Find answers to common questions about ArcGIS Pro.
Installation
- What are the system requirements for ArcGIS Pro?
- How do I get ArcGIS Pro?
- How do I update ArcGIS Pro?
- Do I need to uninstall the current version of ArcGIS Pro before updating to a new version?
- Are ArcGIS Pro 3.x versions compatible with 2.x versions?
- Is it necessary to install ArcGIS Pro on a computer where ArcGIS Desktop is installed?
- Can I install multiple versions of ArcGIS Pro on the same computer?
- Can ArcGIS Pro be installed on a computer with a localized operating system?
- Is ArcGIS Pro supported in virtualized environments?
- As a software administrator, can I block update notifications to prevent users from updating ArcGIS Pro on their own?
- As a software administrator, can I control ArcGIS Pro application settings to ensure they are the same for everyone?
Licensing
- Can I get ArcGIS Pro if I don't have a license for ArcGIS Desktop?
- Can I use ArcGIS Pro on more than one computer?
- How do I start my first ArcGIS Pro session?
- What are the differences between the Basic, Standard, and Advanced license levels?
- How do I know which license level and extensions I have?
- Does ArcGIS Pro use the same licenses as ArcMap?
- Can I use my ArcGIS Desktop extensions in ArcGIS Pro?
- How do I change my license type?
- Can I transfer an ArcGIS Pro Single Use license from one computer to another?
- If I have a Concurrent Use or Single Use license, can I access web maps, layers, and other content from a portal?
- Can I take my ArcGIS Pro license offline?
- How do I return a license that I have taken offline?
- As an ArcGIS organization administrator, how do I assign ArcGIS Pro Named User licenses?
- As an administrator, can I assign an existing ArcGIS Pro license to a different user?
- As an administrator, can I move ArcGIS Pro licenses from an ArcGIS Online organization to an ArcGIS Enterprise organization?
- As an administrator, can I convert ArcGIS Pro licenses from Named User to a different license type?
- If I convert ArcGIS Pro licenses to Concurrent Use or Single Use, can I later convert them back to Named User licenses?
- Can Named User licenses be converted to Concurrent Use or Single Use licenses if they are checked out for offline use?
- If our maintenance program lapses and our ArcGIS Online subscription expires, am I able to convert Named User licenses to Single Use or Concurrent Use?
Functionality
- What is an ArcGIS Pro project?
- Do I need to create a project every time I start ArcGIS Pro?
- Can I save my ArcGIS Pro project to ArcGIS Online?
- Can I publish map services to a stand-alone ArcGIS Server from ArcGIS Pro?
- Can I store my ArcGIS Pro project in Microsoft OneDrive or Google Drive?
- How do I add and remove portal connections in ArcGIS Pro?
- Can I connect to multiple portals at the same time?
- What is a licensing portal?
- Can I change the default ArcGIS Pro settings?
- How do I change the location for storing ArcGIS Pro projects?
- Can I customize the ArcGIS Pro user interface?
- Are there keyboard shortcuts for common operations?
- How do I remove recent projects from the start page?
- Can I work with files and folders on my computer in ArcGIS Pro without creating a folder connection?
- Can I make folder, database, and server connections permanently available so I don't need to create them again in new projects?
- I added a map to my project and now I can't find it. Where did it go?
- Why is the Add Data button
unavailable in my project? - I moved some datasets on my computer and now the map layers in my project are broken. What should I do?
- Can I use personal geodatabases (.mdb) as data sources for ArcGIS Pro?
- Is the 3D Analyst extension required to work with 3D maps in ArcGIS Pro?
- Can I create a map without a basemap?
- Is it possible to add Bing basemaps to ArcGIS Pro?
- Will my custom Conda environments work when I upgrade to a new version of ArcGIS Pro?
- If ArcGIS Pro shuts down unexpectedly, can I recover my work?
- Are there resources for troubleshooting ArcGIS Pro performance?
Accessibility
Help
- How do I get help for ArcGIS Pro?
- Can I use the help system if I work offline?
- How can I quickly find the tools and commands I need in the ArcGIS Pro user interface?
- Where can I find information on ArcGIS Pro releases?
- Are there resources available to help me learn ArcGIS Pro?
- How do I connect with the ArcGIS Pro community?
- How do I submit enhancement ideas or report bugs?
- As an ArcGIS organization administrator, who do I contact with questions about ArcGIS Pro?
