Frequently asked question

Is it possible to apply symbology from ArcGIS Pro to ArcMap?

Last Published: April 26, 2020

Answer

No. It is not possible to apply symbology from ArcGIS Pro to ArcMap. There is no ability to import symbology from ArcGIS Pro to ArcGIS for Desktop because style files from ArcGIS Pro are not backward-compatible.

ArcGIS Desktop uses the .style extension for defining the style file, whereas ArcGIS Pro uses the .stylx extension. Symbols in ArcGIS Pro are modeled differently than they are in ArcMap, ArcScene, and ArcGlobe. In most cases regarding ArcGIS Desktop, symbols imported from existing .mxd, .sxd, or .3dd documents are converted with identical appearance, but the structure and properties are different in ArcGIS Pro.

At this time, there are no plans to make ArcGIS Pro backward compatible with ArcGIS for Desktop. Nor are there third-party tools available to do this. ArcGIS Pro is a new and evolving platform; stay updated with ArcGIS Pro by referring to the following help page: What's new in ArcGIS Pro.
 

Article ID:000013177

Software:
  • ArcMap
  • ArcGIS Pro

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