tidily rather than copied pixel for pixel. It accepts PNG, JPG or WebP up to 12 MB and works best on screenshots and exports of flowcharts, process maps and block diagrams with readable text. Hand-drawn sketches work if the text is legible; photograph them straight on in good light.

If the picture cannot be read, the credits for the run are returned automatically.

Editing on the canvas

Every generated diagram opens in the embedded draw.io editor, so you can change anything by hand: move and resize shapes, edit text, restyle, add or delete connectors. Hand edits on the canvas do not use credits.

Edit with the assistant

Once a diagram is on the canvas, the box below the conversation becomes an edit box ("Continue editing this diagram, such as changing the layout or adding an approval step…"). Describe the change in plain language and press Send. Each AI edit costs the same as a generation and is saved as a new version.

Versions and autosave

• The canvas saves automatically; the status in the header shows Saving and Saved.
• Each generation or AI edit is a numbered version. Click Restore next to an earlier version in the conversation to bring it back. The restored diagram is saved as a new version, so nothing is lost.
• While a generation is running you can stop it with Cancel generation. If a generation fails, Retry generation runs it again.

Projects

Open the project menu at the top of the Studio to switch between Recent projects or use:

• New project — start a blank diagram project.
• Rename — change the project name.
• Import — open an existing VSDX or .drawio file (up to 20 MB) as a new editable project.
• Duplicate — copy the project, for example to try a variation.
• Delete — remove the project. Its private source files are cleaned up automatically.

Exporting and opening in Visio

Welcome credits cover generations and edits; downloading the finished .vsdx from the Studio is a paid deliverable. Once your account has a paid plan, or has bought any credit top-up, Export VSDX works for every diagram. If you have just paid in another tab, click Export VSDX again — the Studio re-checks your access before showing the upgrade dialog.

The .vsdx is a native, ZIP-based Microsoft Visio package with editable shapes and connectors. It opens in Microsoft Visio, and you can also open or import it in draw.io (diagrams.net). Microsoft does not offer a native Visio desktop app for Mac; for ways to open .vsdx files on macOS or in a browser, see What is a .vsdx file, and how do you open one?.

Conversion tools

Besides the Studio, VSDX.ai has single-purpose converters at /tools. Each one takes one input, produces one file and lets you download it or click Open in Studio to keep editing with AI.

What each tool handles

• Mermaid to Visio converts flowcharts declared with flowchart or graph, in any direction, with subgraphs, labels and arrow styles. Sequence, class, state and other Mermaid types are rejected with a message. Up to 90 nodes.
• PlantUML to Visio converts activity diagrams (start/stop, actions, if/elseif/else, while, repeat, fork and |swimlanes|, plus the legacy (*) --> form). A syntax error stops the conversion and shows the line. Up to 90 activities.
• Excel to org chart needs a name column and a manager column (also recognised: reports to, supervisor, parent); a title or role column is optional. Without a header row the columns are read as name, manager, title. Each person has one manager. Up to 90 people.
• Outline to org chart reads Markdown lists (-, *, 1.) or plain indented text, two spaces per level; write Name | Role to show a role, and a leading # heading becomes the chart title. Any hierarchy works, not only org charts. Up to 90 items.
• draw.io to Visio keeps your layout as drawn. Standard shapes, connectors, labels and colours map directly; rare custom stencils become plain shapes with their text.
• Tidy up a diagram keeps every shape, label, lane and connection but recalculates all positions, so hand-placed spacing is not kept. Up to 90 shapes. Your original file is not changed.
• Visio to draw.io accepts modern .vsdx only; the legacy binary .vsd format is not supported — save it as .vsdx in Visio first.
• Visio to PNG or SVG renders the file exactly as laid out. Both images embed the diagram source, so draw.io can open them again as editable diagrams.

Free browser tools

Visio to draw.io and Visio to PNG or SVG run entirely in your browser. They need no account, cost nothing, and your file is not uploaded to VSDX.ai. Opening the result in the Studio needs a free account.

When tools charge

The paid tools charge 10 credits per run and need you to sign in. Text and file conversions check the input first, so a file that can't be read or an unsupported diagram type costs nothing. Image to Visio charges when the run starts, because reading the picture is the expensive part, and returns the credits automatically if the picture can't be converted.

