Capture and visualize ideas without spatial constraints using Infinite Canvas in Visio for the web

Following our announcement earlier this year about mind maps in Visio for the web, we’re excited to announce a new feature that will let users stretch their creative boundaries by providing room to capture, organize, and visualize ideas without constraints. Infinite Canvas in Visio for the web provides a truly limitless drawing canvas to free users from the restrictions of pages. Whether creating a flowchart, org chart, network diagram, or other drawing, Infinite Canvas provides the flexibility to express ideas creatively. 

 
User scenario: Creating a project proposal 

To help illustrate how Infinite Canvas can enhance the diagramming experience, let’s look at a user scenario. Aaron is a Network Architect with Contoso, a company that provides cloud-based solutions. He is tasked with creating a proposal for a new IT project that involves setting up a hybrid cloud network for a client. He uses Visio for the web to create a supporting visual for his proposal. 

 

Aaron starts with a blank canvas and adds flowchart shapes and connectors to show the steps and details of the project. Visio provides a variety of formatting options—from fill colors and outline colors to different connector styles and shapes—so he uses color-coding to represent the tasks, milestones, and decision points. He also uses shape data to include additional details for each step without cluttering the diagram. 

 

An image of a flowchart in Visio for the web. 

 

Brainstorming ideas with mind maps 

When Aaron is done building the flowchart, he shares the Visio file with his team and invites them to collaborate on the proposal. He adds comments to highlight key points, and uses @mentions to ask questions and bring team members directly into the conversation.  

 

Aaron and his colleagues use shapes and connectors from the new Mind Map stencil to generate, map out, and organize their ideas. No longer bound by spatial limitations, the team can create multiple mind maps on the same page. Again, they use the various formatting options to call out and categorize important notes and ideas. 

 

 
An image of a mind map in Visio for the web. 

 

Creating an early draft of the network diagram 

Finally, Aaron and his colleagues start to create a first draft of the new network architecture based on their brainstorming sessions. They use the vast library of Azure and network shapes to create a realistic representation of the network components, then add text and comments to describe the functions and specifications of each component. Aaron and his team members can pan and scroll through the canvas quickly to refer to the flowchart and various mind maps.  

 

With multiple diagrams on the same canvas—each representing a different aspect of their project—Aaron and his colleagues find the infinite canvas helpful for collaborating on the proposal. They can quickly refer to their shared ideas and align on next steps. But more importantly, the client has one source of truth to track information about their upcoming migration. Stakeholders no longer need to refer to different pages in a file to find information. 

 

An image of a network diagram in Visio for the web. 

 

Quick tips and tricks

Below are some quick tips and tricks to enhance your diagramming experience and help you make the most of Infinite Canvas.

Panning

Use the middle mouse button or the right mouse button to "grab" the canvas and pan around. This feature is useful when you need to move to a different part of the canvas quickly and easily.

Zooming

Hold the Ctrl key and scroll the mouse wheel to zoom in on a specific part of the canvas or zoom out to get a broader view of the entire canvas.

Auto Scrolling

Drag a shape in any direction and hold it close to the edge of the canvas to scroll automatically. This feature is particularly useful when you need to add more shapes to your diagram without having to manually scroll through the canvas.

Please note that, with the introduction of Infinite Canvas comes several changes in Visio for the web—for example, Infinite Canvas will be turned on by default for both new and existing files. Those experiences are outlined in our support article, “Change the drawing page or printer paper size.” 

 

We hope that you enjoy working on the new infinite canvas in Visio for the web, and that you find it useful for diagramming, illustrating concepts, and organizing thoughts on one single canvas. We would love to hear your feedback and suggestions on how we can improve this feature. Please leave a comment below or provide your feedback either via the Visio Feedback Portal or directly in the Visio web app using “Give Feedback to Microsoft” in the bottom right corner. 

 

Did you know? The Microsoft 365 Roadmap is where you can get the latest updates on productivity apps and intelligent cloud services. Check out what features are in development or coming soon to Visio for the web on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap.