Introducing @mentions in Visio for the web

In our continued effort to improve collaboration in Visio for the web, we’re excited to announce the availability of the popular Office feature, @mentions. This capability makes it easier to collaborate on shared diagrams by giving you the ability to get someone’s attention directly within the comments pane and pull them into the file where you need their input.

Here's how it works

To get started, sign in to visio.office.com and open an existing Visio file saved on SharePoint or OneDrive. By default, the file will open in Visio Viewer. To add a new comment to the page itself, select Comments > New. You can also add a new comment to any object on the page, such as a shape or connector by selecting the object and then selecting Comments > New.

Example of a new comment being created in Visio Viewer.

Alternatively, you can open the file in Visio Editor by selecting Edit Diagram > Edit in Browser. Right-click anywhere on the page or on any object on the page and add a new comment by selecting New Comment from the floating context menu that appears on right-click or from the Insert or Review tab > New Comment. Type “@” and the first few letters of the person’s first or last name. You’ll see a drop-down list of contacts that updates as you type more characters. Select the name of the person you’d like to tag.

Example of a list of names that auto-populates when using the @mention feature in Visio for the web.

To be more casual, you can delete everything except the person’s first name in the @mention. To include more people, type “@” again and mention someone else.

Example of a posted comment using the @mention feature in Visio for the web.

Note, if the person you are mentioning does not already have permission to open the Visio file, you will be asked to provide them with access.

Example of the Share dialogue box that appears when a recipient does not have access to a file.

An email notification that includes a preview of the comment thread and diagram will automatically be sent to the person(s) you tag. In addition, the email notification includes a link that will take them to the comment in the file. This link will open the file in Visio Viewer, bringing them directly into the diagram and into the conversation. The person can either reply to the comment thread directly in Visio Viewer or open the diagram in Visio Editor by selecting Edit in Browser from the Edit Diagram drop-down.

Example of an email notification showing a preview of the comment thread and flowchart, as well as a direct link to view the comment in the document.

If someone gets mentioned more than once in a short period of time, they will receive a batch of notifications in a single summary email.

Availability

The ability to @mention your colleagues in a Visio file is now available in the Viewer and Editor in both Visio for the web and Microsoft Teams.

Requirements and known limitations

• The file must be saved in SharePoint or OneDrive.
• Tenants with Conditional Access will not be able to create @mentions. Please contact your IT Administrator for more information.
• The @mentions feature does not work for guest or external accounts—you cannot @mention such accounts, nor can guest or external accounts @mention collaborators in Visio files outside of their tenant.
• Files containing @mentions can be opened in the Visio desktop app; however, any @mentions will appear as plain text. If a comment containing an @mention is edited, the @mention will be permanently converted to plain text.

Give us your feedback! Please tell us about your experience with @mentions in Visio for the web by leaving a comment below, sending feedback via the Visio Feedback portal, or submitting feedback directly in the Visio web app using “Give Feedback to Microsoft” in the bottom right corner. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay informed with the latest updates for Visio.

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