Work with project favorites

Project favorites are a collection of frequently used folders, databases, toolboxes, servers, custom styles, and other items. You can add a favorite to a project from the Catalog pane or a catalog view.

When you make an item a favorite, its path is stored in your roaming user profile at C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Roaming\Esri\ArcGISPro\Favorites\Favorites.json. For remotely located items, such as enterprise geodatabases and GIS servers, the item’s connection file is copied and saved to the Favorites folder in your roaming profile. The Favorites.json file stores the path to this copy of the connection file.

If your network profile supports roaming, your favorites are accessible anywhere on the network, regardless of the computer you use.

You can also create items, such as toolboxes, geodatabases, and custom styles in the Favorites folder of your roaming profile. These items are automatically made favorites and are available on the network.

A favorite can become inaccessible (denoted with a red exclamation point ) and need repair if the item is moved, renamed, or deleted outside of ArcGIS AllSource, or if folders containing the item are reorganized. It also becomes inaccessible if it is located on an unavailable network drive. For these reasons, the option to create items in the Favorites folder of your roaming profile is often useful.

Caution:

Your roaming profile is designed to be available on any network computer to which you sign in with the same credentials. This availability is why the favorites file is stored in your roaming profile. However, roaming profiles are subject to control by your network administrator. It may be that your roaming profile is restricted to one machine and not available on other machines.

Make an existing item a favorite

You can make a supported item a favorite if it is an item connection in a project or if you can browse to it from an item connection. For example, you can browse to a file geodatabase from a folder connection and make it a favorite. The following items are supported as favorites:

• Folders
• Databases (including file, mobile, and enterprise geodatabases)
• Toolboxes
• Servers
• Custom styles
• Cloud stores

Follow these steps to make an existing project item a favorite:

1. In the Catalog pane, click the Favorites tab and click Add Item .
2. On the Add Item menu, do one of the following:
   • Click Add Folder .
   • Point to Database and click Add Database .
   • Point to Toolbox and click Add Toolbox .
   • Point to Server and click Add Server .
   • Point to Style and click Add Style .

   Each choice opens an appropriate browse dialog box.

3. On the browse dialog box, browse to the item to make a favorite, select it, and click OK.

   The item appears on the Favorites tab of the Catalog pane and in the Favorites container in the Contents pane of a catalog view.

   Note:

   When you make a server or enterprise geodatabase a favorite, the connection file, which is typically stored in your project home folder, is copied to your roaming profile. Your favorites file (Favorites.json) stores the path to this copy of the connection file. This ensures that if you delete the project in which the connection file was created, the favorite is preserved.

   You can also make an existing item a favorite using these methods:

   Method	Steps
   In the Catalog pane	Click the Project tab. Select an item connection, or an item in a folder connection, and do one of the following: Right-click the item, and click Add To Favorites . Drag the item to the Favorites container in the Contents pane of a catalog view.
   In File Explorer	Browse to an item and select it. Drag the item to the Favorites tab of the Catalog pane or the Favorites container in the Contents pane of a catalog view.

   Tip:

   When you use an item's context menu to add it as a favorite, the Add To New Projects option is also available. This option makes the item a favorite and designates it to be added automatically to all new projects. See the Add a favorite to all new projects section below.

   Note:

   To make a custom style a favorite using its context menu command or by dragging it, you must browse to the style from a folder connection, not select it in the project's Styles container .

Create an item as a favorite

You can create an item in the Favorites folder in your roaming profile. The item becomes a favorite automatically.

1. In the Catalog pane, click the Favorites tab and click Add Item .
2. On the Add Item menu, do one of the following:
   • Point to Database and click New File Database or New Database Connection .
   • Point to Toolbox and click New Toolbox .
   • Point to Server and click the new server connection you want to create.
   • Point to Style and click New Style .

   For file-based items, a browse dialog box opens to the Favorites folder in your roaming profile. For remote items, a connection properties dialog box opens.

3. Create the item as appropriate:
   • On browse dialog boxes, type a name for the item in the Name text box, and click Save.
   • On connection properties dialog boxes, complete the connection properties and click OK.

   An item or connection file is created in the Favorites folder of your roaming profile. It appears on the Favorites tab of the Catalog pane and in the Favorites container in the Contents pane of a catalog view.

   Learn more about connecting to databases and connecting to GIS Servers.

Add a favorite to the current project

To use a favorite, add it to a project from the favorites collection.

1. In the Catalog pane, click the Favorites tab and select an item.
2. Right-click the selected item and click Add To Project .

   The item is added to the project and appears in its appropriate item container in the catalog. For example, a favorite folder appears under Folders .

   Tip:

   You can browse to a favorite and use its contents without adding the favorite to the project. For example, you can browse to a favorite geodatabase and add a feature class to a map.

Add a favorite to all new projects

You can designate a favorite to be added automatically to all new projects. In this case, the favorite is not added to the current project, but is added to all new projects and appears under its appropriate item container in the catalog. If you create a project from a project template, the favorite is added to the project along with other resources specified by the template.

1. In the Catalog pane, click the Favorites tab and select an item.
2. Right-click the selected item and click Add To New Projects.

   The item appears in the favorites collection with a pin .

3. If you no longer want a favorite to be added to all new projects, select the favorite on the Favorites tab of the Catalog pane or in the Favorites container in the Contents pane of a catalog view, right-click the selected item, and click Add To New Projects.

   The check mark is removed from the context menu option and the pin icon is removed from the item in the favorites collection.

Remove a favorite

You can remove a favorite from your favorites collection at any time.

1. In the Catalog pane, click the Favorites tab and select an item.
2. Right-click the selected item and click Remove .

   The item is removed from the favorites collection.