View maps (Map Viewer)

You can use Map Viewer to create and explore a wide range of maps in ArcGIS Online.

Open Map Viewer

To open Map Viewer, do the following:

  1. Sign in to ArcGIS Online.
  2. At the top of the site, click the app launcher App launcher.

    A grid of app icons appears.

  3. Click Map Viewer.

    Map Viewer opens on a new tab.

Tip:
To open Map Viewer without signing in to ArcGIS Online, open a web browser to www.arcgis.com and click Map.

Find and open a map

Tip:

You can use keyboard shortcuts to quickly complete common workflows in Map Viewer. To view the full list of keyboard shortcuts in Map Viewer, press Alt+? on Microsoft Windows or Option+? on Mac.

To find and open an existing map in Map Viewer, do the following:

  1. Open Map Viewer.
  2. On the Contents (dark) toolbar, click Save and open Save and open and click Open map Open map.
  3. From the drop-down menu at the top of the pane that appears, choose where you want to search—for example, My content, My organization, or ArcGIS Online.

    The available options depend on whether you are signed in and the type of account you have (public or organizational).

  4. Find a map by doing any of the following:
    • Type search terms in the search box. You can also use advanced search to narrow the search results.
    • Click Filters Filter to narrow the search results.

      The filter options available depend on where you are searching for maps, and whether and how you are signed in.

      For example, if you are searching for maps in an organization and content categories have been set up, you can use the Categories filter to narrow the results. Use the Status filter to only return maps that have been designated by the administrator as authoritative.

      Note:

      To limit search results based on the current map extent, turn on the Only show content within map area toggle button. For example, if the map is zoomed to Nevada, USA, the search results are ordered and based on the map extent. Changing the map extent to Pennsylvania typically returns different results (depending on your keywords). All maps that overlap the current map extent (and match your keywords) are returned.

    • Click the title of a map to open the item pane. In the item pane, expand Overview, Description, and Details to learn more about the map. Click View details to open the item page to see more information about the map.
  5. Click Open map on the search result to open the map.
Tip:

You can also open items in Map Viewer using the open options on the content and item pages.

Navigate the map

To navigate the map, do the following:

  • To zoom, use Zoom in Zoom in and Zoom out Zoom out, the mouse and wheel button, or press Shift + Plus Sign (zoom in) and Shift + Minus Sign (zoom out) on the keyboard. To zoom in, you can also press the Shift key while dragging a box on the map.
  • To zoom the map to its initial extent, click Default map view Default map view. You can also navigate the map to a predefined extent using a bookmark.
  • To pan, use the mouse or the arrow keys on your keyboard.
  • To rotate a map, right-click while dragging the pointer. Click Reset compass orientation Reset compass orientation to return the map view to north.
  • If you're using a Mac with OS X 10.6 or later, you can use multitouch gestures by dragging two fingers to pan and zoom the map. The default behavior is to pan. To zoom in or out, press Shift while dragging two fingers toward you to zoom in or dragging two fingers away from you to zoom out.