Short answer: download the VMware Visio stencils from github.com/h0bbel/vmware-stencils (Code → Download ZIP). It is the VMware Validated Design (VVD) icon set: vmw_Icons.vssx, vmw_colors.vssx, the vmw_template.vstm template and 111 SVG icons, and it still opens in current Visio and draw.io. Broadcom has not published a newer set for VCF 9, so this page also shows which icon to use for each VCF 9 component.
Download the VMware Visio stencils (VVD icon set)
Old links point to VMTN community documents and to github.com/tenthirtyam/vmware-stencils. Both are dead; the GitHub repository returns 404. These are the working options, checked in October 2026:
| Source | What you get | Access | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| h0bbel/vmware-stencils on GitHub | Visio .vssx stencils and .vstm template, OmniGraffle stencils, PPTX, 111 SVG icons | Public, no login: Code → Download ZIP | Content last changed 2020-11-30, no license file |
| draw.io (diagrams.net) built-in library | “VMware” shape library (More Shapes → Networking), same VVD icon family | Free, web or desktop app | Maintained as part of draw.io |
| Broadcom TechDocs | Official architecture diagrams inside the VCF documentation | Public | Reference only, not a stencil pack |
The GitHub fork chain is Ryan Johnson (tenthirtyam, deleted) → foozy74/vmware-stencils → h0bbel/vmware-stencils (Christian Mohn). Direct ZIP: https://github.com/h0bbel/vmware-stencils/archive/refs/heads/main.zip.
What is in the VMware stencils package
| Folder | Files | Use |
|---|---|---|
| visio/ | vmw_Icons.vssx, vmw_colors.vssx, vmw_template.vstm | Icons, “Colors and Boxes” stencil, Visio template |
| omnigraffle/ | vmw_icons.gstencil, vmw_color.gstencil, vmw.clr | OmniGraffle on macOS plus the color palette |
| pptx/ | vmw_icons.pptx (about 19 MB) | Icons for slide decks |
| svg/ | 111 individual SVG icons | draw.io, web pages, any vector editor |
The icon stencil is named vmw_Icons.vssx with a capital I, while the README writes vmw_icons.vssx. On Windows this does not matter; in scripts on Linux or macOS it does. The CHANGELOG has four releases: 2018-08-14 (initial), 2019-05-31 (large icon update and example diagrams), 2019-10-03 (fixed SDDC stencil and template) and 2020-11-20 (Visio update, plus OmniGraffle, PowerPoint and SVG). Nothing has been added since.
How to install VMware stencils in Visio
- Download the ZIP and extract it.
- Copy
vmw_template.vstm,vmw_Icons.vssxandvmw_colors.vssxtoC:\Users\<username>\Documents\My Shapes. Visio uses this folder as the default location for custom stencils. - Open
vmw_template.vstmto start a drawing with the intended page setup. - In the Shapes pane, choose More Shapes → Open Stencil, select both .vssx files and click Open. Stencils saved in My Shapes are also listed under More Shapes → My Shapes.
- Save the drawing. Stencils open in the Shapes window stay attached to that drawing the next time you open it.
The README also lists the house style from VMware documentation: Metropolis font, no text smaller than 11 pt, do not scale icons and shapes, and keep the template’s paper format.
VMware stencils for draw.io (diagrams.net) and OmniGraffle
- draw.io built-in library: open More Shapes, go to Networking and enable VMware. It is the VMware Validated Design (VVD) icon family; the shapes are tagged “vmware validated design”, so the shape search finds them too. No download needed.
- draw.io with the GitHub files: drag
vmw_Icons.vssxandvmw_colors.vssxinto the web or desktop app (the README documents this), or drag individual SVGs from the svg/ folder onto the canvas. - OmniGraffle (macOS): create a VMware folder in
~/Library/Containers/com.omnigroup.OmniGraffle7/Data/Library/Application Support/The Omni Group/OmniGraffle/Stencils, copy both .gstencil files there, and copyvmw.clrto~/Library/Colors.
Other VMware stencil sets compared
Search results for VMware stencils mix this set with older and vendor-specific packs. This is what each one is good for:
| Set | Covers | Last updated | Format | Use it for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VVD icons (h0bbel/vmware-stencils) | vCenter, ESXi, VM, vSAN, NSX (Manager, gateway, DLR, CSM), HCX, Site Recovery, Kubernetes, vRealize products, generic infrastructure | 2020-11 | .vssx, .vstm, .gstencil, .pptx, .svg | VMware design documents (HLD/LLD), VCF diagrams with relabeled boxes |
| draw.io “VMware” library | The same VVD icon family | Maintained with draw.io | Built in (More Shapes → Networking) | Wikis, labs, shared editing without distributing files |
| vmtoday.com stencils | vSphere icons, Horizon View (184 shapes), vCenter Orchestrator (118 shapes) | Drawn 2012–2014 | .vssx, .vss | Horizon and Orchestrator diagrams; not VCF |
| Veeam stencils | 250+ shapes: generic hosts, storage, VMs and Veeam components. The old veeam.com stencil URL now opens Veeam’s brand resource center; draw.io also has a built-in “Veeam” library under Networking. | Maintained by Veeam | Visio, draw.io built-in | Backup and data-protection designs |
| VeloCloud stencils (Broadcom KB 376248) | VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN only | Official Broadcom attachment | Visio ZIP | SD-WAN topologies |
The VeloCloud pack is the only official Broadcom stencil download I could find. For vSphere, vSAN, NSX and VCF, the VVD set is still the most complete VMware-specific option.
