How To: Back up content in ArcGIS Online

Summary

The instructions provided describe how to back up data from ArcGIS Online to a local machine as a preventative measure to save online content from being permanently deleted.

Procedure

The best practice for backing up an organization's content on ArcGIS Online is to save individual copies of the data to a local machine. The following steps are only applicable with data owned by, or shared with, an organization or user.

Warning:
Warning: Any content deleted from an organization is permanently removed and cannot be recovered.

To back up data types such as CSV or KML files, shapefiles, map and layer packages:

1. In ArcGIS Online, navigate to My Content.
2. Open the item details for the data file and click the Open button beneath the item thumbnail.

3. Click Download and browse to a suitable location on the local machine to store the file.

To back up a hosted feature service (which is especially important if it is edited frequently by multiple users within an organization):

1. In ArcGIS Online, navigate to My Content.
2. Open the item details for the hosted feature service.
3. Find the Layers section of the page and click the small arrow icon next to the layer to be exported. Export as a shapefile, a CSV file, or a Service URL.

The layer export options:

• Export to Shapefile: Exports a shapefile that can be saved to a disk.
• Export to CSV: Exports a comma-separated value file that can be saved to a disk.
• Service URL: Does not export anything; rather, it navigates to the REST information page for the service. From there, the URL can be copied from the browser's address bar and pasted into the application code.

Related Information

• ArcGIS.com Help - Common Questions
• FAQ: What are some best practices for data management when publishing feature services from ArcMap to ArcGIS Online?
• ArcGIS Ideas (GeoNet): ArcGIS Online Back-ups - hosted feature layers and web maps/apps
• GeoNet: Can I download a complete backup of the ArcGIS Online Organization data?