SUMMARY
If you create large Visio diagrams, you may want to reduce
the size of your VSD files. This article addresses several ways to reduce the
size of a VSD file, including:
- Removing unused shapes in the local stencil.
- Splitting a multiple-page diagram into several
files.
- Setting Preview picture to None.
- Reducing the number of grouped shapes.
- Converting duplicate shapes to a single master
shape.
IMPORTANT: Before you try any of the solutions in this article, Microsoft
recommends you make a backup of your Visio diagram.
Removing Unused Shapes in the Local Stencil
The local stencil stores master shapes, including those master
shapes that have been deleted from the drawing page. Therefore, unused master
shapes can take up unnecessary disk space, and removing them reduces the file
size of your diagram.
To remove unused master shapes from the active
drawing's local stencil, you can download and run the CleanIt utility.
The following file
is available for download from the Microsoft Download
Center:
For
additional information about how to download Microsoft Support files, click the
following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services
Microsoft scanned this file for viruses. Microsoft used the most
current virus-detection software that was available on the date that the file
was posted. The file is stored on security-enhanced servers that help to
prevent any unauthorized changes to the file.
NOTE: Microsoft Product Support Services does not provide technical
support for this utility.
Alternatively, you can follow these steps
to delete unused master shapes:
- Open the Visio drawing.
- Do one of the following:
- If you have Visio 2000, on the Window menu, click Show
Document Stencil.
- If you have an earlier version of Visio, on the Window menu, click Show Master Shapes.
- Delete the master shapes not in use from the local stencil.
Visio warns you if any master shapes are being used by your diagram.
If you receive this warning, click Cancel. - Click Close to close the stencil.
- Save your drawing.
The drawing file size is reduced.
Splitting a Multiple-Page Diagram into Several Files
If you need to reduce the file size of a multiple-page diagram to
transfer it electronically, or if you need to save the diagram to a diskette,
consider saving each page of your Visio file as a separate file. Use the
Save As command to split the multiple-page diagram into several files.
To split a multiple-page diagram into several files:
- Open the Visio drawing.
- On the File menu, click Save As, type a new file name, and then click OK.
EXAMPLE: Type filename_pageX.vsd, where file name is the name of your
document, and pageX is the page number. - Repeat Step 2 for each page of your diagram.
EXAMPLE: Save page 1 as filename_page1.vsd, save page 2 as
filename_page2.vsd, and so on. - For each new Visio drawing file, delete the other pages
that don't correspond with the file name by doing one of the following:
- If you have Visio 2000, right-click the page tab for
the page that you want to delete in the lower-left corner of the window, and
then click Delete Page.
- If you have an earlier version of Visio, follow these
steps:
- On the Edit menu, point to Drawing Page, and then click Delete Page.
- Select the page to delete, and then click OK.
EXAMPLE: If your drawing has four pages and you open filename_page2.vsd,
you should delete pages 1, 3, and 4. - On the File menu, click Save, and repeat this procedure for each diagram.
You now have separate Visio files for each page of your
diagram.
Setting Preview Picture to None
You can reduce the file size of your diagram by turning off the
Preview picture setting in the
Properties dialog box.
To turn off the
Preview
picture setting:
- On the File menu, click Properties.
- In the Properties dialog box, click the Summary tab.
- Click None for the Preview picture setting.
Reducing the Number of Grouped Shapes
If your Visio diagram includes many grouped shapes, your diagram
can become very large and complex. Reducing the number of levels of grouping
can help to reduce the size and complexity of your files. To reduce the levels
of grouping:
- Use Shape operations, such as the Combine
operation.
- Convert the grouped shape to a Windows Metafile
(WMF).
To convert a grouped shape to a Windows Metafile (WMF):
- On the Edit menu, click Copy.
- On the Edit menu, click Paste Special. The Paste Special dialog box appears.
- Click Picture, and then click OK.
Converting Duplicate Shapes to a Single Master Shape
If you created shapes in your Visio drawing, consider converting
duplicate shapes to masters. When you create a master shape, Visio stores it in
the drawing's local stencil. When you drag a shape to a stencil, a master shape
icon based on the shape appears in the stencil window.
EXAMPLE: Instead of your drawing containing 20 copies of a shape, it
could contain a single copy--the master shape and the instances of the master
as references. The references take up a lot less disk space than duplicate
copies of the shape.
To convert a shape to a master:
- In the Drawing window, display the shape that you want to
convert to a master, or draw a shape to convert.
- On the File menu, click Open, and then select the stencil file (VSS) in which you want to
store the new master.
- Click Original or Copy, and then click Open.
- Click the drawing page to make it active, and then drag the
shape from the drawing page and drop it on the stencil. You can create a copy
of the shape by holding down the CTRL key while you drag.
The shape
icon appears with a label "Master.X," where "X" is a number representing the
number of shapes on the stencil. - If you have a version of Visio earlier than Visio 2000, on
the View menu, click Arrange Icons.
Visio rearranges the existing icons to align the new
icon. This happens automatically with Visio 2000. - Click the stencil to make it active. On the File menu, click Save to save the changes to the stencil.