- As the primary maintenance contact for my organization, who do I contact with questions about ArcGIS Pro?
Installation
The system requirements depend on your ArcGIS Pro version.
There are several ways to get ArcGIS Pro:
- If you have ArcGIS Desktop, and your maintenance program is current, you can download ArcGIS Pro from My Esri or ArcGIS Online.
- You can buy a GIS Professional User Type. This includes ArcGIS Pro, an ArcGIS Online subscription, and additional apps.
- You may qualify to buy ArcGIS for Personal Use or ArcGIS for Student Use, both of which include ArcGIS Pro.
- You can get an ArcGIS Pro free trial.
When a new version is available, an update notification appears when you start ArcGIS Pro. Click the notification to begin the update process.
No, you do not need to uninstall ArcGIS Pro before updating to a new version. However, if you have ArcGIS Pro language packs installed, it is recommended that you uninstall them before updating the software.
ArcGIS Pro 3.0 was a major release, which means that it is not fully compatible with 2.x versions. See Migration from ArcGIS Pro 2.x to 3.x for more information.
No. You can install ArcGIS Pro on a computer with or without ArcGIS Desktop (or other Esri products). If you install ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Desktop on the same computer, it is not necessary to maintain parity between product versions. For example, you can have the current version of ArcGIS Pro and an older version of ArcGIS Desktop.
Yes. It is strongly recommended that you accept the default installation location and not install to a path that includes Unicode characters. If you receive the message Error 1324, The path ???????? contains an invalid character when installing or uninstalling ArcGIS Pro, contact Esri Technical Support.
Yes, you can run ArcGIS Pro in a virtualized environment.
As a software administrator, can I block update notifications to prevent users from updating ArcGIS Pro on their own?
Yes. You can block update notifications by making changes to the Windows registry.
As a software administrator, can I control ArcGIS Pro application settings to ensure they are the same for everyone?
Yes. You can manage application settings in a number of areas, including help, indexing, metadata, display, color, layout, and sharing.
Licensing
Yes, there are several ways to get ArcGIS Pro.
It depends on your license type:
- With a Named User license (the default), you can use ArcGIS Pro on up to three computers at the same time.
- With a Single Use license, you can use ArcGIS Pro on one authorized computer at a time.
- With a Concurrent Use license, you can use ArcGIS Pro on one authorized computer at a time, drawing your license from a pool of shared licenses.
Note:
If you have a Named User license and you authorize ArcGIS Pro to work offline, you can use the application on a single computer that you authorize for offline use.
To start ArcGIS Pro with a Named User license, sign in to the application with your ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise credentials. To start with a Concurrent Use license, specify a license manager. Contact your administrator for the license manager name, if necessary. To start with a Single Use license, complete the authorization process. Contact your administrator for an authorization number, if necessary.
Most ArcGIS Pro functionality is available with a Basic license. The Standard and Advanced license levels provide additional functionality in areas such as geodatabase management, editing, imagery, and spatial analysis.
You can view your license information on the ArcGIS Pro Settings page.
No. ArcGIS Pro and ArcMap licenses are authorized separately. If you use Concurrent Use licensing for ArcMap and ArcGIS Pro, you can manage both sets of licenses with the same License Manager.
If you have an ArcGIS Desktop license for an extension product, you also have a license for the same extension in ArcGIS Pro if it is available. See ArcGIS Pro extensions for a list of available extensions. Extension licenses in ArcGIS Pro are managed with the same license type, such as Named User, as your ArcGIS Pro license.
If your software administrator converts your license from Named User to Single Use or Concurrent Use, you can configure ArcGIS Pro to start with a Single Use license or to start with a Concurrent Use license. If your Named User license is moved from an ArcGIS Online organization to an ArcGIS Enterprise organization, you can change your licensing portal.
Yes. You can transfer a Single Use license by deauthorizing ArcGIS Pro on the machine where it is installed, installing ArcGIS Pro on another machine, and reauthorizing the software using the same authorization number or license file. See How To: Deauthorize single use licenses in ArcGIS Pro and Authorize and start ArcGIS Pro with a Single Use license for more information.
If I have a Concurrent Use or Single Use license, can I access web maps, layers, and other content from a portal?
Yes. Your ArcGIS Desktop license includes access to ArcGIS Online regardless of your license type. To access online content, you need to add a portal connection and sign in.
