Microsoft has rolled out a new feature in Visual Studio that lets developers generate and view Mermaid diagrams right within the Markdown editor, either by writing the syntax themselves or by using Copilot to generate it automatically. The update means workflows involving flowcharts, sequence diagrams, class diagrams, Gantt charts, and more can now be visualized instantly—no external tools or extensions needed.

Here’s what you need to know:

What is Mermaid?
A popular text-based diagramming tool that lets you create flowcharts , sequence diagrams, Gantt charts, and more using simple, markdown-like syntax.
Why use Mermaid?
Quickly visualize complex processes or system structures right inside your docs or code, making collaboration and comprehension faster and easier.
Example prompts
Try: “Create a sequence diagram for the API call flow”, “Visualize relationships between entities in this schema”, or “Show a state diagram for a task lifecycle.”
How to display Mermaid
Click Preview in the Markdown file and see your Mermaid diagram render instantly.