There are several ways to open an ArcGIS Pro project.
Open a recent project
When you start ArcGIS Pro, you see a list of the projects you worked on recently. If you can't see the entire project name or if two projects have similar names, hover over a project: a pop-up provides information—including the project's date and location—to help you decide which project to open.
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Start the ArcGIS Pro application.
The start page appears. The ten most recent projects you've worked on are listed.
- Click the project you want to open.
If the project you want to open doesn't appear in the recent projects list, click Open another project and follow the steps described below.
Switch from one project to another
Sometimes you have to stop working on one project and start working on a different project. This involves closing your current project and opening a new one.
- Click the Project tab on the ribbon.
- Click Open.
- Click the Recent Projects option.
The ten most recent projects you've worked on are listed.
- Click the project you want to open.
- Click Yes to save any changes that were made to the project you were working on.
The project you were working on closes, and the project you clicked opens.
Open a project package from the active portal
If the project you need to work on is not listed as a recent project, you can browse to and open a project package that is available to you from the active portal.
- Go to the Open
project page.
- From the start page, click Open another project or Open an existing project.
- From the ArcGIS Pro application, click the Project tab on the ribbon and click Open.
- Click the Portal option.
Project packages that are available from My Content are listed.
- Select the appropriate project package.
- Click a project package in the list.
- Click the Browse button. The Open Project dialog box appears. Browse to or search for the appropriate project package. Click the project and click Select.
- If you were working on a project and some changes have not been saved, click Yes in the message box that appears if you want to save them.
The project you were previously working on closes, and the project package opens.
Project packages are downloaded first from the active portal, and then the package is opened. Online project packages are unpacked in the <User Documents>\ArcGIS\OnlineProjects folder. Once the project is opened, the unpacked project file (.aprx) appears in the recent projects list both on the start page and in the Windows taskbar.
After you open a project package and start working on it, at some point, you will stop and restart ArcGIS Pro. To return to the same project, open the unpacked project file (.aprx) from the recent projects list on the start page.
Open a project on a local or network computer
If the project you need to work on is not listed as a recent project when you start ArcGIS Pro, you can browse to and open a different project. The project you need to work on may be provided as a project package (.ppkx).
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Open the Open
project page.
- From the start page, click Open another project or Open an existing project.
- From the ArcGIS Pro application, click the Project tab and click Open.
- Click the Computer option.
Some well-known locations where projects may be stored are listed.
- Browse to the location where the project or project package is stored and select it.
- If the project is stored in a well-known location, double-click the location to list the projects it contains, and click the project to open it.
- Click the Browse button. The Open Project dialog box appears, providing access to available drives on the local computer. Browse to and select the appropriate project or project package.
- If you were working on a project and some changes have not been saved, click Yes in the message box to save them.
The project you were previously working on closes, and the project you clicked opens.
Local project packages are unpacked in the <User Documents>\ArcGIS\Packages folder. Once the package is unpacked and the project it contains is opened, the unpacked project file (.aprx) appears in the recent projects list both on the start page and in the Windows taskbar.
Open a project from the file system
The manner in which you open a project from the file system depends in part on your local computer's operating system and your personal preferences. However, the following list provides a few of the available options:
- Browse to the location of the project you want to open and double-click the project (.aprx) or project package (.ppkx) file.
- Search for the appropriate project (.aprx) or project package (.ppkx) file on the local computer. Double-click the file in the search results to open it.
- If there is a project you work with frequently, create a shortcut to the project file (.aprx) and place the shortcut on your computer's desktop. Double-click the shortcut to start the ArcGIS Pro application and open the project. If you originally opened a project package, make a shortcut to the unpacked project file.
- The operating system may provide you with a list of project files (.aprx) that have recently been opened by the ArcGIS Pro application. For example, if the application is pinned to the Windows taskbar, you'll see the list when you hover over the ArcGIS Pro icon; click the appropriate project file (.aprx) in the list.
If the ArcGIS Pro application is already running, the current project will close, and the selected project will open. You cannot open two projects at the same time. You will be prompted to save any changes made to the current project before it closes.