Add maps and scenes to a project

You can create maps and scenes in a project. You can also add or import existing maps and scenes in the following ways:

• Add a web map or web scene from your active portal.
• Import an ArcGIS AllSource map package (.mpkx) or map file (.mapx) from a local drive, a network drive, or your active portal.
• Import an ArcMap map package (.mpk) from a local drive, a network drive, or your active portal.
• Import ArcMap (.mxd), ArcScene (.sxd), and ArcGlobe (.3dd) documents from a local or network drive.
• Copy maps between projects or in a project.
• Convert maps to scenes or scenes to maps in a project.

Most maps and scenes that are added or imported from portal items are marked with a link icon in a project. This shows that they are linked to a portal item and can be updated if the portal item changes.

Portal items that can be added as maps or scenes to a project are shown on the Portal tab, and the list of maps and scenes in a project are shown on the Project tab. Maps that are linked to a portal item are marked with a link icon.

Create a map or scene

Maps display 2D data; scenes display 3D data from global or local perspectives.

Follow these steps to create a map or a scene in a project:

1. On the ribbon, click the Map tab.
2. In the Insert group, click the New Map drop-down arrow.
3. Click one of the following options:
   • New Map
   • New Global Scene
   • New Local Scene
   • New Basemap

   The new map or scene is added to the project and opened.

   Tip:

   You can access the same options for creating maps by right-clicking empty space in the Catalog pane.

Add a web map or web scene

Web maps and web scenes are added to a project from the active portal. The map or scene in a project is linked to the web map or web scene in the portal and can be updated if the portal item changes.

To learn more about sharing maps authored in ArcGIS AllSource to a portal, see Share a web map and Share a web scene.

Complete the following steps to add a web map or a web scene to a project:

1. In the Catalog pane, click the Portal tab.
2. Browse to or search for a web map or web scene in My Content or another portal collection.
3. Right-click the item and click Add And Open .

   The web map or scene is added to the project and opens in a view. In the Catalog pane, on the Project tab, the map appears with a link icon in the list of maps.

   

   Tip:

   You can also add a web map or web scene to a project by clicking Import Map on the Map tab on the ribbon.

Update a web map or web scene

If the project contains a web map or web scene, the notifications update when the linked portal item changes. A grey dot appears on the Notifications indicator next to your sign-in status.

The update notification appears the next time you open the linked map or scene in the project, or the next time you open a project in which the linked map or scene is open.

You can act on the notification in the Notifications pane to update the map or scene in the project with the latest version of the portal item. Alternatively, you can use the Update command . In either case, the map or scene in the project is replaced, and any changes you made after adding it from the portal are lost. To preserve your changes, save the map or scene as a map file before you update it.

Note:

Changes you make to a web map in a project can also be saved to the web map in the portal.

Act on an update notification

Follow these steps to update a map or scene by acting on a notification:

1. Click Notifications to open the Notifications pane.
2. Hover over the notification that a new version of a map or scene is available.

   

3. Optionally, click the Show More button and click Open Portal Item.

   The item details page for the web map or web scene opens in a browser. You can open the item in Map Viewer or Scene Viewer to see what changes have been made.

4. Click Update Map (or Update Scene if you are updating a scene).
5. On the Update Map Or Scene prompt, click Yes.

   The map or scene in the project is replaced by the latest version of the portal item, and the notification is removed.

   Tip:

   You can use the Menu button in the Notifications pane to dismiss or turn off notifications.

Update manually

You can update a web map or web scene at any time without acting on a notification. The absence of a notification usually means that the portal item has not changed. However, if the portal item changes while the linked web map or scene is open in your current ArcGIS AllSource session, you are not notified until either the map or the project is closed and reopened.

Follow these steps to update a web map or web scene manually:

1. In the Catalog pane, expand Maps to see the list of maps and scenes in the project.
2. Right-click the map or scene you want to update and click Update .
3. On the Update Map Or Scene prompt, click Yes.

   The map or scene in the project is replaced by the latest version of the portal item.

Import an ArcGIS AllSource or ArcGIS AllSource map package or map file

An ArcGIS AllSource map package is a compressed file that contains a map file and the data referenced by the map layers. A map file is a map or scene without the data referenced by its layers. If the datasets referenced by a map file aren't found at the specified paths, the layers do not draw in the map but are marked as broken with a red exclamation point . If the data is accessible at another location, you can repair the layers.

When you import a map package or map file from any location, a map or scene is added to the project and an import notification is produced. Details about the import event are available in the Notifications pane.

• Map packages are extracted by default to a folder in your <User name>\Documents>\ArcGIS\Packages folder. (You can change this location in the Share and Download options.) When the map is added to the project, its layers reference the datasets in the extracted package.
• Map files that are added from a portal are copied to your <User name>\Documents>\ArcGIS\Packages folder. Map files that are added from a local or network drive are not copied to the Packages folder.

When you import a map package or map file from a portal, the map that is added to the project is linked to the portal item. You are notified when a new version of the portal item becomes available, and you can update the map or scene in the project.

• If the portal item is a map package, the new version of the package is extracted to the Packages folder. The map in the project is updated and references the data in the new version. The original version is not deleted from the Packages folder.
• If the portal item is a map file, the map in the project is updated and the new version of the map file is copied to the Packages folder. The original version is not deleted from the Packages folder.

Map packages are compatible with all versions of ArcGIS AllSource or ArcGIS AllSource: a package created with a new version can be imported by any earlier version. Map files are compatible within versions of a major release. For example, a map file created in ArcGIS Pro 2.9 can be imported by any 2.x version, but not by 1.x versions. Some functionality may be downgraded when you import a map to an earlier version.

Note:

Layout files (.pagx) can also be imported from the active portal or added from local or network drives. A layout file includes a layout and the maps used by the layout but not the data referenced by map layers. Unlike a map file, a layout file that is imported from a portal is not linked to the portal item.

Follow these steps to import a map package or a map file:

1. On the ribbon, click the Map tab.
2. In the Insert group, click Import Map .
3. On the Import dialog box, browse to a map package or map file and select it. Optionally, press the Ctrl key while selecting to select multiple items.

   

4. Click OK.

   The item is imported and a map or scene is added to the project.

5. Optionally, click the Notifications button , and in the Notifications pane, hover over the message and click View Results for more information.

   Import notifications disappear when you close a project. However, the information is saved in the ImportLogs folder in the project's home folder. You can browse to this folder in a catalog view and see the contents of an import file in the details panel.

   Tip:

   There are other ways to import a map package or map file. You can browse to the item in the Catalog pane, right-click it, and click Add And Open . You can also browse to the item in File Explorer and drag it to the Catalog pane.

Copy a map or scene

You can copy maps and scenes in a project. When you have two ArcGIS AllSource sessions open, you can also copy maps and scenes from one project to another. If you copy a map or scene that is linked to a portal item, the copy is also linked.

Follow these steps to copy a map or a scene using the Catalog pane:

1. Open the project that contains the map you want to copy.
2. Start a new ArcGIS AllSource session and open the project to which you want to add the copied map.
3. In the first project, in the Catalog pane, on the Project tab, double-click Maps to see the maps in the project.
4. Click a map or scene to select it, or press Ctrl while selecting to select multiple maps.
5. Right-click the selected map and click Copy .
6. In the second project, in the Catalog pane, right-click Maps and click Paste .

   Tip:

   If the second project doesn't have a map in it, it will not have a Maps container . In this case, drop the map on empty space in the Catalog pane. A Maps container is created and the map appears under it. (If the container exists, however, you must drop the map on the container.)