Work with limited or no internet access
ArcGIS Documentation Center is designed to work in environments where internet access is limited, unreliable, or unavailable. In these situations, documentation is accessed locally after it has been downloaded or imported.
This topic explains how the application behaves when connectivity is limited and what to expect when working in these conditions.
What works without an internet connection
When documentation sets are available in the local root folder, you can:
Open documentation from the Home tab.
Open help topics from the user interface of ArcGIS products that are configured to use offline help.
Browse and search documentation in your web browser.
These actions do not require an active internet connection.
What requires internet access
Some features require internet access and will not be available when you are offline or on a restricted network. These include:
Downloading new documentation sets
Checking for updates to existing documentation sets
Accessing online resources linked from documentation topics
Working with intermittent connectivity
In environments where connectivity is intermittent:
Download or update documentation sets when a connection is available.
Expect download and update indicators to reflect the current network state.
Documentation that is already stored locally will remain accessible regardless of connectivity.
Restricted network environments
In some environments, the application may have internet access but be prevented from reaching external endpoints due to network or security restrictions.
When this occurs:
Documentation sets in a root folder that is unrestricted can still be opened and used.
The Library tab will indicate that documentation sets cannot be retrieved for download.
Documentation status—such as whether an update is available—will be unknown until network access is restored.
This behavior is expected in secured or locked‑down environments.