Project favorites

Project favorites are a collection of frequently used folders, databases, toolboxes, servers, custom styles, and other items. You can add a favorite to your project from the Catalog pane or a catalog view.

In the Catalog pane, your favorite items appear on the Favorites tab.

When you make an item a favorite, its path is stored in your roaming user profile at this location: C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Esri\ArcGISPro\Favorites\Favorites.json. For remotely located items, such as enterprise geodatabases and GIS servers, the item’s connection file is copied and saved to the Favorites folder in your roaming profile. The Favorites.json file stores the path to this copy of the connection file.

If your network profile supports roaming, your favorites are accessible anywhere on the network, regardless of which computer you use.

You can also create items, such as toolboxes, geodatabases, and custom styles in the Favorites folder of your roaming profile. These items are automatically favorites and roam with you on the network.

A favorite can become inaccessible and need repair if the item is moved, renamed, or deleted outside of ArcGIS Pro, or if folders containing the item are reorganized. It also becomes inaccessible if it is located on an unavailable network drive. For these reasons, the option to create items in the Favorites folder of your roaming profile is often useful.

Inaccessible items have a red exclamation point. In this example, a favorite file geodatabase is inaccessible because the folder that contains it was renamed in Windows Explorer.

Learn more about managing favorites.

Caution:

Your roaming profile is designed to be available on any network computer to which you sign in with the same credentials. This availability is why the favorites file is stored in your roaming profile. However, roaming profiles are subject to control by your network administrator. It may be that your roaming profile is restricted to one machine and not allowed to roam with you to different machines.

Make an existing item a favorite

You can make a supported item a favorite if it is an item connection in your project or if you can browse to it from an item connection. For example, you can browse to a file geodatabase from a folder connection and make it a favorite. The following items are supported as favorites:

• Folders
• Databases (including file, mobile, and enterprise geodatatabases)
• Toolboxes
• Servers
• Custom styles
• Cloud stores
• Statistical Data Collections

Follow these steps to make an existing project item a favorite.

1. Open the Add Item menu in any of the following ways:

   On the ribbon	Click the Insert tab. In the Favorites group, click Add Item .
   In the Contents pane of a catalog view	Click the Favorites item container to select it. Right-click the selected item container.
   In the Catalog pane	Click the Favorites tab and click Add Item .

2. On the Add Item menu, take one of the following actions:
   • Click Add Folder
   • Point to Database and click Add Database .
   • Point to Toolbox and click Add Toolbox .
   • Point to Server and click Add Server .
   • Point to Style and click Add Style .
   • Click Add Statistical Data Collection .

   Each choice opens an appropriate browse dialog box.

3. In the browse dialog box, browse to the item to make a favorite and select it. Click OK.

   The item appears on the Favorites tab of the Catalog pane, and in the Favorites container in the Contents pane of a catalog view.

   Note:

   When you make a server or enterprise geodatabase a favorite, the connection file, which is typically stored in your project home folder, is copied to your roaming profile. Your favorites file (Favorites.json) stores the path to this copy of the connection file. This ensures that if you delete the project in which the connection file was created, the favorite is preserved.

   You can also make an existing item a favorite using these methods:

   In a catalog view, or the Contents pane of a catalog view	Select an item connection, or an item in a folder connection, and take one of the following actions: Right-click the item, and click Add To Favorites . On the ribbon, click the Catalog tab. In the Organize group, click Add To Favorites . Drag the item to the Favorites tab of the Catalog pane or the Favorites container in the Contents pane.
   In the Catalog pane	Click the Project tab. Select an item connection, or an item in a folder connection, and take one of the following actions: Right-click the item, and click Add To Favorites . Drag the item to the Favorites container in the Contents pane of a catalog view.
   In Windows Explorer	Browse to an item and select it. Drag the item to the Favorites tab of the Catalog pane or the Favorites container in the Contents pane of a catalog view.

   Tip:

   When you use an item's context menu to add it as a favorite, the Add To New Projects option is also available. This option makes the item a favorite and designates it to be added automatically to all new projects. See the Add a favorite to all new projects section below.

