Stencils are a collection of related shapes, which are the building blocks of all Visio diagrams. Browse for shapes In the Shapes pane, select More Shapes. Point to a category to browse the stencils in that category. Select the stencil that contains the shapes you want. Select a blank area of the drawing page to close the menu. Select the name of a stencil to see it’s shapes. Search for shapes In the search box, type in a keyword that describes the shape you want, and select the magnifying glass . Select Local to see shapes displayed and categorized by their Visio stencil title. Or select Online to see shapes available on the web. Add shapes Drag the shape you want from the stencil onto the drawing page. Tip: To find out how to use a shape, point to it to display instructions. Source: Microsoft

When your diagram contains real-world objects that are larger than the printed page, set-up the drawing scale to reflect the actual size. Go to the page that you want to change the drawing scale on, and select Design. In the Page Setup group, select the More arrow. Tip: Each page in a drawing can have a different drawing scale. Select Drawing Scale. Select Pre-defined scale, and choose the pre-defined scale you want. Select a scale ratio if you'd like, or select Custom Scale and enter your own values. Select OK. Source: Microsoft

To make a professional impression, use the ruler, guides, and grid to arrange and position shapes neatly in your drawings. Show or hide the rulers To show the Ruler, select View and select the Ruler checkbox. To hide the Ruler, select View and clear the Ruler checkbox. Work with Guides To show Guides, select View and select the Guides checkbox. To hide Guides, select View and clear the Guides checkbox. Drag a guide from the horizontal or vertical ruler onto the drawing page. Drag a shape to the guide until a connection point on the shape snaps to it. Drag a guide to move the shapes connected to it. To remove a guide, select it and press Delete. Show or hide the grid To show the Grid, select View and select the Grid check box. To hide the Grid, select View and clear the Grid check box. Snap shapes to the grid, guides, and rulers Select View > More > Snap & Glue. Select the Snap to options you want. To snap shapes to the grid, select Grid. To snap shapes to guides, select Guides. To snap shapes to rulers, select Ruler subdivisions. Select OK. View a diagram in presentation mode To view a drawing in full-screen mode, Select View > Presentation Mode. To move from page to page, select a blank area of the drawing. To close presentation mode, press Esc. Source: Microsoft

Use the Grid to place shapes precisely on a page. Show or hide the grid Go to View, and select the Grid check box to show the grid. Go to View, and clear the Grid check box to hide the grid. Work with a variable grid A variable grid, which shows more precise gridlines at higher magnifications, is helpful in most drawings. Select View > More. In the Ruler & Grid box, select Fine, Normal, or Coarse for Grid spacing Horizontal and Grid spacing Vertical. Note: Fine is the smallest grid spacing, and Coarse is the largest. Select OK. Work with a fixed grid A fixed grid shows the same spacing regardless of the magnification. Select View > More. In the Ruler & Grid box, select Fixed for Grid spacing Horizontal and Grid spacing Vertical. Type the spacing you want between gridlines in Minimum spacing. Select OK. Source: Microsoft

The flowchart templates include shapes you can use to show many kinds of processes. Open the basic flowchart template Select File > New. Select Basic Flowchart. Select Create. Add and connect shapes Select the Basic Flowchart Shapes stencil, if necessary. Select a flowchart shape and drag it onto the drawing page. Point to the shape, and point to the arrow that indicates the direction of the next shape you want to add. Select the shape you want to add. Connect shapes Select Home > Connector. Point to the center of a shape until you see an outline around it. Draw a line to the center of the shape you want to connect to. Select Home > Pointer Tool to return to normal editing. To change the look of the connector, select it, select Line, and select a color, line weight, dash style, and arrow style. Add text to a shape or connector Select the shape or connector. Type in the text. Select a blank area of the drawing page. To move the text, select the shape or connector, select Home > Text Block, drag the text to a different position, and select Home > Pointer Tool. Fix alignment and spacing automatically Press Ctrl+A to select everything on the drawing page. Select Home > Position > AutoAlign & Space. If you don’t like the results, press Ctrl+Z and try some of the other Align & Space options. Source: Microsoft

Create a polished and professional org chart that shows the relationships among employees, team members, and departments. Start with the Organization Chart Wizard Select File > New. Select Organization Chart > Create. Select Information that I enter using the wizard, and select Next. Select the type of file you want to enter data into, type in a path and name, and select Next. Tip: If you select Excel, an Excel worksheet opens with sample text. If you select Delimited text, a Notepad page opens with sample information. Replace the sample text with your information. Close Excel or Notepad, complete the wizard in Visio, and select Finish. Change the look of an org chart To change the shape style, select Org Chart > More, and select a shape style. To change the org chart layout, select Org Chart > Layout, and select a layout. To rearrange the chart to fit the page, select Org Chart > Best Fit to Page. To increase the spacing between shapes, select Org Chart > Increase the Spacing. Add a picture to a shape Select the shape. Select Org Chart > Insert > Picture. Select the picture file. Add a new person Select a shape that represents the person’s job description. Drag the shape onto the drawing page, and place it on top of the shape you want to connect the two. Select the Name text box, and type in the name of the new person. Select the Title text box, and type in a title for the new person. Note: Add the person to the Excel or Notepad file you created in the Organization Chart Wizard so that it’s up to date and ready to use when you create other org charts for your team. Add a team frame and title Select the Team frame shape. Drag it onto the drawing page. Use the resize handles to fit the Team frame shape around the shapes that represent team members. To add a team title, select Home > Text, type in the team’s name, and select Pointer Tool to finish. To change the frame's line color, select Home > Line, and select a color, line weight, and dash style. Source: Microsoft

