Enable and configure clustering

Note:

This feature is available only for ArcGIS feature layers or layers created using Excel data.

When a layer contains a large number of point features, showing each feature individually on the map is often not useful. In this scenario, point features often overlap, making them difficult to distinguish. When they do not overlap, it can be difficult or impossible to visually extract meaningful information when hundreds or thousands of points are shown at once.

One approach to resolving this issue is to group point features within a certain distance of one another into one symbol. This is known as clustering. Since clustering is dependent on screen distance, points are aggregated into fewer groups as you zoom out. Conversely, points are divided into more groups as you zoom in. When you zoom to a level at which the clustering area around one point feature no longer contains other features, that feature is not clustered; it is shown in its location with the styling specified by the layer.

Cluster color is based on the layer style, and you can change the color of the text that appears in a cluster. The first image below displays the points without clustering enabled, and the second image shows clustering enabled.

If you style a point layer using shapes grouped by category, the clusters are based on the style of the dominant category in the cluster. As you zoom in, the cluster is divided into smaller groups, and the style changes to reflect the information in the new cluster.

For more information about styling a point layer, see Style location.

Note:

You can apply clustering while working with maps in ArcGIS for Excel. When sharing a layer to ArcGIS, clustering is turned off. To share the clusters, share the layer as part of a map. See Share a map to ArcGIS for more information.

Enable clustering

To enable clustering on a layer, do the following:

1. At the top of the layer list, click Layer options .

   The layer options appear.

2. Select the layer you want to modify from the Active layer drop-down menu.
3. From the layer options, select Clustering .

   The Clustering pane appears.

4. Turn on the Enable clustering toggle button.

   The features on the map appear in clusters using the default configuration options.

5. Turn off the Enable clustering toggle button to turn clustering off.

   The features on the map display as individual features.

Configure clustering

To configure clustering options, do the following:

1. Ensure that clustering is enabled for the layer you want to modify.

   Once clustering is enabled, configuration options in the Clustering pane become active.

2. To change the distance at which points are grouped together in a cluster, move the Cluster radius slider to the left for a smaller radius or to the right for a larger radius.
3. To change the color of the text on the cluster symbols, choose a color from the preset Cluster text color options.

   For more color options, click Edit and use the color picker. You can also specify a custom color using a hexadecimal value.

   The map automatically updates to reflect the new cluster settings.

4. Click Back to return to the layer list.