   Note:

   To make a custom style a favorite using its context menu command or by dragging it, you must browse to the style from a folder connection, not select it in the project's Styles container .

Create an item as a favorite

You can create an item in the Favorites folder in your roaming profile. The item becomes a favorite automatically.

1. Open the Add Item menu in any of the following ways:

   On the ribbon	Click the Insert tab. In the Favorites group, click Add Item .
   In the Contents pane of a catalog view	Click the Favorites item container to select it. Right-click the selected item container.
   In the Catalog pane	Click the Favorites tab and click Add Item .

2. On the Add Item menu, take one of the following actions:
   • Point to Database and click New File Database or New Database Connection .
   • Point to Toolbox and click New Toolbox .
   • Point to Server and click the new server connection you want to create.
   • Point to Style and click New Style .

   For file-based items, a browse dialog box opens to the Favorites folder in your roaming profile. For remote items, a connection properties dialog box opens.

3. Create the item as appropriate:
   • On browse dialog boxes, type a name for the item in the Name text box. Click Save.
   • On connection properties dialog boxes, fill out the connection properties and click OK.

   An item or connection file is created in the Favorites folder of your roaming profile. It appears on the Favorites tab of the Catalog pane, and in the Favorites container in the Contents pane of a catalog view.

   Learn more about connecting to databases and connecting to GIS servers.

Add a favorite to the current project

To use a favorite, you add it to your project from the favorites collection.

1. Add a favorite to the current project in any of the following ways:

   In the Contents pane of a catalog view	Select an item in the Favorites container and take either of the following actions: On the ribbon, click the Catalog tab. In the Organize group, click Add To Project . Right-click the selected item and click Add To Project .
   In the Catalog pane	Click the Favorites tab and select an item. Right-click the selected item and click Add To Project .

   The item is added to the project and appears in its appropriate item container in the catalog. For example, a favorite folder appears under Folders .

   Tip:

   You can browse into a favorite and use its contents without adding the favorite to the project. For example, you can browse into a favorite geodatbase and add a feature class to a map.

Add a favorite to all new projects

You can designate a favorite to be added automatically to all new projects. In this case, the favorite is not added to the current project, but is added to all new projects and appears under its appropriate item container in the catalog. If you create a project from a project template, the favorite is added to the project along with other resources specified by the template.

1. Designate a favorite to be added to all new projects in any of the following ways:

   In the Contents pane of a catalog view	Select an item in the Favorites container and take either of the following actions: On the ribbon, click the Catalog tab. In the Organize group, click Add To New Projects . Right-click the selected item and click Add To New Projects.
   In the Catalog pane	Click the Favorites tab and select an item. Right-click the selected item and click Add To New Projects.

   The item appears in the favorites collection with a pin .

   Tip:

   If you no longer want a favorite to be added to all new projects, select the favorite on the Favorites tab of the Catalog pane or in the Favorites container in the Contents pane of a catalog view. Right-click the selected item and click Add To New Projects. This removes the check mark from the context menu option and removes the pin icon from the item in the favorites collection.

Remove a favorite

You can remove a favorite from your favorites collection at any time.

1. Remove a favorite in any of the following ways:

   In the Contents pane of a catalog view	Select an item in the Favorites container and take either of the following actions: On the ribbon, click the Catalog tab. In the Organize group, click Remove . Right-click the selected item and click Remove .
   In the Catalog pane	Click the Favorites tab and select an item. Right-click the selected item and click Remove .

   The item is removed from the favorites collection.

Access favorites from multiple computers

The item path to a favorite that is stored in the Favorites.json file has the same format as the item’s path in the catalog. This path typically includes a drive letter, such as X:\Wellington or C:\Redlands\Zoning. If you work on a single computer, this doesn't pose a problem. However, if you work on multiple computers that use different drive letters for network connections, the favorite item may be inaccessible from some computers and appear with a red exclamation point .

To avoid this problem, you can add item connections to your projects with UNC paths, such as \\<network computer>\NZ\Cities\Wellington or \\<computer>\c$\Redlands\Zoning. When an item referenced by its UNC path is made a favorite, you can access it from any computer on the network.