If you need more shapes than a particular Visio template provides, you have a couple of options, depending on which version of Visio you're using.
If you use the subscription version of Visio, new stencils and templates are regularly being added and automatically to your app.
Note: You need Visio Plan 2 to edit in the Visio desktop app. Not sure which version of Visio you're using? You can follow these instructions to check what version you have.
Find shapes and stencils in Visio Plan 2
You can search for shapes and stencils that are local to your device. You can also find other stencils online that are created by third parties or Microsoft.
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In the search box at the top of the Shapes pane, enter a keyword or phrase (e.g. "triangle").
Note: If you don’t see the search box, you might need to activate it. Select the View tab, then select Task Panes > Shapes. Still don't see the search box? Select the > symbol at the top of your ruler on the left hand side of your screen.
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Under Local, the search results are displayed and categorized by their Visio stencil title.
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Under Online, (which is available when you're connected to the internet), you'll see shapes on the web by other companies, including Microsoft. To access those shapes, do the following:
a. Select the stencil to see a preview.
b. To put the stencil in your My Shapes folder, select Download.
c. After it has downloaded, select Open to display the stencil in the Shapes pane.
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To reset the search in the Shapes pane, delete the search string in the search box so that it displays the prompt, Search shapes.
Note: If you can't see the Search Shapes text box in the Shapes panel above More Shapes, then you need to check the Show Shape Search pane option in File > Options > Advanced > Shape Search.
The default option for search is to search for text that matches All of the words (AND). Although the search is not case-sensitive, it does match on whole words. For example, "Air Cond" will not find the "Air Conditioner" shape when this is the selected option.
However, if the option is changed to Any of the words (OR), then the "Air Conditioner" shape will be matched because its name contains the word "Air".
When you select one of the found master shapes in the Local results, and drag it onto the page, a copy of the master shape is first added to the Document Stencil. You can drag and drop this master shape from there subsequently, rather than searching for it again.
Check Shapes > More Shapes > Show Document Stencil to view the master shapes currently used in the document.
The search also checks the Keywords of the shapes. For example, searching for the word "Tile" appears to mistakenly match with "Square stone", however, an examination of the Keywords of the master shape reveals that it does contain the word "tile".
Editions of Microsoft Visio that have an online subscription also have the ability to search for shapes in a number of third party stencils hosted by Microsoft. For example, searching for the word "Tile" shows that it is also found in an online stencil, which can then be selected and downloaded. This will download the whole stencil in your My Shapes folder in a sub-folder named after the third-party provider. These stencils, and all of the master shapes within them, are immediately available to use in the current and subsequent sessions. These stencils have been vetted by Microsoft and are safe to use.
Find other shapes online
If you have an Internet connection, you can search the Microsoft Download Center for Visio shapes or stencils. Some shapes you can download include:
Visio shapes are also created by people and companies outside of Microsoft. If you are looking for some very specific or unusual shapes, you might try non-Microsoft providers such as these:
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Equipment manufacturers If you are looking for shapes that represent specific pieces of equipment, you can often find them at the equipment manufacturer's website.
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Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) Visio MVPs are Visio experts who freely answer questions and offer solutions, tips, and suggestions, most often in the Visio discussion groups. You can find often stencils of shapes on their web sites.
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Other external sites Some sites on the web (such as NetZoom Visio Stencils and Visio Cafe) run by independent Visio users and businesses offer shapes and other downloads.
For more information, see Import downloaded stencils and Create, save, and share custom stencils.
Fixing Shape Search in the Visio desktop app on Windows 11
Currently (early 2022) shape search not working correctly on Windows 11. Following is a fix you can apply to your computer that repairs this problem.
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Open the Services app. In the alphabetical list of services, find Windows Search.
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In the Properties window, on the General tab, change the Startup type to Manual. Select OK.
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In the alphabetical list, right-click Windows Search and select Stop.
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Open registry editor (regedit.exe).
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In the tree view on the left, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\PluginResourceData
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Add a new DWORD (32-bit) key named: ShutoffThreshold
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Double-click the ShutoffThreshold element to edit it. Set Value data to ffffffff, then select OK.
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In the tree view on the left, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\PluginResourceData\{FAEA5B46-761B-400E-B53E-E805A97A543E}
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Double-click the PenaltyBox element to edit it. Set Value data to 0, then select OK.
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Close the registry editor.
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Go back to the Services app. In the alphabetical list of services, find Windows Search. Change the Startup type back to Automatic. Then right-click Windows Search and select Start.
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On the taskbar, select Search
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In the Indexing Options dialog box, select Advanced. Then, under Troubleshooting, select Rebuild.
Once indexing is complete, Shape search should start working properly again.
See Also
Find shapes and stencils
You can search for shapes and stencils that are local to your device. You can also search for stencils that are online, created by third-parties or Microsoft.
-
In the search box at the top of the Shapes pane, enter a key word or phrase (e.g. "triangle").
