Definitive DiagramsNetwork, architecture and process diagrams often live in Microsoft Visio, while the documentation and tickets about them live in Confluence and Jira. Here are the four ways to put the two together, starting with the ones that cost nothing.
1. Attach the file and use the built-in preview
Drag the .vsdx file onto a page or issue. Confluence and Jira show it as a file card with a small thumbnail of the first page, and clicking it opens a full-screen preview.
- Good: free, and nothing to set up.
- Limits: the page itself only shows the thumbnail, so readers have to click through to see anything. The preview stacks the pages, has no layer controls, and can simplify Visio formatting such as theme colours and arrowheads.
2. Keep the file in Microsoft 365 and embed it
Store the drawing in OneDrive or SharePoint and embed it with a Microsoft 365 integration, such as a Marketplace app that shows Microsoft 365 files.
- Good: Microsoft draws the diagram, so it looks exactly like Visio.
- Limits: every reader needs Microsoft 365 access to the file, and its permissions are managed in two places. The file lives outside Confluence and Jira.
3. Convert it with a diagramming app
Diagramming apps for Confluence can import a .vsdx file into their own format, which you then edit in Confluence.
- Good: the diagram becomes editable inside Confluence.
- Limits: it's a one-time copy. Edits in Visio don't reach the converted diagram, the conversion can change how it looks, and editors need the diagramming app.
4. Show the .vsdx itself on the page
An app like Definitive Diagrams draws the attached file right on the page or issue.
- Good: the diagram is readable where people read. It keeps page tabs, layers and formatting, works in Jira too, and needs no Microsoft 365. Upload a new version with the same name and the page shows it.
- Limits: it's a viewer: you still edit in Visio. Older .vsd files need saving as .vsdx first.
At a glance
| Readable on the page | Readers need Microsoft 365 | Stays in step with the Visio file | Edit in Confluence | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in preview | Thumbnail only | No | Yes | No |
| Microsoft 365 embed | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Convert it | Yes | No | No, it's a copy | Yes |
| Definitive Diagrams | Yes | No | Yes | No |
Which should you pick?
- If people rarely open the diagram, the built-in preview is enough.
- If everyone already works in Microsoft 365 and the files live there, embed from Microsoft 365.
- If you want to stop using Visio for that diagram, convert it.
- If Visio stays the source and people should see the diagram without clicking through, show the .vsdx on the page.
Try Definitive Diagrams
Show your .vsdx files inline on Confluence pages and Jira issues, with page tabs, layers and zoom. Free for up to 10 users, and it runs entirely on Atlassian.
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