Checking requirements for installing ArcGIS Pro

In order to use ArcGIS Pro, you must first install it. To install ArcGIS Pro, you will need to verify that your system meets or exceeds the minimum requirements. You will then need to download or have access to the installed files, and finally, have the rights to install the software on the computer you are using. We will look at each of these steps next.

It is possible to install and run ArcGIS Pro on a computer that already has ArcGIS Desktop (ArcMap and ArcCatalog) installed even if ArcGIS Desktop is an older version. The two applications may exist side by side or on separate computers. These are completely separate, independent installations.

In the following sections, you will learn the ArcGIS Pro system requirements, how to download the installation files, and how to install ArcGIS Pro on your computer.

Understanding ArcGIS Pro minimum system requirements

As mentioned earlier, ArcGIS Pro is a 64-bit application that supports hyperthreaded processing. This allows ArcGIS Pro to take full advantage of modern processors, such as the Intel Core i7 or AMD Ryzen and Random Access Memory (RAM) larger than 4 GB. The ability of ArcGIS Pro to make use of this increased computing capability means it typically completes tasks much faster than the older applications it is replacing.

However, this ability to use modern computer hardware does come at a price. Compared with the older ArcGIS Desktop, ArcGIS Pro has much higher minimum computer specifications. This includes increased hardware and OS requirements as well as supporting application requirements. This means that just because your current computer is able to run applications such as ArcMap, it will not necessarily be able to successfully run ArcGIS Pro. It is important to verify that your computer meets or exceeds the recommended minimum specification if you want your experience using ArcGIS Pro to be positive and not frustrating.

At the following link, you will find the minimum requirements for the current version of ArcGIS Pro, 2.6. These do change with new releases, so make sure to verify them based on the release you will be using. You can find the most current system requirements here: https://pro.arcgis.com/en/pro-app/get-started/arcgis-pro-system-requirements.htm

Learning about OS requirements

ArcGIS Pro requires a 64-bit operatingsystem (OS). It will not run on a 32-bit OS. ArcGIS Pro currently supports the following operating systems:

• Windows 10 Home, Pro, and Enterprise
• Windows 8.1 Pro and Enterprise
• Windows Server 2019 Standard and Datacenter
• Windows Server 2016 Standard and Datacenter
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard and Datacenter
• Windows Server 2012 Standard and Datacenter

Esri dropped support for Windows 7 and Server 2008 R2 after January 2020. They made this move because Microsoft ended their support for those operating systems. This means it might still be possible to run ArcGIS Pro on these operating systems, but neither Esri nor Microsoft will provide you with support if you encounter any problems. It also means that neither company will be providing patches or updates to fix security vulnerabilities or bugs in either of those operating systems. Consequently, it is recommended that you upgrade to a newer OS if you are still running on one of the unsupported ones.

ArcGIS Pro iscurrently not supported on Linux or iOS natively. Given Esri's current support for Linux with their ArcGIS Enterprise solution, it is possible ArcGIS Pro may be adapted to run on that platform sometime in the distant future. However, Esri has indicated that ArcGIS Pro will not be ported to run on the iOS platform. This seems to be due to their user base.

A large majority of ArcGIS users work in government, which typically runs Windows-based computers, and to get an Apple computer requires special procurement processes. As a result, ArcGIS Pro will not be supported on iOS. It is possible to run ArcGIS Pro on a Linux or iOS computer if you create a virtual Windows machine, set up a dual Windows boot, or run a Windows emulator.

I have actually heard some users claim that ArcGIS Pro actually runs better on an Apple computer that boots into Windows than on a traditional Windows-based computer. I have not tested that claim so I cannot verify, but I do know I have seen many Esri employees using Apple computers, so there might be some truth to the claim.

Understanding the hardware requirements

ArcGIS Pro has some hefty hardware requirements. It requires modern processors and large amounts of RAM. It also requires a graphics card powerful enough to display 2D and 3D data. To ensure that ArcGIS Pro runs smoothly, you need to make sure that your computer meets or exceeds the requirements shown here:

• A hyperthreaded dual-core. A 4 core processor is recommended with a 10 core or more processor being optional, such as the Intel Core i9-10900 or AMD Ryzen 9 3900.
• A minimum of 4 GB of RAM with 8 GB of RAM is recommended. 16 GB is considered optimal by Esri.
• A minimum of 32 GB of hard disk space to install the software. A solid-state drive is recommended.
• A graphics card that supports DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.3 with 4 GB of video RAM minimum. Esri recommends a graphics card that supports DirectX 11 and OpenGL 4.5 with 4 GB or more of dedicated video RAM.

