Can I create a custom ICON set in Viso?

Question

How can I import custom ICON sets, not custom shapes?

Answer 1

Hi @CoplenLisa,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A, and thank you very much for reaching out.

Based on your description, from my research and testing, unfortunately Visio doesn’t support creating or importing custom icon‑set packages. However, you can still achieve a similar result by using your own images as icons and adding them to a custom stencil.

You can do this by importing a graphics file (.png, .svg, .svgz, etc.) through Insert > Picture or Insert > CAD Drawing, then selecting the image you want and opening it. You can also copy and paste the image directly into your Visio file.

Then, on the left panel, go to More Shapes > New Stencil, and drag your image into the new stencil.

Once saved by click on the Save icon, you’ll have your own reusable custom icon set.

For reference:

Import or insert graphics into Visio drawings - Microsoft Support

Add a stencil to a template in Visio - Microsoft Support

I hope this helps.

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Answer 2

The person I know who has done the most work with both creating custom data graphics and customizing existing data graphics is fellow MVP David Parker. His blog contains a wealth of info on the subject (and on many other Visio-related subjects). For example, I did a search on his blog for "data graphics" and there are several pages of results, some of which should be helpful to you.

In addition, Chapter 7 in his book Mastering Data Visualization with Microsoft Visio Professional 2016 is all about creating custom data graphics.

(BTW, hi, Lisa!)

Answer 3

OK, but that will not connect to any data, correct? What about importing my own Data Graphics?

Answer 4

In Microsoft Visio, while the context does not specifically mention creating custom icon sets, it does provide information on using standard icons and symbols for architecture diagrams. To import custom icons, you would typically need to use Visio's capabilities to manage shapes and stencils. Unfortunately, the provided context does not detail the process for importing custom icon sets specifically, but you can utilize the existing symbols and templates available for creating diagrams.

For creating custom icons, you might consider designing them in a graphics application and then importing them as images or using them within Visio's shape management features.

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References:

• Microsoft 365 architecture templates and icons
• About Displaying Data Graphically (Visio)