Note: If you don’t see the search box, you might need to activate it. Select the View tab, then select Task Panes > Shapes. Still don't see the search box? Select the > symbol at the top of your ruler on the left hand side of your screen.
-
Under Local, the search results are displayed and categorized by their Visio stencil title.
-
Under Online, if available, you'll see shapes on the web by other companies, including Microsoft. To access those shapes, do the following:
a. Select the stencil to see a preview.
b. To put the stencil in your My Shapes folder, select Download.
c. After it has downloaded, select Open to display the stencil in the Shapes pane.
-
-
To reset the search in the Shapes pane, delete the search string in the search box so that it displays the prompt, Search shapes.
The default option for search is to search for text that matches All of the words (AND). Although the search is not case-sensitive, it does match on whole words. For example, "Air Cond" will not find the "Air Conditioner" shape when this is the selected option.
However, if the option is changed to Any of the words (OR), then the "Air Conditioner" shape will be matched because its name contains the word "Air".
When you select one of the found master shapes in the Local results, and drag it onto the page, a copy of the master shape is first added to the Document Stencil. You can drag and drop this master shape from there subsequently, rather than searching for it again.
Check Shapes > More Shapes > Show Document Stencil to view the master shapes currently used in the document.
The search also checks the Keywords of the shapes. For example, searching for the word "Tile" appears to mistakenly match with "Square stone", however, an examination of the Keywords of the master shape reveals that it does contain the word "tile".
Find shapes on the web
If you have an Internet connection, you can search the web for shapes.
You can find shapes by searching the Microsoft Download Center for Visio shapes.
Visio shapes are also created by people and companies outside of Microsoft. If you are looking for some very specific or unusual shapes, you might try non-Microsoft providers such as these:
-
Equipment manufacturers If you are looking for shapes that represent specific pieces of equipment, you can often find them at the equipment manufacturer's website.
-
Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) Visio MVPs are Visio experts who freely answer questions and offer solutions, tips, and suggestions, most often in the Visio discussion groups. You can find often stencils of shapes on their web sites.
-
Other external sites Some sites on the web (such as NetZoom Visio Stencils and Visio Cafe) run by independent Visio users and businesses offer shapes and other downloads.
For more information, see Import downloaded stencils and Create, save, and share custom stencils.
Fixing Shape Search in the Visio desktop app on Windows 11
Currently (early 2022) shape search not working correctly on Windows 11. Following is a fix you can apply to your computer that repairs this problem.
-
Open the Services app. In the alphabetical list of services, find Windows Search.
-
In the Properties window, on the General tab, change the Startup type to Manual. Select OK.
-
In the alphabetical list, right-click Windows Search and select Stop.
-
Open registry editor (regedit.exe).
-
In the tree view on the left, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\PluginResourceData
-
Add a new DWORD (32-bit) key named: ShutoffThreshold
-
Double-click the ShutoffThreshold element to edit it. Set Value data to ffffffff, then select OK.
-
In the tree view on the left, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows Search\PluginResourceData\{FAEA5B46-761B-400E-B53E-E805A97A543E}
-
Double-click the PenaltyBox element to edit it. Set Value data to 0, then select OK.
-
Close the registry editor.
-
Go back to the Services app. In the alphabetical list of services, find Windows Search. Change the Startup type back to Automatic. Then right-click Windows Search and select Start.
-
On the taskbar, select Search
-
In the Indexing Options dialog box, select Advanced. Then, under Troubleshooting, select Rebuild.
Once indexing is complete, Shape search should start working properly again.
See Also
There are many diagrams and shapes in Visio for the web. To locate a certain diagram or shape, you can search for them. Type in a word or phrase to find diagram names, shapes, or the names, text, and shape data associated with a diagram.
Search for diagrams in the Visio for the web landing page
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Open the Visio landing page by using the app launcher
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In the Search box at the top of the page, enter a word or phrase.
Visio for the web auto-suggests results as you type. Results appear in the Gallery view.
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Select a diagram to open it.
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To return to the Gallery view, select < Search Results.
Search for shapes when editing a diagram
You can search for specific shapes that you want to add to the diagram. For example, you may want to search for specific shapes not in a stencil, such as title boxes, arrows, math, charts, boxes, stars, and symbols.
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Open the diagram for editing.
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In the Search box at the top of the Shapes palette, enter a word or phrase.
Visio for the web auto-suggests results as you type. Results appear in the Shapes palette.
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To open the shape you want, select it.
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To return to viewing Shape sets, select an icon in the Shape tabs region.
Search for shapes when viewing a diagram
You can search for specific shapes that are in the diagram.
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Open the diagram for viewing.
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Select Show more commands (...), and then select Find (Ctrl+F).
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Enter a word or phrase. Results appear in the Find pane.
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To locate the shape you want, select it.
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To close the Find pane, select Close (X).