Unlike ArcGIS Desktop, which has limits on the amount of RAM and processor resources it can use, ArcGIS Pro will use all the resources you can throw at it. So, the more processing power and memory your computer has, the better ArcGIS Pro will perform.

If you are not able to get a dedicated video card and are forced to use integrated video, then it is highly recommended that you increase the amount of RAM and level of your processor to compensate for the shared usage of both to run both the display and the software.

Ultimately I strongly recommend getting the dedicated graphics card. While this is not cheap, you will experience fewer issues and crashes if you have one. This, in turn, means you will be more productive, less frustrated and have less chance of your data getting corrupted. Over time, the dedicated graphics card will pay for itself as a result of the improved performance.

Other supporting software requirements

ArcGIS Pro is dependent on other applications that must be installed prior to installation. They provide supporting services that ArcGIS Pro relies on to function. These supporting applications include the following:

• Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8 or later
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 or above
• ArcGIS Online organizational account or ArcGIS Enterprise Portal – this is required if using Named User licensing

Although these are required for ArcGIS Pro to run successfully, the actual ArcGIS Pro install routine does not verify or check for these. It will install without them and indicate that the installation was successful. However, when you run the application, you will begin to experience problems. This might include the application not starting, the inability to access a license, frequent crashes, and more.

ArcGIS Pro does not require ArcGIS Desktop in order to be installed on a computer. They are two separate applications that are completely independent of one another. This means they can co-exist on the same computer or be installed individually.

Author system recommendations

I have been working with ArcGIS Pro since it was first released in beta. This has provided the opportunity to run it on various computers as it has moved through multiple beta versions to the release of version 2.6. This firsthand experience, along with my experience running ArcGIS Desktop since it was first released, has led me to several recommendations when it comes to selecting a system to run ArcGIS Pro.

Based on my experience, I recommend the following specifications when purchasing a computer to run ArcGIS Pro:

• Make sure that you have a separate graphics card. This will include a dedicated Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) and Dedicated Video RAM (VRAM). ArcGIS Pro is a graphics-intensive program. Every time you pan, zoom, or add a new layer, you will be taxing the graphics capability of your computer. A video card will allow your computer to handle this load by processing graphics rendering requests without burdening your computer's CPU and system RAM. If your computer uses integrated video, then the computer's CPU and system RAM are used to handle all processing requests, including graphics rendering.

ArcGIS Pro is both a processor and graphics-intensive application due to the 2D and 3D maps it creates and the analysis it performs. This can put a tremendous load on your computer's resources. Having the dedicated GPU to handle the graphics rendering load on your computer will greatly improve the performance of ArcGIS Pro and your user experience.

I recommend getting a video card that has at least 6 GB of VRAM. I have had good success using video cards with NVIDIA GPUs. Currently, I am running a GeForce RTX 2070 Super. It has performed very well and is not too expensive, being around $550 at the time of writing this book. AMD video cards have been a bit lackluster until the recent release of their new Radeon RX 5700 series. This new card from AMD has been matching or beating NVDIA's performance in most benchmarks, so this might be worth trying as well, especially since it is a little less expensive for the same (or better) overall performance.

• Use a solid-state drive. Solid-state drives are incredibly fast at accessing and storing data. They are almost as fast as RAM and are much faster than even the fastest hard disk drives. ArcGIS Pro will run at lightning speeds when installed on a solid-state drive. This is even truer if you can get a Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) M.2 PCIe drive. These are small drives that look more like a memory stick than a hard drive, but have much greater performance than even traditional Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) solid-state drives. This is what I am using in my current workstation.
• There is no such thing as too much RAM. The more RAM your computer has, the better ArcGIS Pro will perform, especially if you don't have a solid-state drive. For anyone doing any heavy lifting with ArcGIS Pro, I would not consider running any less than 16 GB of RAM. I am currently running 32 GB of fast DDR 4 3000 RAM on my GIS workstation computer.