Yes, you can take a Named User license offline or take a Concurrent Use license offline. Single Use licenses are enabled for offline use by default, because they are authorized on each computer individually.
On the ArcGIS Pro start page, click the Settings tab 
and click the Licensing tab to return an offline Named User license or to return an offline Concurrent Use license.
Depending on the type of ArcGIS organization you administer, see Assign ArcGIS Pro licenses in ArcGIS Online or Configure ArcGIS Pro licenses for ArcGIS Enterprise.
Note:
To use ArcGIS Pro, organization members must have the Creator or GIS Professional user type. As an administrator, you only assign ArcGIS Pro licenses to the Creator user type. ArcGIS Pro licenses included with the GIS Professional user type are automatically assigned to the user.
Yes. If your ArcGIS Pro licenses are Named User licenses, you can manage license assignments through your ArcGIS organization. Removing a license from one organization member makes it available for another member. Licenses for ArcGIS Pro extensions and other apps are managed in the same way. You can also change a member's user type, which may affect their ArcGIS Pro license.
Note:
Licenses can only be assigned to organization members whose user type is compatible with an ArcGIS Pro license.
As an administrator, can I move ArcGIS Pro licenses from an ArcGIS Online organization to an ArcGIS Enterprise organization?
If ArcGIS Pro is received as an entitlement through an ArcGIS Desktop license, it is delivered by default as a Named User license to ArcGIS Online. You can move this ArcGIS Pro license to ArcGIS Enterprise by contacting Esri Customer Service or your distributor.
If an ArcGIS Pro license is purchased specifically for ArcGIS Online, it must stay as a Named User license in its current environment.
Note:
When moving ArcGIS Pro licenses from ArcGIS Online to ArcGIS Enterprise, the corresponding Creator user types move to ArcGIS Enterprise as well.
ArcGIS Pro licenses that are purchased specifically for ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise must stay as Named User licenses in their current environment.
ArcGIS Pro licenses that are received as an entitlement through an ArcGIS Desktop license can be converted to Single Use or converted to Concurrent Use licenses through My Esri as long as you have permission to take licensing actions in My Esri.
The conversion steps are the same whether the ArcGIS Pro licenses are managed in an ArcGIS Online organization or an ArcGIS Enterprise organization.
Note:
The ArcGIS Pro Named User license must be converted to a license type (Single Use or Concurrent Use) that matches the corresponding ArcGIS Desktop license. For example, an ArcGIS Pro entitlement based on an ArcGIS Desktop Advanced Single Use license must be converted to an ArcGIS Pro Advanced Single Use license.
If I convert ArcGIS Pro licenses to Concurrent Use or Single Use, can I later convert them back to Named User licenses?
Reverse conversion is not available through My Esri. Esri Customer Service or your distributor can help you do this.
If our maintenance program lapses and our ArcGIS Online subscription expires, am I able to convert Named User licenses to Single Use or Concurrent Use?
Yes. You can convert the licenses and continue to use ArcGIS Pro. However, you will no longer receive software updates, nor will you be able to access web maps and layers from ArcGIS Online. You can renew your maintenance at any time.
Functionality
An ArcGIS Pro project is a single file, with the extension .aprx, that contains a related collection of maps, scenes, layouts, reports, and other items. The project file is associated with a toolbox and geodatabase that are typically specific to the project and stored in a system folder with the project file.
No. For tasks such as file management that don't require creating and saving a project, you can start without a project template. Any items you create during your session will be deleted when you close ArcGIS Pro. You have the option to save your work as a project at any time during the session.
You can share maps, scenes, and layers from ArcGIS Pro to your active ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Enterprise portal. You can share a complete project as a project package that can be downloaded and opened by other users. However, you cannot save a project directly to a portal.
Yes. You can publish services, including map services, geocode services, geoprocessing services, and image services, to a stand-alone ArcGIS Server. Your ArcGIS Pro project must contain a publisher or administrator server connection to a stand-alone ArcGIS Server 10.6 or later.
Storing projects in OneDrive or Google Drive is not currently supported. See ArcGIS Pro and Cloud Storage Services for more information.
On the ArcGIS Pro start page, click the Settings tab and click the Portals tab to manage portal connections.
Yes. You can store connections to multiple portals, such as ArcGIS Online and different ArcGIS Enterprise portals. Only one connection can be active at a time; however, you can switch your active portal to add content from different portals to a project.
