Hide a legend item in the ArcGIS Pro legend but maintain the symbols on the map

Summary

By default, the legend items listed in a map legend comprise the layers found in the Contents pane. However, a map legend can be customized to include only selected items. Follow one of the workflows below to hide a legend item in the ArcGIS Pro legend but maintain the symbols on the map.

Procedure

Turn off the legend item visibility in the Contents pane

1. In ArcGIS Pro, click the layout tab to activate the layout view.
2. Expand the legend in the Contents pane to see the legend items.
3. Uncheck the legend item to turn off its visibility in the legend. In this example, the Libraries legend item is unchecked and hidden from the legend, but the symbols are maintained on the map.

Convert the legend to graphics and delete unwanted legend items

Note:
Once a legend is converted to graphics, it loses all connection to the map. Any changes to layer symbology, or added and removed layers, are not reflected in the legend. Refer to ArcGIS Pro: Change the legend’s appearance for more information.

1. In ArcGIS Pro, click the layout tab to activate the layout view.
2. Right-click the legend in the Contents pane and click Convert To Graphics.
3. Right-click the legend again and click Ungroup. The legend is ungrouped into individual graphic elements and each element can be edited separately.

4. Right-click the individual graphic element and click Delete. In this example, the Libraries graphic element is deleted.

Note:
To select multiple graphic elements, click graphic elements while pressing the Ctrl key. Rearrange them by dragging and dropping the graphic elements.

5. Select all the remaining elements in the legend, right-click, and select Group to re-group the items into a single legend item.

The image below shows the Libraries element removed from the legend, but the symbols remain on the map.

Hide legend items in a duplicate layer for legend items with multiple classes

This workflow is applicable for layers with multiple classes.

1. In ArcGIS Pro, click the map tab to activate the map view.
2. In the Contents pane, right-click the layer and click Copy.
3. Right-click the map in the Contents pane and click Paste to create the duplicate layer. In this example, the layer with Area A and Area B is duplicated.

4. Configure the symbology of the duplicate layer to show only the classes required in the legend:
   1. Right-click the duplicate layer and click Symbology.
   2. On the Classes tab of the Symbology pane, right-click a class and click Remove. In this example, the Area B class is removed from the duplicate layer.

5. Click the layout tab to activate the layout view.
6. In the Contents pane, right-click the legend and click Properties to open the Element pane.
7. Uncheck Layer visibility under the Synchronize with map heading to disable synchronizing layer visibility between the map and legend.

8. Expand the legend in the Contents pane, and uncheck the legend item for the original layer. Leave the original layer checked in the Map Frame.
9. Expand the Map Frame, and uncheck the duplicate layer. Leave the duplicate layer legend item checked in the legend.

The image below shows the duplicate layer displayed in the legend with the Area B item removed, but the symbology of Area B from the original layer is maintained on the map.