Which package for which diagram
| Diagram | Best fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Customer design document (HLD/LLD) in Visio | vmw_template.vstm + both .vssx | Same icons and box colors as the old VVD documentation |
| Lab or wiki diagram, shared editing | draw.io built-in VMware library | Free, no files to distribute |
| Slide deck | vmw_icons.pptx | Icons already sized for PowerPoint |
| Web page, Markdown docs, Excalidraw-style tools | svg/ folder | Plain vector files, easy to recolor |
| Mac users | OmniGraffle stencils | Native format and palette |
Mapping VVD icons to VCF 9 components
The icon set is from the vSphere 7 and vRealize era, so several VCF 9 components have no icon of their own and the management products still carry vRealize names. The practical approach: use the closest VVD icon and put the current VCF 9 name in the label. File names below are from the svg/ folder; the Visio stencil uses the same icons.
| VCF 9 component | VVD icon to use | Note |
|---|---|---|
| vCenter | vcenter-server.svg | Exact match |
| ESX host | rack-server.svg, or vm-server.svg for a host with VMs | Label as ESX 9.x |
| Virtual machine | vm.svg | Exact match |
| vSAN (OSA or ESA) | vmware-vsan.svg | Put “ESA” in the label; there is no separate ESA icon |
| vSphere Distributed Switch | virtual-switch.svg | Physical uplinks: physical-nic.svg, ToR: switch.svg |
| NSX Manager | nsx-manager.svg | Exact match |
| NSX Edge, Tier-0 / Tier-1 gateway | nsx-gateway.svg | Use router.svg for the physical BGP peers |
| NSX VPC | none | Use a box from vmw_colors.vssx labeled “VPC” |
| VCF Operations | vrops.svg | Relabel; the icon still says vRealize Operations |
| VCF Operations for logs | vmware-vrealize-log-insight.svg | Relabel |
| VCF Operations for networks | vmware-vrealize-network-insight.svg | Relabel |
| VCF Automation | vmware-vrealize-automation.svg | Relabel |
| SDDC Manager / VCF Operations fleet management | vmware-cloud-foundation.svg | No dedicated icon. Separate components in 9.0; Broadcom’s 9.1 feature comparison lists fleet management as “formerly SDDC Manager” |
| VCF Operations orchestrator | vmware-vrealize-orchestrator.svg | Relabel |
| VCF Installer | virtual-appliance.svg | No dedicated icon |
| vSphere Supervisor / vSphere Kubernetes Service | kubernetes.svg | pks.svg is the old Enterprise PKS icon; avoid it |
| VCF Operations HCX | vmware-hcx.svg | Same icon, new name |
| Site Recovery, vSphere Replication | vmware-site-recovery.svg, vmware-vsphere-replication.svg | Label with the current product name |
| VCF Identity Broker, external IdP | identity.svg | Generic |
| Certificate authority | certificate-server.svg | Generic |
| Avi Load Balancer | load-balancer.svg | Generic |
For a VCF 9 design, start from the component list in VCF 9.0 minimum requirements for a lab to decide which boxes belong on the page, and check component names against Broadcom KB 401497 (the VCF 9.0 component list). Official reference diagrams are in the VCF documentation on TechDocs. A worked example is my VCF 9 lab network diagram.
Is there a VMware Visio stencils 2025 or 2026 update?
No. The “2025” and “2026” posts you find in search results point to the same 2020 files on GitHub. In a Broadcom Community thread about Visio stencils for VCF, a reply states that no current official VCF-specific Visio stencil package from Broadcom is known and that the old VVD packages are outdated for VCF 9.x. The README’s own note says official diagrams live in the product documentation, which today means Broadcom TechDocs. If Broadcom publishes a new set, it will be announced there or on the VCF blog. Until then, treat the VVD set as a community-maintained copy without a stated license: fine for internal design work, but check it against your policy before using it in commercial material.
Sources
- GitHub: h0bbel/vmware-stencils (file list, README install steps, CHANGELOG)
- draw.io source: Sidebar-VVD.js (built-in VMware Validated Design library) and Sidebar.js (More Shapes → Networking → VMware)
- Microsoft Support: Create, save, and share custom stencils and Import downloaded stencils
- Broadcom Community: Visio stencils for projects
- Broadcom KB 401497: VMware VCF 9.0 or VVF 9.0 downloads (component list)
- Broadcom KB 376248: VeloCloud stencils download
- Broadcom TechDocs: VMware Cloud Foundation 9.0 documentation
- vmtoday.com: VMware Visio stencils (vSphere, Horizon View, vCenter Orchestrator)
- Graham (virtualg.uk): Official VMware Visio Stencils & Icons – Update (the original post this page was based on)