Credits and pricing

Everything that calls an AI model or a server-side conversion is paid for with credits. Prices below are from the current configuration; the pricing page always shows the latest.

What each action costs

Plans

Prices are in US dollars and payments go through Stripe. Choose a plan on the pricing page; the Chinese version of the page also shows that Alipay is accepted, and the checkout page shows the methods available for your order.

• Monthly plans add the plan's credits after each successful payment.
• Yearly plans are billed up front at the discounted yearly price, but the credits are issued month by month.
• See the pricing page for what each plan includes.

Credit top-ups

A top-up is a one-time purchase, available on any plan including Free, from the pricing page or Settings → Credits.

Buying any top-up also unlocks Export VSDX in the Studio.

Expiry and spending order

When you spend credits, VSDX.ai takes them from the batch that expires soonest first. Settings → Credits shows your balance and how many credits expire soon; the Transactions tab lists every credit added, spent or expired.

Failed jobs, cancelling and refunds

• Failed or cancelled generations cost nothing. Studio credits are reserved when a request starts and released if it fails or you cancel it ("Something went wrong. Reserved credits were released; retry when ready."). If you don't have enough credits, the request doesn't start.
• Tools only charge once a diagram is produced, and Image to Visio returns its credits if the picture can't be read.
• Cancelling a subscription. Go to Settings → Billing and click Manage Subscription and Billing. Cancelling stops future renewals and normally takes effect at the end of the period you paid for.
• Refunds of payments. Under the Terms of Service, completed payments are non-refundable, including for unused or expired credits, except where applicable law requires it or checkout says otherwise. Credits have no cash value and can't be transferred.

Privacy and your files

• Project sources are stored privately and accessed through short-lived signed requests. They are not public.
• To complete a generation you request, the relevant content is processed by the AI and diagram-reconstruction providers named in the Privacy Policy. Don't upload confidential or regulated material unless you are allowed to use those providers for it.
• Deleting a project triggers cleanup of its source files. Saved diagram versions stay available until the project or account is deleted.
• Visio to draw.io and Visio to PNG or SVG run in your browser; those files never reach VSDX.ai's servers.
• You can delete your account in Settings → Security.

API and MCP

You can generate and convert Visio diagrams from your own code or from an AI coding assistant, using the same credit balance as the website.

The full reference, with request and response formats, is on the developers page. Remote MCP at /api/mcp supports OAuth for ChatGPT and Claude web connectors, or a vsdx_ API key for Claude Code, Cursor and Codex — see the MCP page.

FAQ

Is the exported file a real Visio document?

Yes. VSDX.ai exports a native .vsdx package with editable shapes and connector records, not a PNG renamed to .vsdx. Every shape and connector stays editable in Visio and draw.io.

How is this different from asking ChatGPT for a diagram?

General chatbots output text or Mermaid code, not Visio files. VSDX.ai reads your actual sources, shows an evidence-backed plan when something needs confirming, draws on an editable canvas and exports a native .vsdx, with no copy-paste between tools. For more, see Can ChatGPT make Visio diagrams?

Why can I generate diagrams but not export VSDX on the Free plan?

Welcome credits cover generating and editing so you can try the full workflow. Downloading the .vsdx from the Studio needs a paid plan or any credit top-up. PNG, SVG and .drawio downloads are free on every plan.

Do failed generations cost credits?

No. Credits for a Studio request are reserved when it starts and released if it fails or is cancelled. The paid tools only charge when a diagram is produced, and Image to Visio refunds a picture it can't read.

Can I import an existing VSDX and keep editing it?

Yes. In the Studio, open the project menu and choose Import to open a VSDX or .drawio file (up to 20 MB) as a new editable project. You can then edit it by hand or with the assistant.

Can I convert a .vsd file?

Not directly. The legacy binary .vsd format isn't supported; open it in Visio and save it as .vsdx first.

Are my uploaded files public?

No. Project sources are stored privately and accessed through short-lived signed requests, and deleting a project triggers cleanup of its sources. See Privacy and your files.

Which languages does VSDX.ai support?

The site is available in English, Chinese, German, French, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. Use the language switcher on the site to change it.

Contact and support

Questions, feedback or a diagram workflow to discuss? Send a message from the contact page, or email davie@daviechen.com. Include the email address of your VSDX.ai account and, for a problem with a diagram, the project name and what you were trying to do.

For tutorials and background, see the blog.