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Viewer mode allows unlicensed users of Microsoft 365 Apps to view and print Office files without being prompted to activate Office. To use viewer mode, you must use a supported version of Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise.
Viewer mode is designed for users who need to view or print Office files without creating or editing. For example, a doctor or nurse can use this mode to open files in Office from a health-care line-of-business application. Viewer mode is a benefit to users of Office for the web.
Viewer mode is designed for users who need to view or print Office files without creating or editing. For example, a doctor or nurse can use this mode to open files in Office from a health-care line-of-business application. Viewer mode is a benefit to users of Office for the web. When viewer mode is enabled, an unlicensed user of Microsoft 365. With Visio Viewer, you can open, view, or print Visio drawings, even if you don't have Visio installed. You cannot, however, edit, save, or create a new Visio drawing with Visio Viewer. For that, you need a full version of Visio installed. Microsoft Visio (/ ˈ v ɪ z. Oʊ / VIZ-ee-oh) (formerly Microsoft Office Visio) is a diagramming and vector graphics application and is part of the Microsoft Office family. The product was first introduced in 1992, made by the Shapeware Corporation. It was acquired by Microsoft in 2000. This article describes update 2920709 for Microsoft Visio Viewer 2016 that was released on January 7, 2020. Be aware that the update in the Microsoft Download Center applies to the Microsoft Installer (.msi)-based edition of Office 2016.
A unique feature of working online is the ability to view previous versions of the same shared diagram. Team members can review a previous version, and if desired, they can restore that version. It then becomes the current version. As you can see, there are many productive features of using Microsoft Visio Online.
When viewer mode is enabled, an unlicensed user of Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise is not prompted to activate Office when they open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint. Instead, they see the following banner message underneath the ribbon in their Office apps that informs them Office is in viewer mode.
Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2010
Enable viewer mode with Group Policy
To enable viewer mode for unlicensed users in your organization with Group Policy:
Enable the Use Viewer Mode policy setting. You can find this policy setting under Computer ConfigurationPoliciesAdministrative TemplatesMicrosoft Office 2016 (Machine)Licensing Settings.
Disable the Automatically activate Office with federated organization credentials policy setting. You can find this setting under User ConfigurationPoliciesAdministrative TemplatesMicrosoft Office 2016Subscription Activation. By disabling this setting, you ensure that Office is not automatically activated with federated organization credentials.
To use these policy settings, download and install the Administrative Template files (ADMX/ADML) for Office from the Microsoft Download Center.
Considerations when using viewer mode
- Viewer mode is supported for the following apps:
- Version 1902 or later of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Version 2005 or later of Project and Visio.
- Updates, such as new features and security updates, are still applied when Office is in viewer mode.
- For information about the availability of specific versions in the update channels for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, see Update history for Microsoft 365 Apps.
- The Activate Product button under File > Account is hidden when Office is in viewer mode.
- Even when viewer mode is enabled, users need to accept the license agreement when Office is opened for the first time. You can automatically accept the license agreement for your users when you deploy Office by configuring the AcceptEULA attribute.
Ms Visio Viewer 2013
Occasionally, I have the need to open a Visio diagram but don't have a need to create or modify them. So, the Visio viewer seemed to be an ideal option. However, after installing the viewer (I tried this with both 32-bit and 64-bit versions), I was still unable to open a Visio file.
The best I could get was Windows asking what I would like to use to open the file and Visio viewer wasn't an option. After drilling down to find the executable file, I found the viewer (VPREVIEW.EXE) would display a message saying 'This program can only run from within another program” when I tried to execute it. I discovered the Visio viewer is designed to use ActiveX controls within Internet Explorer. Since I had disabled IE 11 on my system (using the 'Turn Windows features on or off'), the viewer had nowhere to execute since Edge doesn't support ActiveX.
Microsoft Office Visio Viewer 2007 Download
I found a Chrome plug-in in the Chrome web store that will allow me to view Visio files from inside Chrome. However, it requires me to click on a tag in the Chrome header and then drag the Visio file into the Chrome window.
So, the alternatives appear to be to enable IE 11 or use a Chrome plug-in.