Index project items

By default, ArcGIS Pro creates and dynamically updates an index of the items in your project. The index is used to generate results in project searches. Maps, layouts, and other items stored in the project file (.aprx) are indexed when you create them, import them, or add them to a project. Folders, databases, toolboxes, and other items stored outside the project file are indexed when you add connections to them.

Only items that can be used by ArcGIS Pro are indexed. For example, if a folder in the project contains a shapefile and a Microsoft PowerPoint file, the shapefile is indexed but the PowerPoint file is not.

Items are indexed only once. If a geodatabase is added to a project, its contents are indexed. If a connection is then added to a folder that contains the geodatabase, the geodatabase is not indexed a second time

Note:

The search index used by ArcGIS Pro is different than the search index used by ArcMap and ArcCatalog. It is stored in a different location, includes different content, and supports different items.

Indexed items

The following items and item collections are indexed:

• Layouts
• Maps
• Reports
• Reviewer batch jobs
• Tasks
• BIM Cloud connections
• Cloud stores
• Databases
• Folders
• Notebooks
• Servers
• Toolboxes

Note:

For database and toolbox connections, both the connection and its contents are indexed. For folder connections, only the folder content is indexed. (Project searches do not return folder names.) For cloud and server connections, the connection is indexed but not the content of the server or cloud repository.

Location of the index

The ArcGIS Pro index is actually composed of two indexes: the project index and the resource index. The project index is stored in the project's home folder. It keeps track of items stored in the project file, such as maps and layouts. The resource index is stored in your user profile directory at <user profile>\AppData\Local\ESRI\Index. It keeps track of items such as databases, toolboxes, and connections that are added to the project.

The resource index contains entries for items associated with any and all of your projects. Projects A, B, and C each have their own project index, but use the same resource index. Items in the resource index are only indexed once, no matter how many projects use them. For example, if Projects A and B both have folder connections to C:\Data\Wildfires, the contents of that folder are only indexed once.

When you search a project, results are returned from both the project index and the resource index. Results from the resource index are returned only for items associated with the project being searched. For example, if a geodatabase named oak_glen.gdb is added to Project A, it can be found in a search of Project A. It is not found in a search of Project B unless it has been added to Project B (or is located in a folder added to Project B).

Dynamic indexing

The index is maintained dynamically. This means that items are indexed as you add them to a project. When you delete an item that is stored in a project such as a map, it is deleted from the project index. When you remove an item that is referenced by a project such as a folder, it is not deleted from the index—because it may still be associated with other projects—but it is no longer found in searches of the project from which it was removed.

However, if the content of an item changes after the item has been indexed, the index does not reflect the change. For example, new files added to a folder that has already been indexed are not dynamically indexed. (The content of a new folder connection would be.) Similarly, if you delete or move files from an indexed folder, the index does not recognize that they are gone. The index does not reflect changes of this kind until the index is incrementally updated or deleted and rebuilt.

Indexing existing projects

Sometimes an existing project may not be indexed. This can happen, for example, if you receive a project from someone else or use the Save As command to create a project. It can also happen if a project was created while indexing was turned off. In these cases, the project is indexed as soon as one of the following events occurs:

• You add a database, toolbox, or connection to the project
• The index is incrementally updated
• You perform a project search (as opposed to a portal search) in the Catalog pane, catalog view, or browse dialog box.

While a project is being indexed, it may take some time before search results are available, and you may see a message that indexing is in progress. Search results start to appear dynamically as they are indexed.

Content included in the index

When an item is indexed, information is derived from the item and stored in the index. Different content is indexed for different items. The indexed content may include the following information:

• The item name.
• Tags, description, summary, credits, and use limitations—Content is derived from ArcGIS metadata content associated with the item, if it exists. If an item has metadata content formatted according to the FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, it is not included in the ArcGIS Pro search index; upgrade it to the ArcGIS metadata format so the item's metadata will be indexed.
• Title, extent, spatial reference, maximum scale, thumbnail—Content is derived from ArcGIS metadata content associated with the item, if it exists. If it doesn't exist, the item's data is used to determine the appropriate value. For example, the name of the item is used as the title. When a spatial dataset is indexed, a thumbnail is generated if one doesn't exist.
• Last modified date, raster format and band names, imagery sensor type, acquisition date, sun azimuth and elevation angles, product information, and so on—Properties of the item are used to determine the appropriate value.

Indexing options

Indexing options on the ArcGIS Pro Settings page allow you to configure the index to meet your needs. A number of indexing options are described below. Others are described in Update the search index for project items.

Index the contents of a network disk

By default, items stored on a network disk that is added to the project are not indexed. To index the contents of a network disk, follow the steps below. At the next incremental index update, the contents of network disks added to the project as folder connections are indexed.

1. Open the Options dialog box using one of the methods below.
   • If a project is currently open, click the Project tab and click Options.
   • Start ArcGIS Pro and click Settings at the bottom of the start page.

   The Options dialog box appears.

2. Click the Indexing tab.
3. Check Index items on network disks.
4. Click OK.

   Note:

   Items added to a project by their UNC path are treated as network items. However, items on mounted network drives that are added to a project by drive letter are treated like local disks—they are indexed even when network indexing is turned off. Peripheral devices directly connected to your computer, such as USB drives or external hard drives, are treated like local disks.

Index the contents of an enterprise database

Database connection (.sde) files that are accessed from a folder are indexed. However, by default, the contents of the database that the file provides access to are not indexed. Follow the steps below to index the contents of an enterprise geodatabase. At the next incremental index update, the contents of enterprise geodatabases added to the project are indexed.

1. Open the Options dialog box using one of the methods below.
   • If a project is currently open, click the Project tab and click Options.
   • Start ArcGIS Pro and click Settings at the bottom of the start page.

   The Options dialog box appears.

2. Click the Indexing tab.
3. Uncheck Skip enterprise database connections.
4. Click OK.

Turn off indexing

If you know where your data is, or you rarely have a reason to search projects, you can turn indexing off. When indexing is turned off, new items are not indexed when they are added to projects. The existing index continues to be used but is not updated. The scheduled task used to periodically update the index is deleted.

1. Open the Options dialog box using one of the methods below.
   • If a project is currently open, click the Project tab and click Options.
   • Start ArcGIS Pro and click Settings at the bottom of the start page.

   The Options dialog box appears.

2. Click the Indexing tab.
3. Under Configure if the index is created and how it is used, click Don't create an index.
4. Click OK.

Delete the index

If the projects you are working on change, or the data you use has changed considerably, you may want to delete the index. If you delete the index and the option to use the index is turned on, a new index is created. If indexing is turned off, a new index is not created.

Deleting the index deletes the resource index but not the project index. Searches still return results for items such as maps, layouts, and reports. To delete the project index for a particular project, browse to the project's home folder in Windows Explorer and delete the Index folder.

Follow these steps to delete the resource index.

1. Open the Options dialog box using one of the methods below.
   • If a project is currently open, click the Project tab and click Options.
   • Start ArcGIS Pro and click Settings at the bottom of the start page.

   The Options dialog box appears.

2. Click the Indexing tab.

   The current index size is displayed.

3. Click Delete Index.
4. Click OK.

Administrator control of settings

Software administrators can provide default values for indexing settings and may prevent you from changing those values. If a setting is locked by an administrator, a message is displayed. Learn more about administrator-controlled settings.