Opening content

From within the website, you can open maps, data, and applications by clicking the Open button under the item's thumbnail or by clicking the thumbnail itself. By default, the item opens in the most appropriate application—web applications open in a web browser, web maps open in the ArcGIS.com map viewer, and layer packages open in ArcGIS for Desktop. If you want, you can override the default. To select where an item opens, click the Open arrow under the item and click the application where you want to open the item. For example, you could choose to open a web map in ArcGIS 10 for Desktop instead of the ArcGIS.com map viewer. File-based items can be downloaded to your computer, for example, layer packages, KML, and shapefiles.

Open choices for web maps

Opening content in a web browser

You can open these item types in a web browser:

Opening content in desktop applications

ArcGIS desktop applications include ArcGIS for Desktop, ArcGIS Explorer Desktop, and Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS. If you have ArcGIS for Desktop and ArcGIS Explorer Desktop installed on your machine, by default, the item is sent to the application that is currently running. So, if ArcGIS Explorer Desktop is running, it will be sent to ArcGIS Explorer Desktop, and so on. If no application is running when you open an item, ArcGIS for Desktop will start automatically and the item will be added to it. For more information about opening content in ArcGIS Explorer Desktop, see Work with ArcGIS Layers and Layer Packages

ArcGIS layer and map packages include an option to download the file onto your computer. When you open them from the website (the default option), you see and use the content similarly to how you can play music or view photos online. If you want to store the package files on your computer, choose the download option.

ArcGIS for Desktop

You can open these item types in ArcGIS Desktop 9.3 and later:

  • ArcMap document (.mxd)
  • ArcGlobe document (.3dd)
  • ArcScene document (.sxd)
  • ArcReader document (.pmf)
  • Layer file (.lyr)
  • ArcGIS Server service

You can open these additional item types in ArcGIS Desktop 9.3.1 and later:

  • ArcMap document (.msd)
  • Layer package (.lpk)

You can open these additional item types in ArcGIS Desktop 10 and later:

  • Web map
  • Map package (.mpk)
  • ArcGIS Desktop Add On (.esriaddin)
  • Map template (.zip)
  • Desktop application template (.zip)

Learn more about opening basemaps and other file types in ArcGIS Desktop 9.2

ArcGIS Explorer Desktop

You can open these item types in ArcGIS Explorer Desktop:

  • ArcGIS Explorer document (.nmf)
  • ArcGIS Explorer application configuration (.ncfg)
  • ArcGIS layer (.lyr)
  • ArcGIS layer package (.lpk)
  • ArcGIS Explorer layer (.nmc)
  • ArcGIS Explorer Add In (.eaz)
  • ArcGIS Server service
  • Web map

NoteNote:

To find ArcGIS desktop content such as layer packages, set the website to show all content. Click the arrow to the right of Show: Web Content Only at the top of the website and click All Content from the drop-down list. See Finding content for ArcGIS desktop products for more information.

Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS

You can open these item types in Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS:

  • Operations Dashboard Add In (.opdashboardaddin)
  • Operation View

Opening content in a mobile device

You can open these item types on a mobile device:

Downloading content

These file-based items can be downloaded to your computer:

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5/16/2013