The licensing portal is the portal that validates your Named User license when you start ArcGIS Pro. The licensing portal is displayed on both the Licensing tab and the Portals tab on the ArcGIS Pro Settings page. It is marked with a key icon 
. The licensing portal can be different from the active portal. If you have a Single Use or Concurrent Use license, there is no licensing portal.
Yes. You can change the settings of many project and application options.
Open the General options. Under Create projects, specify a location in which to save new projects.
Yes, you can customize the ribbon and the Quick Access Toolbar to adapt the user interface to your needs. You can also choose between light and dark application themes.
Yes. There are predefined keyboard shortcuts for the application as a whole and for specific contexts. You can customize existing shortcuts and define your own new shortcuts.
of a catalog view, you can access and manage computer items as you do in Can I make folder, database, and server connections permanently available so I don't need to create them again in new projects?
Yes. You can add frequently used folder and database connections to your project favorites. Alternatively, you can add them to a project template and create projects from the template.
You may have accidentally closed the map. Closed maps and scenes can be opened from the Catalog pane.
The Add Data button is available on the Map tab on the ribbon when a map or scene is open in the project. You may need to add a map or scene to your project or open a closed map or scene.
I moved some datasets on my computer and now the map layers in my project are broken. What should I do?
You can update the data sources for the map layers in your project in various ways.
No. Personal geodatabases can only be viewed in ArcGIS Pro. Personal geodatabase datasets can't be used as inputs to geoprocessing tools. Similarly, output datasets can't be stored in personal geodatabases. ArcGIS Pro supports the following types of geodatabases: file geodatabases, mobile geodatabases, and enterprise geodatabases.
See Knowledge Base article 24144 for more information.
No. You can navigate, author, edit, and share 3D maps, called scenes in ArcGIS Pro, without the 3D Analyst extension. However, the extension is required to perform advanced 3D analysis and to run most geoprocessing tools in the 3D Analyst toolbox.
Yes. On the ArcGIS Pro Settings page, click Options and open the Map and Scene options. Under Basemap, click None. A basemap layer is required, however, to share a map to the web.
Yes. Bing Maps can be used in all ArcGIS products.
Yes, because you can automatically upgrade the environment. With each ArcGIS Pro release, the packages in the default arcgispro-py3 environment are upgraded to include the latest features, bug fixes, and security patches. In the Package Manger, custom environments created with an older version of ArcGIS Pro are detected and can be upgraded for compatibility with the latest version.
Yes. ArcGIS Pro automatically backs up your work by default and allows you to recover your project.
Accessibility
Yes. See the Esri Accessibility Conformance Reports and Esri Legal Accessibility for more information about product conformance to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
Yes. A general overview of accessible functionality can be found in Accessibility in ArcGIS Pro. Features include keyboard navigation and shortcuts, color vision deficiency simulation, support for screen readers, and the ability to create accessible PDFs.
Yes. In ArcGIS Pro, a Color Vision Deficiency Simulator tool is available, as well as color schemes that are color-blind safe. Two enhanced-contrast basemaps are available from the Basemap gallery 
.
Help
To open the help system, click the View Help button 
that is always present at the top of the application window. You can also access the online help by opening a web browser to https://pro.arcgis.com.
Yes. ArcGIS Pro has both an online help system (the default) and an offline help system. To use the offline help system, download and install it. In the ArcGIS Pro settings, open the General options. Under Help source, choose Offline help from your computer.
In an open project, you can find tools and commands—including geoprocessing tools—by searching in the Command Search box at the top of the application window. From the list of search results, you can run commands, open tools for further configuration, or open help topics.
The product life cycle chart lists all release and retirement dates, and other related information, for ArcGIS Pro 3.1 and earlier versions.
Yes. You can access learning resources from the start page or the Settings page. Learning resources include tutorials, tutorial series, blog posts, and more.
You can connect with other users and ask questions in the ArcGIS Pro space in Esri Community.
Submit ideas for enhancements through ArcGIS Ideas. To report a software bug, contact Esri Technical Support and request a case. To report a problem with an ArcGIS Pro help topic, click the Feedback on this topic link at the bottom of the topic's web page.
Contact Esri Customer Service or your account manager for licensing questions. Contact Esri Technical Support for technical assistance.
As the primary maintenance contact for my organization, who do I contact with questions about ArcGIS Pro?
Contact your account manager or inside sales representative for licensing questions. Contact Esri Technical Support for help with software downloads, installation, and other technical questions.