ArcGIS Pro help is provided through an online help system and an offline help system. If you can't access either system, a compact version of the help system can be used instead. Context-sensitive help is also provided on the user interface in the form of ScreenTips, messages, and pop-ups.
In addition, a number of learning resources are available from the ArcGIS Pro start page.
Open the help
You can open the help in a number of ways:
- In the upper right corner of the application window, click the View Help button. This button is always available.
- On the start page, click Help
. - In an open project, click the Project tab to open the Settings page. On the Settings page, click the Help tab on the left.
- Open a web browser to https://pro.arcgis.com.
Set the help source
By default, ArcGIS Pro uses the online help system. If you work offline or in an internet-restricted environment, you can change the help source to the offline help system. At some point, you may want to switch back from offline help to online help.
Note:
The offline help system is an application that must be downloaded and installed. See Download ArcGIS Pro for more information.
- Open the ArcGIS Pro Settings page in either of two ways:
- On the start page, click Settings
. - In an open project, click the Project tab on the ribbon.
- On the start page, click Settings
- In the settings list on the left, click Options.
- On the Options dialog box, under Application, click General.
- Under Set general options for ArcGIS Pro, expand Help source and click an option:
- Online help from the Internet.
- Offline help from your computer (requires local help installation).
- Click OK.
Note:
If the offline help system is not installed, the option to use it as the help source is not available.
Online and offline help systems
The online and offline help systems are comprehensive, and essentially equivalent, reference sources for ArcGIS Pro.
The online help system
By default, ArcGIS Pro uses the online help system. This system opens in a web browser and requires an internet connection.
Topics in the online help system are organized thematically by a series of horizontal tabs. Each tab has its own table of contents with sections that can be expanded and browsed.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
 | Horizontal tabs divide help topics into thematic categories. Each tab has its own table of contents. |
 | Breadcrumbs track your position in the table of contents. |
 | In the table of contents, topics may be nested in sections and subsections. |
 | The current topic is displayed to the right of the table of contents. |
 | The Other versions drop-down list allows you to view a topic for the current release or the previous release. |
To search for topics by keyword, use the search box at the top of the web page.
To provide feedback on a help topic, click the Feedback on this topic? link near the bottom of the web page. Feedback is sent to the ArcGIS Pro documentation team. It is used to correct mistakes, improve clarity, and add information to help topics. It is not a means to obtain technical support.
To change the online help system language, click the language button at the bottom of the web page.
Note:
There is a delay between the publication of online help in English and translation to other supported languages. At each software release, new help topics are added. Non-English versions of these topics are unavailable at first. If you encounter a Page Not Found error for non-English help, you can use an online translation tool to translate the English help until the help for your language is available. Learn more about language options for the help system.
Offline help system
The offline help system opens in the ArcGIS Pro Help viewer application. The offline help system matches your installed version of ArcGIS Pro. For example, if you use ArcGIS Pro 2.8, the offline help system topics apply to ArcGIS Pro 2.8.
Like the online help system, the ArcGIS Pro Help viewer presents a table of contents on the left and corresponding help topics on the right. Unlike the online help, it doesn't use tabs to separate topic categories.
Use the table of contents to browse the offline help system. To search for topics by keyword, click the search button in the upper right corner of the viewer.
To change the offline help system language, you must download and install a non-English help file.
Compact help system
Compact help is a minimal help system that is included when you install ArcGIS Pro. It contains a small number of topics, primarily related to setting up and licensing the application. If you open the help from the application and neither the online nor offline help system is available, the compact help system opens instead. This occurs, for example, if you are in a disconnected environment and have not installed the offline help system. The compact help system opens in a browser tab as a local file.
Use the offline help system
The ArcGIS Pro Help viewer has the capability to search, bookmark, annotate, and print topics. You can also display and copy the URLs of web links so that the target web pages can be accessed at another time.
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Tabs organize functionality in the ArcGIS Pro Help viewer. The Documentation tab displays the table of contents and help topics. Other tabs show bookmarks, notes, and search results. |
| Use the buttons at the top of the viewer to move back and forth among topics, return to the home topic, or print a topic. |
| Use the buttons at the bottom of the viewer to bookmark a topic, add a note, or display link paths. |
Note:
The offline help system is typically updated at each major release of ArcGIS Pro. However, the system may be updated between releases. If this occurs, ArcGIS Pro prompts you to install the update.
