Connect to a folder

To make file system resources available to a project, you can connect to folders on a local or network computer. You can connect to as many folders as necessary.

After connecting to a folder, such as MyData, you can browse to its subfolders and files.

Number	Description
	A connection to the project home folder (created by default)
	A connection to a folder on a network drive
	A connection to a folder on a local drive

You can connect to folders at any level of your operating system directory structure. The following are examples:

• C:\ (the root level of the drive)
• C:\MyData\USA
• C:\MyData\USA\Boundaries\Generalized

From a folder connection, you can access content in the folder and its subfolders. For example, from a folder connection to C:\MyData\USA, you can browse to C:\MyData\USA\Boundaries. However, you can't browse to C:\MyData\Canada or C:\Imagery.

By default, folder connections display only the name of the folder to which you connect, not the complete path. You can change this behavior in the catalog browsing options. You can also add an alias to folder connections to give them useful display names.

It's a good practice to make connections that are specific to the resources you need. This minimizes browsing time. In addition, ArcGIS AllSource indexes the content of folder connections on local drives to make it searchable. It's not efficient to index your C:\ drive if all your project data is contained in C:\MyData\USA\Boundaries.

If you do make a connection to the root node of a disk, such as C:\ or D:\, the following folders, if they exist, are not indexed:

• Program Files
• Program Files (x86)
• ProgramData
• Windows

Folder connections to network drives are not indexed unless you enable indexing on network disks.

Note:

You may need to refresh a folder connection if the contents of the folder are changed outside the current ArcGIS AllSource session. You also may need to repair the connection if it becomes invalid.

Connect to an existing folder

When you connect to a folder, you can create and access items in that location without browsing through the entire folder structure.

1. In the Catalog pane on the Project tab, right-click Folders and click Add Folder Connection .
2. On the browse dialog box, browse to and select one or more folders on your local computer or a network computer. Alternatively, provide the full path to the folder in the Name text box.

   Note:

   You must select folders, drives, or other locations in the contents window on the right side of the browse dialog box, not the navigation window on the left.

3. Click OK.

   The folder connection appears in the Folders container in the Catalog pane and the Contents pane of a catalog view.

4. Alternatively, do either of the following to connect to an existing folder:

   In a catalog view window	Provide the complete path to a folder in the location bar at the top of the view and press Enter.
   In File Explorer	Select a folder and drag it to the Catalog pane or the Contents pane of a catalog view.

Create a folder in a project

You can create a folder in an existing folder connection in a project.

1. Do either of the following to create a folder:

   In the Catalog pane	Browse to the folder in which you want to create a folder. Right-click the folder, point to New , and click New Folder .
   On a browse dialog box	Browse to the folder in which you want to create a folder. Click the New Item drop-down arrow and click Folder .

   The folder is created with a default name.

2. Optionally, provide a new name for the folder and press Enter.

   The folder is updated with the new name and appears in its catalog location.

Add a folder to your project favorites

If you use the same folder in many projects, you can make it a favorite. A favorite can be added to a project from the Favorites tab of the Catalog pane. If your user profile supports roaming, favorite folders are available on every computer you use.

You can create folders that are automatically made favorites. These folders are stored by default in the Favorites folder in your roaming profile.

When you add a favorite folder to a project, it is added as a folder connection.

Tip:

You can make a folder a favorite by dragging it from its location in the Catalog pane, the Contents pane of a catalog view, or File Explorer to the Favorites tab of the Catalog pane or the Favorites container in the Contents pane of a catalog view.

Remove a connection

You can remove an item connection in the Catalog pane or catalog view if you no longer need to work with the item or if its contents become unavailable. When you remove an item connection, the item and its contents are no longer directly accessible from your project. However, they are not deleted from their computer, network, or cloud location.

You cannot remove item connections to items required by the project, such as the home folder, default toolbox, and default geodatabase.

1. In the Catalog pane, browse to the item connection.

   Alternatively, with the catalog view active, browse to the item connection in the Contents pane or the catalog view.

2. Click the item connection to select it.
3. Right-click the item and click Remove From Project .

   When the catalog view is active, you can also use the ribbon to remove an item connection. On the ribbon, click the Catalog tab. In the Organize group, click Remove .