ArcGIS Pro

Manage styles

Projects contain connections to styles, which are collections of reusable things like symbols and other assets that appear on maps, scenes, and layouts.

Learn about styles and how to connect to a style.

Styles

Styles contain a set of classes with very specific types of items in each:

  • Point symbols
  • Line symbols
  • Polygon symbols
  • Text symbols
  • Standard label placements
  • Maplex label placements
  • Colors
  • Color schemes
  • North arrows
  • Scale bars

See what a style contains

The style Properties panel is a quick way to get an overview of what a style contains. It indicates how many items are in each class. Empty classes are not listed.

  1. Open or switch to a Project view, if one is not active.

    On the View tab, in the Windows group, click the Project drop-down arrow and click Project View to open a view.

  2. Click the Styles heading in the Contents pane.

    The Project view lists all the project styles.

  3. Click a style.
  4. Open the Details panel if it is not already open.

    On the Home tab, in the Options group, check the Show Details check box.

  5. On the Details panel, click the Properties tab.

    A listing appears showing all the classes in the style that contain style class items, along with counts.

View or modify a style's description or tags

Styles are project items. To help you organize and search for them, they have a description and a set of tags along with their name. Project style names do not have to be unique. You can only modify the description of editable styles. The styles that are installed with the software are read-only.

  1. Open or switch to a Project view, if one is not active.

    On the View tab, in the Windows group, click the Project drop-down arrow and click Project View to open a view.

  2. Click the Styles heading in the Contents pane.

    The Project view lists all the project styles.

  3. Click a style.
  4. Open the Details panel if it is not already open.

    On the Home tab, in the Options group, check the Show Details check box.

  5. On the Details panel, click the Description tab.

    The name, status, description, and tags are listed for the style.

  6. Type or modify the description or the tags of the style.

    You cannot change the description and tags of read-only project styles.

  7. Click Apply.

Upgrading a style

The underlying structure of symbols and other styles may change with successive releases of ArcGIS Pro. That means that styles created on earlier versions may not be current. Styles that are not current can still be used in a project. You can see their contents in galleries, and select and use them. The styles themselves will be read-only though. You will not be able to add, delete, or modify contents of the style until you upgrade them. You may experience a minor drop in performance using non-current styles as well.

  1. Open or switch to a Project view, if one is not active.

    On the View tab, in the Windows group, click the Project drop-down arrow and click Project View to open a view.

  2. Click the Styles heading in the Contents pane.

    The Project view lists all the project styles.

  3. Click a style.
  4. Open the Details panel if it is not already open.

    On the Home tab, in the Options group, check the Show Details check box.

  5. On the Details panel, click the Description tab.

    The name, status, description, and tags are listed for the style.

  6. If the status indicates that the style is read-only because it was made with an older version of ArcGIS Pro, click Upgrade to upgrade the style.

Style classes

Display the contents of a style class

You can see the items of each style class in a style in a Project view.

  1. Open or switch to a Project view, if one is not active.

    On the View tab, in the Windows group, click the Project drop-down arrow, and click Project View to open a view.

  2. On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click the Show drop-down menu to choose which style class to display.

    Only populated style classes appear in this list.

Style items

Style items are individual things—like one symbol or one scale bar—stored within a style class in a style.

Create new style items

You can create new style items in project styles, and in your Favorites style, as long as the style is editable. The system styles installed with the software are read-only. Your Favorites style is always editable.

Learn how to connect to or create styles.

  1. Open or switch to a Project view, if one is not active.

    On the View tab, in the Windows group, click the Project drop-down arrow, and click Project View to open a view.

  2. Click the Styles heading in the Contents pane.

    The Project view lists all the project styles.

  3. Click any editable project style.
  4. On the Insert tab, in the Styles group, click the New Item drop-down menu to choose which type of style item to create.

    A new style item with default properties is created in the corresponding style class.

Copy and paste style items

Although the system styles are read-only, you can copy style class items from them to your Favorites style or to any other editable project style. You can then modify these copies if you want, and use them in your project.

  1. Open or switch to a Project view, if one is not active.

    On the View tab, in the Windows group, click the Project drop-down arrow, and click Project View to open a view.

  2. Click the Styles heading in the Contents pane.

    The Project view lists all the project styles.

  3. Double-click a style to open one of its style classes.

    On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click the Show drop-down menu to choose which style class to display.

  4. Select a style item.
  5. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Copy.
  6. In the Project view, navigate to an editable project style.
  7. On the Home tab, in the Clipboard group, click Paste.

    The style class item is added to the appropriate style class in the style. You can now modify it as necessary.

Modify style items

Style items have inherent properties that dictate how they look. These are graphical properties, like size and color. Style items also include descriptive information that makes them easier to organize and search for.

Modify style item properties

The appearance and behavior of a style item is determined by its inherent graphical properties. You can only modify the properties of style items in editable project styles.

  1. Open or switch to a Project view, if one is not active.

    On the View tab, in the Windows group, click the Project drop-down arrow, and click Project View to open a view.

  2. Click the Styles heading in the Contents pane.
  3. Double-click a style to open one of its style classes.

    On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click the Show drop-down menu to choose which style class to display.

  4. Select a style item.
  5. Open the Details panel if it is not already open.

    On the Home tab, in the Options group, check the Show Details check box.

  6. On the Details panel, click the Properties tab.
  7. Edit the style item and click Apply.

    You cannot change the description of style items in read-only project styles.

Modify style item description

Description information of a style item includes a name, a category, and tags. These can be modified for any style item in an editable project style.

  1. Open or switch to a Project view, if one is not active.

    On the View tab, in the Windows group, click the Project drop-down arrow and click Project View to open a view.

  2. Click the Styles heading in the Contents pane.
  3. Double-click a style to open one of its style classes.

    On the Home tab, in the Styles group, click the Show drop-down menu to choose which style class to display.

  4. Select a style item.
  5. Open the Details panel if it is not already open.

    On the Home tab, in the Options group, check the Show Details check box.

  6. On the Details panel, click the Description tab.

    The name, category, and tags are listed for the style.

  7. On the Home tab, in the Description group, click Edit to make modifications to any of these.

    You cannot change the description of read-only project styles.

  8. On the Home tab, in the Description group, click Save to commit your changes.

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