You can create a UML use case diagram in Visio to summarize how users (or actors) interact with a system, such as a software application. An actor can be a person, an organization, or another system.
Use case diagrams show the expected behavior of the system. They don't show the order in which steps are performed. (Use a sequence diagram to show how objects interact over time.)
Defining the system boundary determines what is considered external or internal to the system.
An actor represents a role played by an outside object. One object may play several roles and, therefore, is represented by several actors.
An association illustrates the participation of the actor in the use case.
A use case is a set of events that occurs when an actor uses a system to complete a process. Normally, a use case is a relatively large process, not an individual step or transaction.
Create a new use case diagram
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On the File tab, point to New.
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in the Search box, type UML use case.
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From the search results, select UML Use Case.
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In the dialog box, select the blank template or one of the three starter diagrams. (A description of each one is shown on the right when you select it.) Then select either Metric Units or US Units.
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Select Create.
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The diagram opens. You should see the Shapes window next to the diagram. A UML Use Case stencil is open in the Shapes window.
(If you don’t see the Shapes window, go to View > Task Panes and make sure that Shapes is selected. If you still don’t see it, click the Expand the Shapes window button on the left.)
Add a subsystem to the use case diagram
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Drag a Subsystem shape onto the drawing page. The subsystem can represent your entire system or a major component.
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Double-click the Subsystem shape, and then type a new name for the for it, or press the Delete key to delete the existing name. Click outside the shape on the drawing page.
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To resize the subsystem, select the shape, and then drag a selection handle.
Add shapes and connectors to the diagram
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Drag Use Case shapes
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Use connector shapes to indicate relationships between shapes in the diagram. There are five connectors available:
Connector
Description
Association
Shows the relationship of an actor to a use case.
Dependency
Indicates that one use case has a dependency on another.
Generalization
Indicates that a use case is a specific way to achieve goals of the general use case.
Include
Shows how a use case is broken into smaller steps.
Extend
Shows that one use case adds functionality to another.
Example: To indicate a relationship between an actor and a use case
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In a use case diagram, drag an Association connector shape onto the drawing page.
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Glue one endpoint of the Association shape to a connection point on an Actor shape. Glue the other endpoint to a connection point on a Use Case shape.
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See Also
For more information about use case diagrams (and procedures for using Microsoft Visual Studio to create use case diagrams), go to UML Use Case Diagrams: Guidelines.
Note: Creating and editing UML diagrams on Visio for the web requires a Visio Plan 1 or Visio Plan 2 license, which is purchased separately from Microsoft 365. For more information, contact your Microsoft 365 admin. If your admin has turned on "self-service purchasing," you can buy a license for Visio yourself. For more details, see Self-service purchase FAQ.
Create a new use case diagram
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Open Visio for the web.
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Near the upper right corner of the page, select More templates.
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In the Gallery, scroll down to the UML Use Case row.
The first item in the row represents a blank template plus the companion stencil. The other items in the row are sample diagrams that have some shapes already drawn to help you get started quickly.
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Click any item to see a larger preview.
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When you find the diagram you want to use, click its Create button.
The new diagram, with the related stencil, opens in your browser.
Add a subsystem to the use case diagram
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Drag a Subsystem shape onto the drawing page. The subsystem can represent your entire system or a major component.
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Double-click the Subsystem shape, and then type a new name for the for it, or press the Delete key to delete the existing name. Click outside the shape on the drawing page.
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To resize the subsystem, select the shape, and then drag a selection handle.
Add shapes and connectors to the diagram
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Drag Use Case shapes
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Drag Actor shapes
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Use connector shapes to indicate relationships between shapes in the diagram. There are five connectors available:
Connector
Description
Association
Shows the relationship of an actor to a use case.
Dependency
Indicates that one use case has a dependency on another.
Generalization
Indicates that a use case is a specific way to achieve goals of the general use case.
Include
Shows how a use case is broken into smaller steps.
Extend
Shows that one use case adds functionality to another.
Example: To indicate a relationship between an actor and a use case
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In a use case diagram, drag an Association connector shape onto the drawing page.
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Glue one endpoint of the Association shape to a connection point on an Actor shape. Glue the other endpoint to a connection point on a Use Case shape.
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Visio for the web saves automatically. To rename a drawing, double-click to select the default name (such as Drawing1) at the top of the drawing and then type a new name over it.
See Also
For more information about use case diagrams (and procedures for using Microsoft Visual Studio to create use case diagrams), go to UML Use Case Diagrams: Guidelines.