Start your floor plan with a template that contains shapes for walls, doors, electrical outlets, and more. Open a floor plan template Select File > New. Select Templates > Maps and Floor Plans. Select the floor plan you want and select Create. Change the drawing scale Select Design. In the Page Setup group, select the More arrow. Select Pre-defined scale, and choose a pre-defined architectural, metric, or engineering scale. Tip: To use a custom drawing scale, select Custom Scale and enter your own scale ratio. Select a page size. Select OK. Add floor plan shapes Select the Walls, Doors, and Windows stencil. Drag a room shape onto the drawing page. To resize the room, drag the control handles. Drag door and window shapes onto the wall of the room. Note: Doors and windows rotate automatically to align with the room’s walls. They also acquire the wall’s thickness and move with the room. Drag furnishings, equipment, and accessories onto the page from the Office Furniture, Office Equipment, and Office Accessories stencils. Tip: Select More Shapes > Maps and Floor Plans > Building Plan to find more floor plan stencils. Source: Microsoft

Whether you’re planning a new computer network or documenting an existing network, get started faster with a template. Open a network diagram template Select File > New. Select the Network category. Select Basic Network Diagram, and select Create. Turn on AutoConnect Go to View, and select AutoConnect. Show connection points Go to View, and select Connection Points. Add shapes From the Network and Peripherals and Computers and Monitors stencils, drag shapes onto the drawing page. Tip: Select More Shapes > Network to find more network stencils. Select a shape on the page, and type a label for it. To finish, select a blank area of the drawing page. Note: To move the text, select the shape and drag the yellow text handle until the text is where you want it. Select Home > Connector. Draw a line between two shapes. To finish, select Home > Pointer Tool. From the Network and Peripherals stencil, drag the legend shape onto the drawing page. Select Legend Subtitle, and type a new subtitle. To finish, select a blank area of the drawing page. Source: Microsoft

Add shapes to your diagrams to communicate information, and include color and special effects for a professional look. Add shapes Select the stencil that contains the shape you want to add. Select a shape, and drag it onto the drawing page. Point to the shape, and point to the arrow that indicates the direction of the next shape you want to add. Note: If you don’t see the AutoConnect arrows, select View and make sure AutoConnect is selected. Select the shape you want to add. Select shapes Task Action Select a single shape Select Home > Pointer Tool, point to a shape until you see a four-headed arrow, and select the shape. Select multiple shapes in a rectangular area Select Home > Select > Area Select and drag a rectangle around the shapes. Select multiple shapes in a freeform area Select Home > Select > Lasso Select and drag a freeform lasso around the shapes. Select multiple shapes separated by other shapes Press Ctrl+Shift while selecting shapes. Select a particular kind of object Select Home > Select > Select by Type, select the type of object, and select OK. Remove a shape from a multiple selection Press Shift, and select the shape. Cancel a selection Select a blank area on the diagram, or press Esc. Change a shape into another shape Select the shape you want to change. Select Home > Change Shape. Browse the shapes and stencils until you find a shape you want. Select a shape. All text and formatting applied to the original shape are applied to the new shape. Rotate or flip shapes Task Action Rotate a shape Select a shape, and drag the rotation handle. Rotate a shape 90 degrees Select a shape, select Home > Position > Rotate Shapes, and select either Rotate Left 90° or Rotate Right 90°. Flip a shape vertically Select a shape, and select Home > Position > Rotate Shapes > Flip Vertical. Flip a shape horizontally Select a shape, and select Home > Position > Rotate Shapes > Flip Horizontal. Rotate a shape precisely Select a shape, select View > Task Panes > Size & Position, and type in new values for Angle. Resize shapes Task Action Resize a shape Select a shape, and drag a selection handle or endpoint until the shape is the size you want. Resize a shape proportionally Select a shape, and drag a corner handle. Resize a shape precisely Select a shape, select View > Task Panes > Size & Position, and type in new values for Width, Height, or Length. Move shapes Task Action Move a shape Select a shape and drag it to a new position. Nudge a shape Select a shape, and select an arrow key. Move a shape one pixel at a time Select a shape and press Shift while pressing an arrow key. Move a shape precisely Select a shape, select View > Task Panes > Size & Position, and type in new values for X, Y, Begin X, Begin Y, End X, or End Y. Change the look of shapes Select a shape. On the Home tab, select style options: Quick Styles - Select a line and fill combination. Fill - Select a color, gradient, or pattern to fill the shape. Line - Select the line color, line thickness, or type of line. Effects - Select a shadow, reflection, glow, or 3-D effect. Source: Microsoft

Use a Visio template to help you get started quickly with creating a diagram. Open and find a template Select File > New. To browse all templates, select Categories. To see all templates in a category, select the category you want. Select a template, read the template description, and select the right or left arrow to browse the other templates in the category. Select the template you want to use, and then select Create. Delete a shape in your diagram Select the shape. Press Delete. Change a shape Select the shape. Select Home > Change Shape. Select a new shape. Connect a new shape Select an existing shape. Point the arrow in the direction you want the new shape to appear. Select the shape you want to add. Add text to a shape Select the shape. Select Text and type the new text in the shape. Press Enter. Move connectors and shapes Select a connector and drag it to the shape's point you want to move it to. To align shapes in a diagram, select a shape and drag it into alignment with the shape you want. Save the diagram Select File > Save As. Select a location. Type in a file name. Select Save. Source: Microsoft