Navigate a map

There are several ways to navigate a map in ArcGIS for Microsoft 365, such as using the keyboard, mouse, or buttons.

You can also set bookmarks and the default extent of the map.

See Navigation tools for more information.

Zoom and pan

You can pan and zoom the map using the mouse, keyboard, or navigation buttons.

Zoom and pan using the mouse

To navigate using the mouse, move the pointer to the center of the map. Use the following list as a guide for navigation actions with the mouse:

  • To move or pan the map, click and drag the pointer in any direction.
  • To zoom in (increase screen scale) for a specific area on the map, press the Shift key while dragging a rectangle to designate the area of interest. The higher the zoom level, the more details are available.
    Tip:

    You can also use the wheel button to zoom in and out. Rotate the wheel up to zoom in and rotate it down to zoom out.

  • To zoom out (decrease screen scale) for a specific area on the map, press Shift+Ctrl while dragging a rectangle to designate the area of interest. The lower the zoom level, the fewer details are available.
    Note:

    For macOS, press Shift+Cmd.

  • To zoom in to the map at the location of the pointer, double-click the point of interest.

Navigate using the keyboard

Click the map and use the following keys to perform navigation operations:

  • Press the Plus sign (+) to zoom in.
  • Press the Minus sign (-) to zoom out.
  • Press the arrow keys to move left, right, up, or down.

Navigate using buttons

You can use the Zoom in and Zoom out buttons at the lower corner of the map to zoom in and out.

  • Click the Default extent button Default extent to zoom the map to its initial extent.
  • Click the Zoom in button Zoom in to zoom in.
  • Click the Zoom out button Zoom out to zoom out.
    Note:

    The zoom buttons are turned on every time you actively interact within your map frame. Move your pointer over the map to view the zoom buttons if they disappear.

  • To adjust the full screen control, click the Enter fullscreen button Enter fullscreen.
    Tip:

    Press Esc to exit full screen mode.

Enter full screen in Windows Desktop

To adjust the full screen control, follow the steps below:

  1. On the map, click Task Pane Options.
  2. Click Move, and drag the pane to a desired position. Optionally, use the pane expanders to expand to a full screen.

    Drag the pane to the right of your screen. It automatically snaps into the pane next to the Microsoft Excel worksheet.

  3. Click Resize and the pane dynamically snaps to the left of the map. Use the pane expanders to resize the map.
  4. Click Close to close the map.

    Click the Show Map button on the ArcGIS tab to make the map visible again.

Enter full screen in macOS

To adjust the full screen control, follow the steps below:

  1. Place the pointer at the top of the map and drag to detach.
  2. Click the green dot to zoom, or move the pane to the left and right of your screen.
  3. Alternatively, use the expanders to expand the map to full screen.
  4. Close the map pane by clicking the red dot.
  5. Click Show Map to open the map again.

Map extent

From Navigation tools in the map tools, you can set the home extent or lock the extent so the map cannot be navigated.

Set home extent

To set a custom home extent for your map, do the following:

  1. Click Navigation tools Navigation tools from the map tools.

    The Navigation tools pane appears with the Map extent tab open.

  2. Navigate your map to the location and scale at which you want to set your home extent.
  3. Once you have navigated to your default extent, click the Set to current map view button Set to current map view next to Set home extent.

    The new home extent is set. The Default extent button Default extent changes to say Home extent when hovered over. When users click it, the map pans and zooms to the set home extent.

  4. To set a new extent, navigate to your new desired map view and click the Set to current map view button Set to current map view again.
  5. To clear the home extent, click the Clear home extent button Clear home extent.

    The set home extent is removed. When users click the Default extent button Default extent, the map pans and zooms to the extent of the points on the map.

Lock map extent

To lock a map's extent to prevent users from navigating beyond a certain extent, do the following:

  1. Click Navigation tools Navigation tools from the map tools.

    The Navigation tools pane appears with the Map extent tab open.

  2. Navigate your map to the location and scale at which you want to restrict your map's extent.
  3. Once you have navigated to your extent, click the Lock map extent button Lock map extent.
    The map extent is locked, and the navigation buttons are removed, except for the Enter fullscreen button Enter fullscreen.
  4. To unlock the map extent, click the Unlock map extent button Unlock map extent.

    The map extent is unlocked, and the navigation buttons are replaced.

Bookmarks

From Navigation tools, you can create bookmarks to be used as shortcuts for navigating the map.

New bookmark button in ArcGIS for Excel Online

Note:

To add a new bookmark in ArcGIS for Excel Windows and macOS Desktop, follow the steps in create, update, and delete bookmarks. You can add a new bookmark in ArcGIS for Excel Online using the navigation buttons, or by following the steps in create, update, and delete bookmarks.

Create bookmarks

To create a bookmark using the map tools pane, do the following:

  1. Click Navigation tools Navigation tools from the map tools.

    The Navigation tools pane appears with the Map extent tab open.

  2. Click the Bookmarks tab Bookmarks.
  3. Navigate the map to the location and scale at which you want to create the bookmark.
    Note:

    The map extent must be unlocked to use bookmarks.

  4. Click New bookmark.
  5. Enter a title for the bookmark.
    The bookmark is added to the list of bookmarks.

Go to an existing bookmark

To zoom the map to an existing bookmark, complete the following steps:

  1. Click Navigation tools Navigation tools from the map tools.

    The Navigation tools pane appears with the Map extent tab open.

  2. Click the Bookmarks tab Bookmarks.
  3. Click the name of the bookmark you want to zoom to.

    The map zooms to the bookmark.

Update or delete a bookmark

To update or delete an existing bookmark, complete the following steps:

  1. Click Navigation tools Navigation tools from the map tools.

    The Navigation tools pane appears with the Map extent tab open.

  2. Click the Bookmarks tab Bookmarks.
  3. Optionally, update a bookmark in the following ways:
    • Click and drag a bookmark to update the order of the bookmark list.
    • Double-click a bookmark to rename it.
    • Navigate to a new location and scale, hover over a bookmark, and click the Update view button Update view to update the bookmark.
    • Hover over a button and click the Delete button Delete next to a bookmark to delete the bookmark. Alternatively, select multiple bookmarks and click the Delete button Delete above the bookmark list to delete all selected bookmarks.