Changing the portal content directory

When you install Portal for ArcGIS, a directory is created to store content saved and uploaded by users of the portal. This is known as the portal content directory. The default location is c:\arcgisportal\content.

You can change the location of the portal content directory. For example, you may decide to put it on another machine that has more disk space or a more rigorous backup environment. It is recommended that you make this change before exposing the portal to end users.

Follow the steps below to change the location of the portal content directory.

Legacy:

In 10.2, you were required to edit a properties file on disk to change the portal content directory. This is no longer required at 10.2.1 and later versions. The following instructions only apply to 10.2.1 and later versions. For help with these instructions at 10.2, see the 10.2 documentation.

Steps:

1. If Portal for ArcGIS is running as the Local System account (which is the default), change it to run as a local or domain account of your choosing. Follow the instructions in Changing the Portal for ArcGIS account to alter directory permissions and change the account under which the Portal for ArcGIS service runs.
2. Make a copy of the portal content directory in your new desired location.
3. Grant the Portal for ArcGIS account Full control level file permissions to the folder.
4. If the folder will be accessed through a shared network path, share the folder and grant the Portal for ArcGIS account Full control level share permissions to the directory.
5. Log in to the Portal Directory with an account that has administrator privileges. The URL is in the format https://webadaptor.domain.com/arcgis/portaladmin.
6. Edit the directory location by clicking System > Directories > content > Edit Directory.
7. Specify the location of the new content directory in the Path text box, for example, \\share\portalcontent.
8. Click Edit Directory to apply your changes.
9. Click System > Directories > content and verify that the new file path is being used.

Your portal will now read from and write to the new content directory. Optionally, you can delete the old content directory or rename it, for example, from c:\arcgisportal\content to c:\arcgisportal\content_old.