ArcGIS Hub provides file downloads for several item types that are added to a site’s content library. Downloading is a process where someone requests a complete or filtered file for a content item. Various file formats are available depending on the type of item and whether services are hosted or non-hosted. The following recommendations and workflows that can help you optimize data downloads and related processes. See Explore and download data and documents to learn more.
Recommendations
Review these recommended configurations and limitations when making items available for download.
- Migrate data from map services to feature services.
- Publish data as feature services (as individual layers if applicable).
- Publish data through hosted services (in ArcGIS Online), especially large files with many records and/or complex geometry, or frequently updated content. See Publish hosted feature layers and Upload content as a file or using a URL.
- For hosted services, enable the Extract capability (ArcGIS Hub) or enable the Export data setting (ArcGIS Online) to have more download formats and improved performance. See Allow data exports to learn more.
- Upload CSV files as hosted table layers in ArcGIS Online. Filtered downloads of a CSV is not possible.
- Enable editor tracking for hosted and non-hosted services (feature services only) to ensure that dates displayed on the content view are accurate. ArcGIS Hub uses the “last edit date” on a service to know when a service’s data was updated and if a cached file is out of date. For more information, see editor tracking.
Available download formats
Feature services hosted in ArcGIS Online
For ArcGIS Online-hosted services with the Export data setting (ArcGIS Online) or the Export data (Extract capabilities) setting (Hub) enabled, feature services only (feature layers, table layers) can be downloaded. Available download formats are: CSV, Shapefile, GeoJSON, KML, SQLite, GeoPackage, File Geodatabase, Feature Collection, and Excel. See Allow data exports to learn more.
Feature and map services in all other configurations
For all other configurations including those below, feature services and map services can be downloaded as: CSV, Shapefile, GeoJSON, and KML.
- ArcGIS Online-hosted services without Export data setting (ArcGIS Online) or the Export data/ Extract capabilities setting (Hub) enabled
- Non-hosted services (for example, self-hosted, on-premises servers)
- Enterprise-hosted services
Image services in all configurations
- For all configurations, image services with ArcGIS Server versions greater than 10.2, image services can be downloaded as: JPEG, PNG, PNG8, PNG24, and PNG32.
- For all configurations with ArcGIS Server versions less than 10.2, image services can be downloaded as: JPEG, PNG, PNG8, and PNG24.
Note:
Other specific item types can be downloaded in their native format (ex. a GeoJSON item can be downloaded as .geojson).
Note:
ArcGIS Hub allows authenticated users to search for and download data and documents that have been shared privately with them through a group or with the organization. Private feature services can be downloaded if the Export data setting is enabled. Private feature services and private image services have the same formats available as their public counterparts. Private map services cannot be downloaded.
Enable downloads for hosted services
The Export data setting allows ArcGIS Hub to use a different method to generate download files and has many benefits and some known limitations. It is better at handling large items with many records and/or complex geometry, and is recommended for public data to hasten the download process. Hosted feature services that you enable for download, will be available in additional formats.
To make a hosted feature services item available for download in its supported file formats, an administrator or user with the create items privilege must enable the Export data setting for the item in ArcGIS Online. See Allow data exports to learn more.
This enables the Export data (Extract capabilities) setting in Hub. You can also enable the Export data (Extract capabilities) setting in Hub (edit mode, Content details, Downloads tab). This enables the ArcGIS Online Export data setting.
Note:
Downloads from hosted services will be given a file name automatically ("LayerName_GlobalUID#"); you cannot specify a custom file name. Download files use the service's spatial reference instead of 4326 (except KML and GeoJSON which are only supported in 4326). For KML downloads from hosted services, geometry filters are not supported (attribute filters are supported). The KML file extension will be KMZ (a compressed version of KML).
Note:
Downloads (hosted and non-hosted) may take longer depending on server configuration, version, allocated resources, and geographic location, as well as number of records, and complexity of geometry. Some services have the database configured in such a way that paging takes exponentially longer in the later pages of data. Downloads may be slower for non-hosted (self-hosted) services located outside of the US, due to the location of Hub infrastructure.
Cached files are served
ArcGIS Hub will always serve cached files (if they exist). If a cached file is not available, one will be generated with a version cached for every available format. When someone requests a download for an item, one of the following occurs:
- If a cached file is present, it is downloaded
- If no cached file is present, Hub will automatically generate a cache and download it when ready
If Hub is unable to confirm that the cache is up-to-date, the user may request to regenerate the cached files. See Explore and download data and documents to learn more.
Note:
Generating updated cached files (and updating the search index) may take some time.
Additional download formats
Site owners and group members can provide links that reference files or documents that are not supported natively in ArcGIS Online (not supported by feature services), such as CAD files, PDF files, and so on. To add an additional resource, open the item's details page in ArcGIS Online. Select Metadata, Distribution, then Online resource.
Tip:
If the Metadata button is hidden, have an ArcGIS Online administrator enable metadata.
Provide a link for URL and a Name, and set Function to Download. Additional resource links appear on the item's content view on the side panel (at bottom) when selecting the Download button 
.
Note:
At this time, additional resources are only supported for downloadable feature services or map services.