The geoprocessing tools you run are logged and saved with your project. You can view detailed information about each tool that was run and reopen the tool with the same settings you previously used. Geoprocessing history will help you be more productive and allow you to better understand the processes that created the data and layers in your project.
When you run any geoprocessing tool, an entry is added under Geoprocessing in the History pane. Open the History pane by clicking the History button in the Analysis ribbon tab's Geoprocessing group.
History entries
Each history entry maintains detailed information about the tool, including the following:
- The tool input, output, and other parameter settings.
- Any custom geoprocessing environment settings.
- When the tool was run, when tool execution finished, and how long it took to execute.
- If the tool completed successfully or failed.
- Any information, warning, or error messages.
- Links to output reports or files, such as PDF or HTML documents. When clicked, these files will open in your default system application for the file type.
Manage history
If you open the project at a later time to continue your work, all of the geoprocessing tools you previously ran in the project will be available to review in geoprocessing history. You can easily reopen and run any of the tools in the history by double-clicking the entry, or right-click and select Open.
You can remove any history entries that you do not want to keep in your project. Select any entries you wish to remove, then right-click and select Remove. Single or multiple selected history entries can also be removed using the Remove button 
located at the top of the history entries list.
Automate your geoprocessing work
You can use the geoprocessing tools you've run from the Geoprocessing pane as a starting point to automate your work with Python or ModelBuilder.
- Right-click any geoprocessing history entry and select Copy Python command to copy the geoprocessing tool command as a Python snippet. Learn more about running geoprocessing tools in Python
- You can also send a Python snippet from a history entry to the Python window using the command Send To Python Window.
- You can save a Python script (.py) that contains all of the selected tools in History using the Save As Python Script command.
- Geoprocessing history entries can be dragged onto a ModelBuilder view. The tools and all parameter settings will be added and connected in the model.
- You can also right-click history entries and select Add To Model and the tools and all data required to run the tools will be added to an open model. If no model is open, a new model will be created in the project toolbox.
Share your analysis
Geoprocessing history plays a key role when sharing your analysis as either a geoprocessing package or a web tool. Any analysis you wish to share must first have been run successfully and logged in your geoprocessing history.
Geoprocessing logging options
There are two geoprocessing options that control how the geoprocessing tools you run are logged.
Write geoprocessing operations to XML log file
This option controls whether information about all the geoprocessing tools you run is written to an external log file. The log file is an .xml file stored in %APPDATA%\ESRI\ArcGISPro\ArcToolbox\History.
Write geoprocessing operations to dataset metadata
This option controls whether geoprocessing tool input and output datasets' metadata is updated to include the tool name, parameters, when the tool was run, and other information.
Note:
The Geoprocessing History section of dataset metadata can be viewed in the FGDC metadata style.