ArcGIS provides geoprocessing tools that you can use to perform spatial analysis or to manage the GIS data in a project. Finding the right tool for a task is essential. The primary locations where geoprocessing tools are available are the Analysis ribbon tab and the Geoprocessing pane.
In ArcGIS AllSource, geoprocessing tools are available from the following locations:
- The Tools group on the Analysis ribbon tab
- The search bar at the top of the Geoprocessing pane
- Favorites in the Geoprocessing pane
- Toolboxes in the Geoprocessing pane
- Multiple buttons on ribbon tabs, toolbars, and context (right-click) menus, as well as UI commands
- Project toolboxes in the Catalog pane.
- Toolboxes in a folder connection or geodatabase in the Catalog pane
- An ArcGIS Server connection in the Catalog pane.
- The Portal tab in the Geoprocessing pane
- A custom ribbon tab or group
- The Quick Access Toolbar
Analysis Tools group
The Tools group on the Analysis ribbon tab highlights many commonly used spatial analysis tools in several categories.
Search
You can find geoprocessing tools by typing a search phrase in the search bar at the top of the Geoprocessing pane. You can search for a geoprocessing tool by name or by describing the type of operation you want to perform—for example, type proximity.
You can view geoprocessing search results as detailed tiles or as a list using the toggle buttons described below to switch between the two views at the bottom of the search results:
- Display tools with descriptions and details
- Display tools as list
When Display tools with descriptions and details is the active view, each item in the search results displays the tool description text and icons that indicate details about each tool, including the following:
| Icon | Description |
|---|---|
 | The tool is an Esri built-in tool. |
 | The tool is a model tool. |
 | The tool is a script tool. |
 | The tool is locked due to licensing. |
 | The tool consumes credits. |
 | The tool runs remotely in ArcGIS Server or in ArcGIS Online. |
 | The tool supports parallel or distributed processing. |
 | The tool uses Spark to run analysis on big datasets. |
 | The tool can use your graphics card (GPU) to improve performance. |
 | The tool supports big data file shares. |
Favorites
You can find geoprocessing tools on the customizable Favorites tab in the Geoprocessing pane. The Favorites tab lists the following tool favorites:
- My Favorites—Tools that are recorded in your user profile are listed regardless of the open project.
- Project Favorites—Tools that are specific to the open project. When you create a project, several commonly used tools are included by default.
- Recent—A chronological list of tools that you have used recently.
Toolboxes
You can find all geoprocessing system tools on the Toolboxes tab of the Geoprocessing pane. These tools are organized into toolboxes and toolsets of similar tools. The Toolboxes tab includes all system toolboxes that are included with ArcGIS, including extension and industry-specific toolboxes.
Project toolboxes
Every project has a default toolbox. You can also add a toolbox from a folder connection or geodatabase to a project, which stores a link to the toolbox with the project (but does not move the physical toolbox file). Project toolboxes appear on the Project tab of the Catalog pane under the Toolboxes node.
Folders and geodatabases
Toolboxes in a folder or geodatabase display when viewing the container on the Project tab of the Catalog pane under the Folder Connections or Databases nodes.
Geoprocessing services in an ArcGIS Server connection
You can find and use geoprocessing service tools in an ArcGIS Server connection. You can use these tools as you do other geoprocessing tools. The only difference is the tool is run on the ArcGIS Server site. To use geoprocessing service tools, add an ArcGIS Server connection, expand the server connection under the Servers node of the Catalog pane, and double-click a tool to open it in the Geoprocessing pane.
Portal tools
You can find and run analysis tools from ArcGIS Enterprise through the active portal. Tools from the portal represent services running on an ArcGIS Server site federated with the portal. The Portal tab in the Geoprocessing pane shows the tools that are available through the active portal. You can use these tools as you do other geoprocessing tools. The only difference is that the tools run on servers federated with the portal instead of on your local desktop machine. These tools also create output layers in the portal instead of new data in a local folder or geodatabase.
Ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar
You can add geoprocessing tools to any location on the ribbon and to the Quick Access Toolbar. This includes system tools as well as custom model and script tools that have been added to the project. This customization is stored in your user directory and applies to any project you open.
Learn more about customizing the ribbon and Quick Access Toolbar with geoprocessing tools
Other ribbon buttons and UI commands
Buttons that open or run geoprocessing tools are located on many of the ribbon tabs, panes, toolbars, context menus, and views in ArcGIS AllSource. These buttons or commands may immediately run a geoprocessing tool with predefined parameters or may open a tool for you to specify the parameter options before running. For buttons or commands that open a tool, the tool may open in the Geoprocessing pane or in a floating window, as described below:
- Tools opened in the Geoprocessing pane use the standard approach for specifying parameter and environments and running or scheduling the tool to run at a future time.
- Some tools that require shorter, focused interaction in a simplified user interface open in a floating window where you can specify parameters and click OK or Apply to run the tool. These are the same geoprocessing tools that run in the Geoprocessing pane, but they are included in a simplified and dedicated window that closes after the tool is run. While the tool is running, a progress dialog box displays messages and progress information, with the Close upon completion option checked by default. Many these tools run in the main application thread, not in the background geoprocessing thread, for immediate processing, even if longer processes are running concurrently in the background geoprocessing thread.