How do I troubleshoot ArcMap performance issues related to antivirus software (exceptions)?

Answer

Anti-virus software can prevent ArcMap from quick start, or at least prevent a high-performance startup. This article introduces some recommendations for antivirus (AV) exclusions related to ArcMap that may cause this issue. This content is mainly to help administrators determine the cause of potential instability on a computer that is running a supported version of ArcMap when it is used with antivirus software.

Warning:
We recommend temporarily applying these procedures to evaluate the system. If system performance or stability is improved by the recommendations made in this article, contact your antivirus software vendor for instructions, or for an updated version of the antivirus software.

The following adjustments can be made to an antivirus program to make ArcMap run better:

Add exclusions by process executable

Use caution when adding exclusions that are based on executables, as incorrect exclusions may prevent some potentially dangerous programs from being detected. However, if it is necessary to make exclusions that are based on the process executables, use the following samples:

• ArcMap.exe
• ArcCatalog.exe
• ArcScene.exe
• ArcGlobe.exe
• ArcReader.exe
• ArcGIS-Starter.exe
• ArcGISAdmin.exe
• arcgis.exe
• Lmgrd.exe (in case of using a license manager in this machine)

Add exclusions by directories

The following directory-specific exclusions for ArcMap include real-time scans, scheduled scans and local scans. The directories that are listed below are default application directories, and these paths may require modification based on the specific environment.

\arcgis
\Program Files (x86)\ArcGIS\
\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\ArcGIS\
\bin\ArcGIS-Starter\

Note:
When excluding a directory that has a name greater than eight characters long, add both the short and long names to the exclusion list. These names are required by some AV programs to traverse the subdirectories.