Visual modes of operation

ArcGIS Pro supports many visual ease of use settings. These include settings that are specific to ArcGIS Pro, as well as Windows settings that apply to your desktop and other applications.

This video was created with ArcGIS Pro 3.6.

Set the application theme

ArcGIS Pro has light and dark application themes. These themes are aesthetic preferences, not high contrast accessibility settings. However, you may find that one theme or the other improves visibility or reduces eyestrain under some conditions.

To change the application theme, complete the following steps:

1. Open the ArcGIS Pro settings page in one of the following ways:
   • From an open project, click the Project tab on the ribbon.
   • From the start page, click the Settings tab .
2. In the list of side tabs, click Options.
3. On the Options dialog box, in the list of options, under Application, click General.
4. Under Set general options for ArcGIS Pro, expand Application Theme. Click the drop-down arrow and click Light or Dark.
5. Click OK on the Options dialog box.
6. Restart ArcGIS Pro.

   Note:

   If a Windows contrast theme is applied, only the light application theme is supported. If the dark theme is currently in use, it is automatically changed to the light theme.

Scale the user interface

You can scale the size of the text, icons, and other parts of the ArcGIS Pro user interface by 50 to 200 percent. The content of map, scene, and layout views does not scale correspondingly. Use navigation and zoom tools to scale the content in those views.

1. Open the ArcGIS Pro settings page in one of the following ways:
   • From an open project, click the Project tab on the ribbon.
   • From the start page, click the Settings tab .
2. In the list of side tabs, click Options.
3. On the Options dialog box, in the list of options, under Application, click User Interface.
4. Under Set user interface options, under Ease of access, click the User interface scaling drop-down arrow and click a percentage value.
5. Click OK on the Options dialog box.
6. Restart ArcGIS Pro.

Reduce motion in the user interface

Some parts of the ArcGIS Pro user interface use animated flashing effects. For example, clicking a map feature to open its pop-up causes the feature to flash. You can turn off flashing effects in ArcGIS Pro.

Windows animation effects are motion effects that are applied when you open, close, hover over, or select some items on the user interface. For example, when Windows animation effects are turned on (the default), ArcGIS Pro property dialog boxes have a subtle blooming effect when they open.

Animated flashing effects in ArcGIS Pro are independent of Windows animation effects. Turning off one does not affect the other.

Turn off animated flashing effects in ArcGIS Pro

To turn off animated flashing effects in ArcGIS Pro, complete the following steps:

1. Open the ArcGIS Pro settings page in one of the following ways:
   • From an open project, click the Project tab on the ribbon.
   • From the start page, click the Settings tab .
2. In the list of side tabs, click Options.
3. On the Options dialog box, in the list of options, under Application, click User Interface.
4. Under Set user interface options, under General, uncheck the Use animated flashing effects for interactive tools check box.
5. Click OK on the Options dialog box.

Turn off animation effects in Windows 11

To turn off animation effects in Windows 11, complete the following steps:

1. On the Windows taskbar, click the Start button, and click Settings > Accessibility > Visual effects.
2. Click the Animation effects toggle button to move it to the Off position.

Use contrast themes

For some users, the readability of the ArcGIS Pro user interface can be improved with contrast themes. Contrast themes increase the color contrast of text, menus, tabs, and icons to make them more distinct and easier to identify for users with low vision, light sensitivity, or color vision deficiency. Contrast themes do not change the appearance of certain views in ArcGIS Pro, such as maps and layouts.

Complete the following steps to use a contrast theme in Windows 11:

1. Exit ArcGIS Pro.
2. On the Windows taskbar, click the Start button, and click Settings > Accessibility > Contrast themes.
3. Choose a contrast theme from the drop-down list and click Apply.
4. Start ArcGIS Pro.

   Tip:

   Press left Alt+left Shift+Print Screen to turn a contrast theme on or off.

Use color filters

For some users, the readability of the ArcGIS Pro user interface can be improved with color filters. Color filters include options to improve color contrast for users with deuteranopia, protanopia, and tritanopia. They also include a grayscale filter and other filters.

ArcGIS Pro also has a Color Vision Deficiency Simulator tool that simulates different types of color blindness. It can be used with maps, layouts, presentations, and reports, but does not affect the user interface as a whole.

Note:

The Color Vision Deficiency Simulator tool should not be used in addition to Windows color filters.

Complete the following steps to use a color filter in Windows 11:

1. On the Windows taskbar, click the Start button, and click Settings > Accessibility > Color filters.
2. Click the Color filters toggle button to move it to the On position.
3. Click a color filter option to apply it.

   Tip:

   Click the Keyboard shortcut for color filters toggle button to turn it on. You can then press Windows key+Ctrl+C to turn color filters on or off.