Search
To search for help topics, type one or more keywords in the Search text box and press Enter. The viewer switches to the Search Results tab and displays a list of relevant topics. Click a search result to open the topic on the Documentation tab.
To see a list of recent searches, click the drop-down arrow on the search box. Click a recent search to run it again. Click Clear History to clear your search history.
To find a word in a topic, press Ctrl+F to open the Find dialog box. Type the word in the Find text box.
Note:
The same keywords may return different search results in the online and offline help systems.
Print a topic
Individual topics can be printed from the ArcGIS Pro Help viewer. On the Documentation tab, select a topic in the table of contents and click the Print button 
to open the Print dialog box. Alternatively, right-click the topic and click Print on the context menu or press Ctrl+P on your keyboard.
Tip:
The Options tab on the Print dialog box allows you to print all topics that appear as links in the selected topic. It also allows you to print a table listing the URLs of all links in the topic. This includes both links to other help topics and links to web pages.
Bookmark a topic
To bookmark a topic for future reference, display the topic on the Documentation tab and click the Add Bookmark button 
at the bottom of the viewer.
To see your bookmarked topics, click the Bookmarks tab.
To open a bookmarked topic, click the Navigate button 
.
To delete a bookmark, click the Delete button 
. You can also delete a bookmark from the Documentation tab by clicking the Delete bookmark button 
when the topic is displayed.
Add notes to a topic
To supplement a topic with your own comments or additional information, display the topic on the Documentation tab and click the Add Note button 
at the bottom of the viewer. A window appears in the viewer where you can type or paste text. When you're finished, click the Hide Note button 
to close the window.
To see your notes, click the Notes tab.
To open a topic that has a note, click the Navigate button . The topic opens on the Documentation tab with the note displayed.
To delete a note, click the Delete note button 
. You can also delete a note from the Documentation tab by clicking the Delete note button 
when the topic is displayed.
Show link path
The path of any link in a help topic can be displayed and copied. This capability is useful when you have restricted internet access and need to view linked web pages later. As noted above, you can also print the paths to all links in a topic, formatted as a table.
On the Documentation tab, click the Show link path button 
at the bottom of the viewer to display a text box. Hover over a link in a topic to see its path in the text box. When you hover over a different link, the path updates.
To copy a path to the clipboard, right-click the link in the help topic and click Copy shortcut on the context menu. Alternatively, click the Copy link to clipboard button in the text box.
To stop displaying link paths, click the Hide link path button 
.
Context-sensitive help
Context-sensitive help is information that appears on the ArcGIS Pro user interface. It includes ScreenTips, pop-up windows, and messages that appear when you hover over commands and settings.
Context-sensitive help for the application
Hover over a button or tool on a ribbon tab to display a ScreenTip with information about the command.
ScreenTips may be associated with a keyboard shortcut that opens a help topic. For example, pressing the F1 key while a ScreenTip for the Go To XY button 
is displayed opens the Go To XY tool help topic.
The Information icon 
appears next to some elements of the user interface. When you hover over the icon, a ScreenTip appears.
Some panes and windows have a question mark icon 
at the top. When these panes or windows are active, you can press the F1 key to open a topic specific to that user interface element. For example, using this shortcut key when the Modify Features pane is active opens the Modify features topic.
Links to help system topics may also appear in panes or on dialog boxes.
Context-sensitive help for geoprocessing tools
To open the help system topic for a geoprocessing tool, click the tool's Help button 
when the tool is open in the Geoprocessing pane. Hover over the same Help button to display a pop-up description of the tool.
Geoprocessing tools also have help associated with an Information icon 
. This icon displays a ScreenTip when you hover over a tool parameter or environment setting. Tips may also appear under tool parameters with no action on your part.
When you run a geoprocessing tool, a message appears at the bottom of the Geoprocessing pane, confirming that the tool either succeeded or failed. You can click the View Details link on the message to open a pop-up that shows the tool parameters and additional messages. If the tool fails, the pop-up includes a link to a help topic that explains the error.