It performs well for most operations I perform on what I consider small to mid-sized datasets. If you are going to be working with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), Raster, or 3D data, I would encourage having more than 16 GB of RAM. However, if you are working primarily with vector data in mostly a 2D environment, 16 GB of RAM appears to be the optimum spot between performance and cost.

• If you are forced to use standard mechanical hard drives, then make sure they are 7,200 RPM or faster, and not 5,400 RPM drives. The seek times on the slower drives are just too slow to efficiently support effective GIS operations.
• If you are going to be doing a lot of analysis or editing and cannot get a solid-state drive, try using a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) system to improve performance. RAID systems utilize multiple hard drives to store data. They can be configured in multiple ways. A strip set-based RAID, such as RAID 0, RAID 3, or RAID 5, provides the best performance.

By storing the data across multiple drives, the computer can access the requested data from each one at the same time. This creates a multilane highway for your data to travel along. A RAID system will require at least two hard drives and often a separate controller card. Multiple solid-state drives can also be put into a RAID for increased performance if desired. However, for all but the largest datasets, I would say that would be overkill in most cases.

• Run two or more monitors. ArcGIS Pro, like ArcGIS Desktop, has multiple windows. Being able to display multiple windows at one time will increase your production. It can also allow you to have multiple applications open at one time. While I have not attempted to measure the increased production with ArcGIS Pro, I do know that it increased the production of my team using ArcGIS Desktop by 10–15%.

All these recommendations can also be applied to other applications as well, such as ArcGIS Desktop, AutoCAD, MicroStation, Photoshop, and other graphics-intensive applications. I have run all these applications and can say that based on those experiences, any of these recommendations will help them run better.

You might want to watch the YouTube video I have made on these recommendations: https://youtu.be/tH7JemkC7SM. You can also see the build for my current GIS computer, https://youtu.be/GPXRqpqzHaQ, so you can see the system I use to run ArcGIS Pro.

Testing to see whether your computer can run ArcGIS Pro

Before you attempt to install ArcGIS Pro, it is a good idea to test your system first to see whether it meets or exceeds the minimum requirements for installing the application. Luckily, Esri has a tool that can test your system. Let's run that tool now to check your computer:

1. You will start by opening your web browser, such as Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari.
2. In your web browser, go to http://pro.arcgis.com. This site from Esri allows you to access various ArcGIS Pro resources. When it opens, you should see the following:

1. Next, click on the Get Started tab located just below the banner.
2. Click on Set up located in the left panel of the web page. This will expand the menu options located under Set up.
3. Click on System Requirements located under Set up. This will take you to the System Requirements page.

In the main body of the web page, you should see a link entitled Check your computer's ability to run ArcGIS Pro 2.6. This directs you to an application that will check your computer to verify whether it meets or exceeds the requirements needed to successfully run ArcGIS Pro.

1. Click on the Check your computer's ability to run ArcGIS Pro 2.6 link. This will take you to the web page illustrated in the following screenshot, which allows you to download and install the utility needed to verify your system specifications:

The version number will change as new versions of ArcGIS Pro are released by Esri. So do not be surprised if the version number is different when you go to run this tool. ArcGIS Pro 2.6 is the most current version at the time of writing this book.

1. Click on the CAN YOU RUN IT? button located on the far right in the black banner area. This will download a file called Detection.exe. That file is the utility you will need to run to check your computer's specifications.
2. Once the Detection.exe file downloads, click it to run the utility. You should be able to do this by clicking on the file shown at the bottom of your browser window. If you do not see it, open Windows File Explorer, which is typically shown as a file folder icon on your system tray. Then, click on Downloads in the left panel below Quick Access. You should see the Detection.exe file located there.

When you run the detection utility, your browser window should indicate that it is detecting your computer hardware as shown:

Once the utility has reviewed your computer specifications and compared them to the minimum and recommended specification from Esri for ArcGIS Pro, it will generate a report showing the results as illustrated in the following sample:

This will tell you whether your computer has the required horsepower to run ArcGIS Pro. If your system fails to meet any of the minimum requirements, you will be able to see where your system falls short.

You now have the knowledge in terms of minimum system and hardware requirements for ArcGIS Pro. We will now move on to the next section regarding the downloading and installation of ArcGIS Pro.